[0:51] This meeting's called to order in

[0:52] accordance with the open public meetings

[0:54] law in accordance with chapter 231 of

[0:56] the public laws of 1975.

[0:58] Adequate notice of this meeting has been

[1:00] provided. This meeting of August 3rd,

[1:02] 2026 was provided to the Courier News

[1:05] and Star-Ledger and placed on the

[1:07] bureau's website. Also placed on the

[1:10] bulletin board of Borough Hall. A copy

[1:12] of this notice is available to the

[1:13] public and a copy of the statement shall

[1:15] be included in the minutes of this

[1:16] meeting.

[1:18] Mayor Brian Gallagher.

[1:19] >> Here.

[1:20] >> Council members, Teresa Bonner is

[1:22] excused this evening. Andrew Conti.

[1:24] >> Here.

[1:24] >> Glenn Dene.

[1:25] >> Here.

[1:26] >> Randy Pitts.

[1:26] >> Here.

[1:27] >> Gina Strabic.

[1:28] >> Here.

[1:28] >> Roger Vern.

[1:29] >> Here.

[1:30] >> Please stand for the salute to the flag.

[1:34] » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[1:36] United States of America and to the

[1:39] republic for which it stands, one nation

[1:42] under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[1:45] justice for all.

[1:53] » Okay, we have no uh departmental reports

[1:55] or notices.

[1:56] Uh however, we do have a These are

[1:59] always good nights. We have resolution

[2:01] number 260803-233

[2:05] approving the hiring of Eric A. Melendez

[2:07] as police officer effective August 4th,

[2:10] 2026.

[2:12] Do we have a motion?

[2:13] >> So moved.

[2:14] >> Second.

[2:14] >> Discussion. Roll call, please.

[2:16] >> Council members, Andrew Cotti.

[2:18] >> Yes.

[2:18] >> Glenn Denney.

[2:19] >> Yes.

[2:20] >> Randy Pitts.

[2:21] >> Yes.

[2:21] >> Gina Slavik.

[2:22] >> Yes.

[2:22] >> Roger Berm.

[2:23] >> Yes.

[2:24] >> All right.

[2:25] Uh, Mr. Melendez,

[2:27] come up come on down.

[2:43] Oh, you know what? You know what? If

[2:45] mom's here, we're going to hold If she's

[2:47] not here, we're going to hold off a few

[2:48] minutes. Absolutely.

[2:50] Mom's got to be here.

[2:52] All right. So, we're going to defer

[2:53] that. That's All right. Not a problem.

[2:55] at all.

[2:57] Yeah.

[2:58] >> [laughter]

[3:01] » No, for now.

[3:04] Mom holds the gavel. That's

[3:08] All right. Let's go into committee

[3:09] reports then, Andrew.

[3:11] >> Uh, historic advisory committee hasn't

[3:12] met yet this month, but we look forward

[3:14] to discussing

[3:16] few items at the end of the month and

[3:18] specifically uh, potential for our

[3:21] artifacts and museum items to be more on

[3:25] display at

[3:27] in the town and also continue mapping

[3:28] out the historic places [clears throat]

[3:30] in town and putting them on our map that

[3:32] we actually have up. So, if anybody's

[3:33] interested in looking at historic sites

[3:35] in town, you can check out the historic

[3:37] advisory commission's website. We have a map, a Google Map that'll take

[3:41] you everywhere you want to go.

[3:42] >> Great. Thank you. Gina.

[3:44] >> Uh, September 27th, the Board of Health

[3:46] will be at the farmers market doing some

[3:49] Board of Health stuff. So, um, that was

[3:51] a great partnership and a great

[3:52] opportunity for the Board of Health to

[3:54] work with the community. Uh, the rescue

[3:55] squad continues their good work. I do

[3:57] not have a full report, um, but know

[3:59] that they are there for you.

[4:01] >> All right. Uh, Glenn.

[4:02] >> All right. Thank you. Uh, the fire

[4:04] department responded to 74 service calls

[4:07] in the month of July, so they've

[4:08] continued their busy streak for this

[4:10] year.

[4:10] And then the Environmental Commission

[4:12] met on July 14th.

[4:14] Uh, two new pet waste stations were

[4:17] installed along the Greenway, and that

[4:19] was with a partnership with the New

[4:20] Jersey Water Supply Authority and their

[4:21] water ambassadors program, and a little

[4:23] bit of help from our DPW, so we thank

[4:25] them.

[4:26] On September 9th, a member of our green

[4:28] team, David Voron, will host a talk on

[4:30] how to fight high energy bills.

[4:33] And then finally, uh,

[4:35] volunteering days are coming really

[4:37] soon. There's a number of them, so you

[4:39] can check out some details on our social

[4:41] media or website. For but we will be

[4:43] continuing our work on the Peters Brook

[4:45] habitat restoration project. Uh, the

[4:48] dates right now are August 22nd,

[4:50] September 16th, September 27th, and

[4:53] October 1st. So, hopefully you can come

[4:55] out during one of those days uh, to help

[4:57] us out with that. There will be more

[4:58] details and sign-ups available. Um,

[5:01] the Environmental Commission will see

[5:02] you at National Night Out tomorrow uh,

[5:05] with some energy saving tips and more at

[5:06] the tent, so come on out and see them

[5:08] and all the other great community groups

[5:09] that'll be there. And then uh, also you

[5:11] can come out on next Tuesday on uh, the

[5:14] 11th of August for the uh, monthly

[5:18] Environmental Commission meeting at 7:00

[5:19] right here.

[5:20] >> Okay, great.

[5:21] >> Busy, busy.

[5:22] >> Excellent. Thank you.

[5:23] >> Thanks.

[5:23] >> Ready.

[5:24] >> He stole my thunder.

[5:26] >> [laughter]

[5:26] >> There's plenty to say. There's plenty of

[5:28] groups.

[5:31] >> Tomorrow is National Night Out day.

[5:33] Come out and meet

[5:35] our entire force,

[5:37] fire department, rescue squad.

[5:39] Um, this year's event features live

[5:41] performances by Elite Dance Center,

[5:43] School of Rock, Black Belt World, plus a

[5:46] dunk tank.

[5:48] Maybe the mayor.

[5:50] >> That could be. [laughter] It may be on

[5:51] the agenda.

[5:55] » Provided by Somerville Recreation. Free

[5:57] hot dogs, drinks, and snacks will be

[5:59] provided by the community partners.

[6:01] Meet your neighbors, connect with our

[6:03] local police officers,

[6:05] our

[6:06] beautiful and great police officers. We

[6:08] even have the chief here tonight. Want

[6:10] to give him a shout out.

[6:11] He's my guy.

[6:12] >> [laughter]

[6:14] >> We hope to see you there tomorrow.

[6:16] That's all I have.

[6:17] >> All right, great. Thank you. Roger. Uh

[6:19] from recreation, the Somerville YMCA

[6:22] will be offering free classes to

[6:23] Somerville residents at Michael Lep Pool

[6:26] Park, which is the one on Park Avenue,

[6:28] on August 10th, 12th, and 14th. The

[6:31] program is designed to help young

[6:33] children become more comfortable and

[6:35] confident in and around the water while

[6:37] learning essential water safety skills

[6:39] in a fun and supportive environment.

[6:42] There are two sessions for young

[6:43] children. Um they will be run at uh

[6:46] 11:00 to 11:30, which is going to be

[6:48] safety around the water. It's a

[6:49] parent-and-me class for preschool-aged

[6:52] children ages 3 to 5. And then from

[6:55] 11:30 to 12:00 on those days, it'll be

[6:57] safety around the water, uh children

[6:59] only, uh ages 5 years old, I guess and

[7:02] up. So, space is limited. Uh please

[7:04] register now on the Community Pass uh

[7:06] website under summer programs. And

[7:08] that's what I have.

[7:09] >> Okay.

[7:10] All right, we're going to jump and do

[7:11] ordinances for public hearing and

[7:13] adoption. Ordinance number number 2807

[7:17] is a bond ordinance providing an

[7:18] appropriation of $850,000 for the design

[7:22] and resurfacing of South Middle Street

[7:24] and Washington Place foreign by the

[7:25] Borough of Somerville in the County of

[7:27] Somerset.

[7:28] >> owners? Like, what prompted this?

[7:31] >> Uh what hap- What prompted this is it's

[7:34] the time is So, as you know, there is a

[7:37] cannabis, well, maybe you don't know,

[7:38] there's a cannabis location further um

[7:41] west on Route 22, or actually 202 206,

[7:46] we're we're making it so the cannabis

[7:49] facility that's located on 22 could

[7:52] compete hour-wise with that. So, it

[7:54] matches their time.

[7:56] Only it actually matches their time only

[7:59] Friday Saturday. They may be be

[8:01] appearing in the future to match their

[8:03] time on Sunday, but at this point this

[8:04] is a this is just

[8:07] basically Monday Monday through Saturday

[8:09] the change.

[8:11] >> So, they requested it.

[8:12] >> Uh yes, it it it came about. As you

[8:15] know, we do get

[8:17] transfer tax from that, so the revenue

[8:19] if they open early obviously the

[8:21] anticipation is the revenue would be

[8:24] um better during those morning hours.

[8:31] » Okay. Roll call.

[8:32] Council members, Andrew Conti.

[8:34] >> Yes.

[8:35] >> Glenn Zaney.

[8:35] >> Yes.

[8:36] >> Randy Pitts.

[8:37] >> Yes.

[8:37] >> Gina Stravic.

[8:38] >> Yes.

[8:38] >> Roger Vern.

[8:38] >> Yes.

[8:39] >> All right.

[8:41] Is mom here?

[8:42] Is she?

[8:43] >> Yes.

[8:44] >> All right.

[8:45] >> [laughter]

[8:47] >> All right, let's let's go back to item

[8:50] number six, which is the oath of office

[8:53] for police officer Eric A. Melendez.

[8:56] Eric, if you come forward.

[9:04] That's your cue, mom.

[9:12] » You put your left hand on the Bible.

[9:14] And you're going to raise your right

[9:15] hand and repeat after me.

[9:18] I state your name.

[9:19] >> I, Eric Melendez,

[9:21] >> do solemnly swear

[9:23] >> that I will support the Constitution of

[9:25] the United States.

[9:26] >> that I will support the Constitution of

[9:27] the United States.

[9:28] >> and the state of New Jersey.

[9:30] >> that I will bear true faith and

[9:32] allegiance to the same.

[9:33] >> that I will bear true faith and

[9:35] allegiance to the same.

[9:36] >> and to the governments established in

[9:37] the United States and in this state.

[9:39] >> And to the governments established in

[9:40] the United States and in this state.

[9:42] >> Under the authority of the people.

[9:45] >> That I will faithfully

[9:47] >> impartially

[9:49] >> and justly perform

[9:51] >> all the duties of police officer

[9:54] >> for the Borough of Somerville

[9:57] >> according to the best of my ability.

[10:01] >> So help me God.

[10:02] >> Congratulations.

[10:03] >> Thank you, sir.

[10:04] >> [applause]

[10:40] » Chief.

[10:40] >> All right, so

[10:42] Officer Melendez is already You can You

[10:44] can step back over here, okay.

[10:46] He's already a police officer. So we had

[10:49] an opening and we've had an opening for

[10:51] a while due to retirement of someone, so

[10:53] we're filling a spot.

[10:54] And we had a uh process where people

[10:58] apply and we interviewed several trained

[11:01] police officers.

[11:03] He came out number one on our process

[11:05] and after a thorough background he um

[11:09] ready to go. But having police

[11:11] experience is a giant benefit to us here

[11:14] in town.

[11:15] Um and he's got a good support group.

[11:17] He'll be hooked with a training officer

[11:19] for a while, about 3 months I guess, 2 3

[11:21] months.

[11:21] So he can learn how we do things our way

[11:23] here and uh

[11:25] that's it, he's ready to go. And

[11:27] we were told that he has a very uh

[11:29] tight, close family and that's obvious

[11:31] by the amount of people that are here.

[11:33] Uh do want to thank you guys, thank the

[11:35] council for doing this and working with

[11:37] us. We always have a good working

[11:38] relationship and we have to keep that

[11:40] going too. But, thank you guys.

[11:42] >> Chief, thank you.

[11:42] >> Thank you, Chief.

[11:44] >> So, just a just a couple of comments. Um

[11:46] I always love these days. Um I think

[11:48] it's wonderful.

[11:50] Um it's a another officer joining the

[11:52] ranks of our community. And when you

[11:54] look around you and you see this

[11:57] uh these lines of blue, um these are the

[12:00] folks that the men and women who keep

[12:02] our community what it is. We live in a

[12:04] very special community. We have very

[12:06] engaged citizens. Um and uh and and it's

[12:10] wonderful. So, remember this day cuz

[12:13] it's a good day, it's a happy day.

[12:15] They're not all good and happy, uh but

[12:17] think back to you know, this day when

[12:19] you're having that tough day. And uh

[12:22] make sure you wave

[12:25] to the citizens

[12:27] and go after the bad guys with a

[12:28] vengeance.

[12:29] All right? So, thank you and

[12:31] congratulations. Thank you.

[12:33] Uh Chief, I know you've got a couple of

[12:34] other things you uh you'd like to do.

[12:36] >> Yeah, we have some awards we'd like to

[12:37] give out to some of the folks here and

[12:39] we'll start with I got Lieutenant

[12:41] DePalma is going to come up. Do you have

[12:42] the

[12:44] awards?

[12:45] Um what I'd like to do first is uh the

[12:47] Chief's Achievement Award and I'm going

[12:49] to actually Usually you you guys have

[12:51] known me a long time. I don't read

[12:52] anything in general. We just talk.

[12:54] But, Lieutenant DePalma put some nice

[12:56] fancy stuff together. So, I'm going to

[12:58] try to stay on

[13:00] course here.

[13:01] Anyway,

[13:02] uh Officer Spadaia, could you come down,

[13:04] please?

[13:06] So, Officer Spadaia and Detective

[13:09] Fullmore, Detective Fullmore is not here

[13:11] tonight.

[13:12] But, uh we want to give him the Chief's

[13:14] Award

[13:16] what Lieutenant DePalma came up with was

[13:18] being awarded for an outstanding act of

[13:20] achievement. Moving into the new

[13:22] building

[13:23] would not be possible without the

[13:24] dedication, professionalism, and

[13:26] unwavering commitment of officers today

[13:29] and Detective Fullmer, which you guys

[13:31] know this is true. Big lift.

[13:33] On behalf of the entire department,

[13:34] thank you for your countless hours, your

[13:36] commitment to excellence excellence, and

[13:38] your steadfast dedication to the

[13:39] organization. Your work has left a

[13:41] permanent mark on the department and

[13:43] every person who walks through the doors

[13:44] of the building.

[13:45] Yeah, you could tell that I didn't write

[13:46] this.

[13:47] >> [laughter]

[13:49] >> Really nice.

[13:50] Congratulations.

[13:51] Um it's my honor to award this to you.

[13:53] So, the lieutenant's going to give this

[13:54] to you. Thank you. And good job.

[13:57] >> [applause]

[14:04] » ON TOP OF WHAT WAS WRITTEN,

[14:07] THE AMOUNT OF WORK, EFFORT, and

[14:10] problem-solving that went into getting

[14:12] us in there was

[14:14] difficult and amazing. And I'll let it

[14:16] go with that.

[14:16] >> Can Can I just say you didn't mention

[14:17] the headaches with this guy?

[14:18] >> Yes.

[14:19] >> [laughter]

[14:20] >> He's my headache.

[14:22] >> Trying to keep him out of it.

[14:25] All right. Then, if we could have

[14:26] Officer Kelleher and Officer Shahak come

[14:29] up.

[14:33] So, these two are getting the Medal of

[14:35] Valor.

[14:36] And what I'm going to do is I am going

[14:38] to read this because it really does lay

[14:40] it out pretty nicely as to what

[14:42] happened. So, um

[14:45] August 15th of last year,

[14:48] at about

[14:49] 3:45 in the afternoon,

[14:52] Manville PD was searching for a male

[14:54] suspected of being in possession of a

[14:56] firearm.

[14:58] Possibly fleeing by the train.

[15:00] Surrounding agencies were advised to

[15:01] check the train station, which we have a

[15:03] train station, and these guys went and

[15:04] did that.

[15:06] Officer Kelleher responded along with

[15:08] members from the prosecutor's office.

[15:10] Upon checking the platform, the actor

[15:11] was actually located. And if any of this

[15:13] is off, you can correct me, but blame

[15:15] him.

[15:16] Um the actor became immediately agitated

[15:19] and argumentative with the officers on

[15:20] scene. The actor then tried to walk away

[15:22] and began reaching into his waistband

[15:25] towards what the officers believed to be

[15:27] was a firearm. And and every police

[15:29] officer here knows and you guys probably

[15:30] do, too. I mean, the thing that gets you

[15:32] hurt is your hands. You got to watch

[15:33] your hands. So, when he's

[15:35] sticking his hand somewhere,

[15:37] makes you nervous.

[15:39] The actor started shout- a physical

[15:41] confrontation ensued. Officer Shahad

[15:43] arrived on scene as well.

[15:46] The actor started shouting, "Kill me.

[15:47] Shoot me. I'm not going back." Also,

[15:49] during the length of time trying to take

[15:50] control of his hands, he was refusing to

[15:52] remove his left hand from holding the

[15:54] handle of the firearm.

[15:57] The actor was then handcuffed and

[15:58] secured as more officers arrived on

[15:59] scene and the weapon was secured.

[16:01] Officer Callaher hurt her hand.

[16:03] Um

[16:06] As I'm reading this, I think I'm not

[16:07] supposed to talk about injuries, but you

[16:09] broke your finger.

[16:10] Um and the actor actually spit on

[16:12] Officer Shahad

[16:14] in the face and mouth. Officers Callaher

[16:16] and and Officer Shahad, Somerset Police

[16:18] Department would like to recognize both

[16:19] of you for your acts of extraordinary

[16:21] heroism

[16:22] that were displayed during your actions

[16:24] on that day.

[16:26] While responding to a subject with a

[16:27] firearm, your immediate actions

[16:29] displayed that day are an example of how

[16:30] you're willing to place the welfare of

[16:32] others above yourselves.

[16:34] This exemplifies the essence of the

[16:35] Valor Award. Congratulations on the

[16:37] award.

[16:39] >> [applause]

[16:47] » And I was up there, too. I watched what

[16:49] was going on. They had him on the ground

[16:51] by the time I got there. And the guy was

[16:54] very, very violent and

[16:56] it was not a good situation. They were

[16:58] also honored by the 200 Club of Somerset

[17:01] County for their actions. So,

[17:03] congratulations.

[17:07] » [applause]

[17:12] » Okay, uh Officer Black, come on up here,

[17:15] please.

[17:18] And this is a good one. This is a real

[17:20] good one, too.

[17:21] He's also getting the Medal of Valor.

[17:25] So, again, I'm going to read it cuz I

[17:27] think he did a good job.

[17:30] September 6th of 2025

[17:33] at

[17:35] 2:17 in the morning, so you know there's

[17:37] a little different environment going on,

[17:38] right?

[17:40] While investigating an unrelated

[17:41] incident, a report from dispatch came in

[17:43] that a male was on a street in town

[17:46] uh with a gun threatening people.

[17:49] Upon arrival, Officer Black confronted

[17:51] the subject who was in the area and gave

[17:53] him the clear verbal commands not to

[17:55] move. He assumed it was the person that

[17:57] he was sent there to deal with that had

[17:59] a gun.

[18:01] At that point, the actor then started

[18:02] running and ran away from Officer Black who started running after him

[18:07] and caught him.

[18:08] Officer Black immediately, without any

[18:10] hesitation, chased the subject for

[18:11] approximately 30 yd and was able to stop

[18:13] him and place him under arrest.

[18:16] The actor was in possession of a loaded

[18:17] magazine and ammo in his pocket. In

[18:19] addition, a firearm was also found near

[18:21] where the actor was arrested indicating

[18:23] that he had the gun on him and when he

[18:24] tackled him it came out of his pocket or

[18:27] whatever. Is that pretty much accurate?

[18:29] Okay.

[18:30] Um

[18:32] the Saugus Police Department like to

[18:33] recognize you for your act of

[18:34] extraordinary heroism that was displayed

[18:36] during this altercation. Uh the

[18:38] professionalism, confidence, and quick

[18:40] action that was displayed that night

[18:41] while responding gave to someone who had

[18:43] a gun even though the result was imminent

[18:46] personal hazard to yourself was a

[18:48] selfless act of bravery.

[18:50] Due to these actions, you will be

[18:52] receiving a Medal of Valor.

[18:53] Congratulations.

[18:55] >> [applause]

[19:04] » May have 2:15 in the morning you get a

[19:05] report of a guy he's out there at the

[19:07] Pine by himself. He takes off, goes

[19:09] after him, gets him, got guns.

[19:10] >> Yeah.

[19:13] I thank you guys for allowing this

[19:14] tonight and participating with us. Thank

[19:17] you very much.

[19:18] >> Chief, thank you. Um,

[19:20] thank you. Thank all of your officers,

[19:22] those that are here and those that that

[19:23] are that are not here.

[19:26] Um,

[19:27] you know, I just find it fascinating.

[19:28] So, more and more

[19:30] our police officers are called on to to

[19:32] do different things. Uh, everything from

[19:35] what you heard about tonight to um,

[19:39] marriage counselors, psychologists,

[19:41] psychiatrists, um, you name it, across

[19:44] the board. Uh, and it's not an easy job.

[19:47] It's it's a passion that our officers

[19:50] have and and we have a difference. I

[19:52] think we have an extremely well-trained

[19:55] force

[19:56] um, led by an administrative team that

[19:59] is uh, second to none. I I'll put our

[20:02] officers up against any officers in the

[20:03] county. I think they're top-notch.

[20:06] Um, they're always out there. Um,

[20:08] they're always waving, at least they're

[20:09] waving at me.

[20:10] Uh, that or they're telling me get out

[20:12] of the way. I don't know.

[20:13] >> [laughter]

[20:13] >> Um, but I want to thank every one of you

[20:16] for what you do every single day because

[20:18] it's it's not just the the um,

[20:20] these items that you heard about today.

[20:22] It's the everyday. And uh, um,

[20:26] it's it's not easy. It's a challenge.

[20:28] It's a challenging job. You do it well.

[20:30] You keep our community safe.

[20:33] Thank you. God bless all of you. Thank

[20:35] you.

[20:35] >> [applause]

[20:39] » All right, you can go.

[20:43] And family, you can go, too.

[21:11] » All right, we'll continue on. Um, before

[21:13] we get to to the meeting

[21:15] open to the public for public comment

[21:17] cuz I know there will be public comment

[21:19] on the library issue.

[21:21] Um, I just kind of want to cycle back a

[21:23] little bit and and talk a little bit

[21:26] about that because it's become a strong issue

[21:30] for our entire community.

[21:33] And and I think everybody's goal is

[21:35] exactly the same. Um, it's that we want

[21:38] to have a premier, a good, fantastic

[21:42] library in our community.

[21:45] And I also believe that the long-term

[21:49] goal of

[21:51] trying to build something bigger and

[21:54] better

[21:55] is also good.

[21:56] And I think I share the same sentiment

[21:59] of council

[22:00] that that we'd like to see that.

[22:03] The challenge is we have this goal

[22:05] that's out here.

[22:07] And we have now, which is over here.

[22:11] And

[22:12] obviously recently

[22:14] the Somerset County County Library

[22:16] Commission has taken steps to

[22:18] um

[22:20] close the Somerville branch.

[22:23] Um

[22:24] citing a number of issues,

[22:26] one of which was mold issues.

[22:30] Uh, health concerns of their employees.

[22:33] We take that very seriously. Um, once

[22:36] that was made

[22:38] I ordered the testing of the area

[22:40] immediately.

[22:41] And I'm going to back up a second

[22:43] because there was mold testing and

[22:45] remediation done

[22:47] about a year ago. And that was in the

[22:49] downstairs level,

[22:50] the basement level of the uh

[22:53] the library.

[22:55] Remediated, brought back to

[22:58] standard.

[23:00] Fast forward to this year.

[23:02] Um

[23:02] we received a letter and it said we were

[23:05] closing citing those concerns.

[23:08] Again, so testing was ordered

[23:10] immediately.

[23:12] When

[23:13] the initial testing came back for the

[23:15] upstairs,

[23:16] that testing showed no elevated mold.

[23:20] The area was okay.

[23:22] I had ordered immediate testing of the

[23:25] downstairs again just to ensure

[23:28] that that the remediation we did last

[23:30] year

[23:31] held.

[23:33] And that has come back now.

[23:35] And that also shows no elevation of

[23:37] mold.

[23:39] So, that presents a challenge.

[23:42] It doesn't negate, you know, the the

[23:44] idea that somebody may feel ill.

[23:47] So, we've taken an extra step and I've

[23:51] ordered that we bring in an

[23:53] environmental engineer {slash}

[23:55] industrial hygienist

[23:57] to do further testing

[23:59] to ensure that the air

[24:01] and the quality in the library both

[24:04] upstairs and downstairs

[24:07] is satisfactory.

[24:09] Once that's done and they come back to

[24:11] us with those results,

[24:14] one of two things will happen. Either

[24:16] the results show that there are no

[24:17] issues

[24:19] or they will show that there are issues.

[24:22] They will be mitigated. And we will also

[24:24] implement best practices that they show

[24:26] we should.

[24:28] Um

[24:32] I think that's going over and above what

[24:35] the cited reasons were for

[24:37] closing the library.

[24:40] And

[24:42] I think it's a good practice for us.

[24:44] And I would even take it a step further

[24:46] and say that we would conduct further

[24:47] testing as the years go on or as the

[24:50] year goes on just to ensure. Let's

[24:52] monitor, monitor testing.

[24:55] Um

[24:59] the challenge we have is that

[25:03] while the mold issue seemed to be the

[25:06] impetus for this,

[25:07] other issues now have come up in that

[25:10] the space isn't suitable.

[25:12] The space is not big enough. Uh and

[25:15] these are some reasons that we've been

[25:16] given for

[25:18] uh for the uh county to close the

[25:21] library.

[25:23] Um

[25:25] I don't believe that's right.

[25:27] Um

[25:29] this

[25:31] is a small branch library.

[25:35] It doesn't mean that we can't grow.

[25:37] But what it does mean

[25:39] is that between the time that we grow

[25:43] into something else and now

[25:46] we have to maintain that service

[25:50] to our constituents.

[25:53] In 2010, I brought

[25:55] our library to the county because our

[25:58] library was not in good financial shape.

[26:02] And the library embraced us, the county

[26:05] system embraced us. They wanted us to be

[26:07] a part of it.

[26:09] And 15 years later, um I'm I'm

[26:12] questioning some of that.

[26:14] So, it it is a challenge.

[26:19] I think there's an opportunity for

[26:21] partnership there to achieve this.

[26:24] But you can't

[26:27] eliminate what we have in order to

[26:30] achieve this. You know, I almost look at

[26:33] it as if

[26:34] we're kind of the first pin

[26:37] in this process. You know, what what is next? I don't know the answer to

[26:42] that. But what is next?

[26:44] So,

[26:46] you know, it's it's a very challenging

[26:48] situation. And and I've been in meetings

[26:50] and and I said part of my job is to try

[26:52] not to get

[26:53] try to not get people into their

[26:55] corners.

[26:56] Sometimes it's very difficult to do

[26:58] because people feel that they're right.

[27:02] And I think tonight we went into

[27:04] corners.

[27:06] Um

[27:07] and I believe and I think the council

[27:09] believes, rightfully so, at this time

[27:12] that we did go into our corners.

[27:14] Um our goals are the same.

[27:18] They are the same.

[27:20] I haven't met one person that says, I

[27:22] don't want a library.

[27:24] I haven't met one person who says, I

[27:26] don't want a nicer library.

[27:30] I firmly believe, I raised five kids in

[27:33] this town.

[27:35] That was my wife's salvation.

[27:38] Three in the triple stroller, one on her

[27:39] back, and one walking.

[27:42] That was her salvation.

[27:46] Now my granddaughter

[27:48] loves to go on Saturdays to pick up my

[27:50] paperwork

[27:51] and hop over to the library and do

[27:53] something cool.

[27:55] So, you know, it's it's This is not a

[27:58] pleasant situation and I know there's

[28:00] people who have a lot of different

[28:01] feelings out there.

[28:03] Uh there's a lot of different emotions

[28:04] out there.

[28:06] My goal

[28:08] our goal as a council is to ensure that

[28:10] we have those services.

[28:12] There's been talk about renting space

[28:15] somewhere downtown, renting space

[28:17] somewhere in the borough to achieve

[28:19] those services.

[28:20] If we have a space

[28:22] that's clean

[28:24] certified

[28:26] it's okay.

[28:28] Is it old building?

[28:30] Yeah.

[28:31] It is an old building.

[28:33] But it's Somerville's building.

[28:36] And it still serves its purpose well.

[28:40] And if we can show that it's certified

[28:41] clean and we can we can

[28:44] keep that level

[28:46] I don't see why we can't reoccupy from

[28:49] this time

[28:51] forward

[28:53] to the new beginning of whatever that

[28:55] library is.

[28:58] One of the challenges in creating

[29:00] something is you have to define what you

[29:03] want.

[29:05] Now, we all have opinions on what we

[29:07] want, but what is the public want?

[29:09] What is the public need?

[29:12] We don't have that.

[29:14] We know it's technology.

[29:16] Kids library.

[29:17] You know, we had floated the idea of

[29:19] well, why don't we make

[29:21] the the counties, the regions

[29:23] most special children's library in our

[29:26] space

[29:28] and allow the other libraries,

[29:31] Hillsborough and Bridgewater

[29:33] to absorb the adult. I don't know

[29:35] whether that's right or wrong,

[29:37] but it's a concept.

[29:38] And I think that's where you have to

[29:39] start with these concepts. And I know

[29:41] the commission has talked about going

[29:43] out and doing these types of of surveys.

[29:46] Um

[29:49] but I think it's premature

[29:51] to begin that process without knowing

[29:55] what are our asks?

[29:57] What are we doing? Where are we going?

[30:00] So So, the bureau has committed

[30:03] that that space

[30:05] is going to be occupied.

[30:08] We'll know in a week or two

[30:10] what the results of of all of that are.

[30:13] Um and we'll either have a timeline for

[30:17] remediation

[30:19] or we'll have an all clear and let's get

[30:22] back to work.

[30:25] Um

[30:26] I've asked the commission if they are

[30:28] willing to work towards

[30:31] a um

[30:33] a goal of reoccupying that space.

[30:37] And it was a qualified yes if it

[30:40] expanded.

[30:42] Well, we're not expanding right now cuz

[30:44] we don't know what we're expanding into.

[30:45] The goal is to reoccupy that space.

[30:48] >> Yeah.

[30:49] >> But

[30:49] ex- excuse me.

[30:50] >> Yeah, yeah.

[30:52] » Excuse me.

[30:55] Ex-

[30:55] excuse me.

[30:57] You are out of order. You are

[31:00] out of order.

[31:01] You will have your 5 minutes during

[31:02] public session.

[31:05] That's probably only the fourth time

[31:06] I've ever gabbled in my life. I don't

[31:08] gabble people. So, let's have a little

[31:10] more uh decorum

[31:12] here.

[31:15] So, at this point, um

[31:18] you know, sometimes you do have to go

[31:19] into your corners.

[31:21] And uh what I will do is ask the council

[31:24] for a motion

[31:26] to authorize the attorney to begin

[31:28] drawing up

[31:29] uh papers

[31:31] uh

[31:32] to

[31:33] ensure that the library commission

[31:36] uh follows the terms of our agreement

[31:39] that's been established.

[31:42] » Regrettably, I make that motion.

[31:45] >> Second.

[31:47] >> Discussion.

[31:49] Roll call.

[31:50] >> Council members, Andrew Cauty.

[31:51] >> Yes.

[31:52] >> Glen Dunay.

[31:52] >> Yes.

[31:53] >> Randy Pitts.

[31:54] >> Yes.

[31:54] >> Gina Stravic.

[31:55] >> Yes.

[31:55] >> Roger Vroom.

[31:56] >> Yes.

[31:57] >> Okay.

[31:58] All right.

[31:59] Uh at this point, I will ask for a

[32:01] motion to open the meeting to the

[32:03] public.

[32:03] >> So moved.

[32:04] >> Second.

[32:04] >> Discussion.

[32:06] Roll call.

[32:06] >> Council members, Andrew Cauty.

[32:08] >> Yes.

[32:08] >> Glen Dunay.

[32:09] >> Yes.

[32:09] >> Randy Pitts.

[32:10] >> Yes.

[32:10] >> Gina Stravic.

[32:11] >> Yes.

[32:11] >> Roger Vroom.

[32:12] >> Yes.

[32:13] >> Okay.

[32:14] Public session is now open. Please state

[32:16] your name and address for the record and

[32:17] please address your comments to me.

[32:24] » Peter Bromberg. My address is 121 Agnes

[32:27] uh Place in Bound Brook. I am the

[32:28] director of the Somerset County Library

[32:30] System. I am not a politician. I'm a

[32:33] librarian. It is my life's work. It has

[32:34] been a privilege to to

[32:36] bring library services to the people of

[32:38] different communities across this state

[32:40] and across this country. I was invited

[32:42] here tonight. I say invited in quotes

[32:45] because I was asked to what might I be

[32:47] willing to come tonight.

[32:48] >> could you just

[32:50] Yeah, could you just stay in the shot?

[32:52] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I would also ask if you would just put

[32:55] the microphone back, please.

[32:56] >> Uh I'm going to hold the microphone.

[32:58] >> No, I'm going to ask you to put the

[32:58] microphone

[32:59] >> I'm going to hold the microphone.

[33:00] >> Peter, please just put the microphone

[33:03] back.

[33:03] >> W- Why?

[33:04] >> Because it's piece of borough property.

[33:06] Please put the microphone back.

[33:07] >> Well, I'm not going to throw it at

[33:08] anybody.

[33:08] >> That I know you're not. I know you're

[33:10] not. Please just

[33:11] >> This is just This is just like

[33:12] control. Like, oh, no. You're telling me

[33:14] what to do. No. No. No. I'm going to

[33:16] hold the microphone.

[33:17] >> Peter, you're invited tonight. You were

[33:18] brought into We were brought into this

[33:20] room.

[33:21] >> We were brought into this room with no

[33:23] agenda. Uh I was asked to hold this this

[33:25] night available. Uh came in. Never got a

[33:28] confirmation. I had to confirm and say,

[33:30] "Well, I was asked to hold this night

[33:31] available. Is this Are we coming?" So,

[33:34] we show up. I was asked, "Are you here

[33:36] to talk Tell us that you're going to

[33:37] move back into the library?" I said, "Am

[33:39] I here to tell you? I don't even You

[33:40] invited us here. You tell us what you

[33:42] want to talk about." Well, the question

[33:44] is, "Are you going to move back into

[33:45] that library after we remediate?"

[33:48] I said, "Well, I didn't say expand. I

[33:50] said, if and when that space is made

[33:53] suitable for library services, including

[33:55] for our staff, because our staff have no

[33:57] work space there. There's no private

[33:59] space. They don't have a private

[34:01] bathroom anymore to use. They were told

[34:02] they can't flush solids. They have to

[34:04] put waste waste paper in a waste basket

[34:06] instead of flushing it. There's no It's

[34:08] not suitable. We've been there for a

[34:10] year. And so And last summer when we

[34:12] closed and we re- the lower level and we

[34:15] brought everything upstairs,

[34:17] we got the all clear, right? That

[34:19] everything was going to be fine. Well,

[34:20] since that time,

[34:22] staff have continued to have health

[34:24] issues. I have I have reports here from

[34:26] eight different staff members about

[34:27] their health issues. That was This is

[34:29] going back through all last summer. I'm

[34:31] sorry. Yes. yes, I apologize. Yes, yes,

[34:33] absolutely. Um Um, from through through

[34:35] the through the winter, through the

[34:37] fall, headaches, hives, persistent sore

[34:39] throat, severe nasal drip, neurological

[34:41] pain and symptoms, pressure headaches,

[34:42] tracking closely with office occupancy

[34:44] and sinus congestion.

[34:46] I can go on and on and and I eczema,

[34:48] headaches. This is eight different

[34:50] people experiencing these symptoms on

[34:53] and off depending a little bit on the

[34:54] weather, but persistent and consistent.

[34:56] And when they go when they leave the

[34:58] building for 2 days, they get better.

[34:59] When they come back, they feel worse.

[35:01] Now, there has been so a lot of

[35:02] misinformation, but when we made the

[35:04] difficult decision First, we were

[35:06] looking at this and saying we probably

[35:07] need to to find a new a new location by

[35:10] the end of the year or by the end of the

[35:11] summer.

[35:12] I communicated this with the bureau.

[35:14] This was communicated immediately. When staff were having some some spikes

[35:19] of issues, probably due to water and

[35:21] humidity and weather, um, and we sat

[35:24] down and said, "Looking at this, like

[35:26] looking at all this in totality and

[35:27] what's happening what's happening with our our staff health, um, can do we

[35:32] have a high level of confidence that

[35:34] there's a significant issue and can we

[35:36] send them back in in in good in good

[35:38] faith?" And me and my leadership team

[35:40] said, "No. Our level of confidence is

[35:42] high. It would be unethical, immoral,

[35:44] and also take on liabilities for the

[35:46] organization to send staff back in

[35:48] there." As soon as that conversation was

[35:50] had, I reached out to the bureau and I

[35:52] communicated this. "Okay, fine." I was

[35:55] told that commission was read in on this

[35:57] or the council was read in on it. And

[35:59] that there while the the timeline for a

[36:01] July 31st closure was quick, no

[36:04] questions, we'll talk about it at the

[36:05] lab meeting. The lab meeting where you

[36:07] sat here and said, "We're going to work

[36:08] together and we're going to and I have I

[36:10] didn't get returns from phone calls. I

[36:12] didn't get return from from emails. I

[36:14] said next day, I said, "Let's put out a

[36:16] joint statement to assure everyone that

[36:17] we're working together." No response to

[36:19] that. And everything you said here

[36:21] today, if we had had this conversation

[36:23] that you're up here at the dais in that

[36:25] room, I wanted to I want your the people

[36:28] here to know that you have not been

[36:30] showing [clears throat] up in good faith

[36:31] to work. That's what I want to do. I

[36:32] want to work in good faith, and if

[36:34] you're willing to do that, all of you on

[36:35] this dais, well, let's do that. We owe

[36:38] it to them. We're on their dime. We are

[36:39] public servants. This is my life trying

[36:42] to get library services to people, and I

[36:43] am so I will repeat deeply, deeply

[36:45] disappointed in the way you you you you

[36:48] treated us the the the the what you the

[36:51] disconnect between what you say publicly

[36:52] and what you say privately, the

[36:54] disconnect between saying, "Oh, we all

[36:55] want to work together and come up with a

[36:57] plan." and not returning phone calls,

[36:59] not engaging. I mean, it is it is

[37:01] shocking to me, and I'm not naive, but

[37:03] it's certainly disappointing. It is so

[37:05] disappointing. I am here our our

[37:07] commission chair is here. We are ready

[37:09] to work hand in glove to come up with

[37:11] solutions. Do we need a temporary

[37:13] solution between now and when we have

[37:14] built some grand building 3, 5, 7 years?

[37:16] I don't know when it'll be. Yeah, we

[37:18] need a temporary solution, but a

[37:19] temporary solution that is not making

[37:21] people sick, not making people sick day

[37:25] after day. That's all we're asking for,

[37:27] and we will pay the bill. We will find a

[37:29] place, and we will pay the bill, and in

[37:31] the meantime, we will continue to do

[37:32] programming with through through partner

[37:35] locations, which we've been doing all

[37:36] year. We'll continue to do story times

[37:38] and book clubs and outreach.

[37:41] And and your and residents of Somerville

[37:43] will continue to check out materials at

[37:45] other locations.

[37:47] You Over the last 180 days, more people

[37:49] are checking out materials in

[37:50] Bridgewater by by two to one than

[37:53] they're checking out here.

[37:55] So, you're already you you because

[37:56] you're part of a large county

[37:57] multi-branch system, residents have

[37:59] options to go to other locations for

[38:01] robust collections of programming and

[38:03] services and spaces to study. That's the

[38:05] benefit of being in the system. Now, if

[38:07] you all decide that you want to pull out

[38:09] of the system cuz it might take us a

[38:11] couple months to find a temporary

[38:12] location, that's your decision, and you

[38:14] can hold your people behind me can

[38:16] decide whether you want to hold these

[38:17] people accountable or not.

[38:19] >> You're just about out of time.

[38:20] >> Okay, but I what I'm asking for is

[38:22] honesty, what I'm asking for is

[38:24] consistency and congruency between what

[38:26] you say to them publicly and how you

[38:28] behave when you leave the dais.

[38:31] And let's work on their behalf. Let's

[38:32] work together on their behalf. It is our

[38:35] responsibility to do that.

[38:37] >> You're about done.

[38:38] >> I am done.

[38:39] >> Thank you.

[38:39] for your time.

[38:40] >> Thank you for your comments, sir.

[38:41] >> I apologize earlier for my for my

[38:43] passionate comment.

[38:46] >> Thank you.

[38:46] >> Yeah.

[38:51] » Any other public comment?

[39:01] » I want to grab the microphone.

[39:05] » Thank you.

[39:06] >> You're welcome.

[39:09] Uh thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um I am

[39:11] Jonathan Lee

[39:12] from the Borough of Rocky Hill, 10 Toth

[39:15] Lane, Rocky Hill.

[39:18] I am also a councilman in the Borough of

[39:20] Rocky Hill and chair of the library

[39:22] committee.

[39:25] Um it seems very suspicious

[39:29] that you have a mold problem in your

[39:31] library.

[39:33] We've gone through a tremendously

[39:36] difficult problem regarding our library

[39:38] and has nothing to do with mold. It

[39:40] [clears throat] has to do with the fact

[39:42] that um

[39:44] the Somerset County Library System

[39:46] decided to no longer support our

[39:48] library. Um we were the first branch of

[39:52] the Somerset County Library System.

[39:55] Um we had an we had an unique situation

[39:58] because

[39:59] um

[40:00] we were the um beneficiaries of an

[40:04] endowment provided by a lawyer from Philadelphia to honor his

[40:09] wife. His name was Harold Jacobs.

[40:13] And his wife's name was Mary. They are

[40:15] both um

[40:18] buried in

[40:19] Rocky Hill Cemetery.

[40:24] Because it was a public-private

[40:28] uh agreement, um

[40:30] Somerset County Library System became

[40:32] uncomfortable with it over the years.

[40:35] Um eventually, um Montgomery created a

[40:39] new um town hall and they established a

[40:43] branch of the Somerset County Library

[40:44] System in their town. Previously, the

[40:48] citizens of Montgomery had shared our

[40:50] library

[40:51] for uh approximately 50 years.

[40:56] There was a short-term agreement where

[40:58] we continued to run our library uh with

[41:01] their support.

[41:03] Um and then uh there was um

[41:06] a period when we were supposed to

[41:08] determine what the future of the library

[41:10] is.

[41:11] Um they uh were not too conducive to

[41:16] doing that. Um they said that they were

[41:18] running out of money and they told us

[41:20] they were going to close down.

[41:22] Um so, instead of closing down, I

[41:25] believe it was um

[41:28] in um May of 2024,

[41:31] they closed down the previous August

[41:34] because they said they had a mold issue.

[41:39] Now,

[41:40] tests were run

[41:42] and I will tell you now that the mold

[41:45] inside the building was lower than that

[41:48] which was outside in the ambient air,

[41:50] which is the control.

[41:52] Um

[41:54] so, this seems somewhat

[41:56] like a modus operandi to me.

[42:00] Um I would

[42:02] tend to

[42:03] um

[42:04] fight for your library.

[42:06] We spent 3 years uh

[42:09] eventually

[42:11] the foundation that ran the endowment

[42:14] that was given for our library

[42:16] decided they no longer wanted to

[42:18] run a library.

[42:20] And um

[42:22] we went into a lawsuit with them. It

[42:24] took us 3 years and hundreds of

[42:27] thousands of dollars,

[42:29] but we won that lawsuit.

[42:32] There is now a new

[42:34] Board of Trustees being constituted and

[42:38] the town is now getting control of the

[42:41] building so that we don't have an issue

[42:43] again.

[42:45] Um we will probably I don't know what

[42:47] the future brings as far as what kind of

[42:50] library it will be, whether we join the

[42:52] Summers County Library System. They

[42:54] apparently are not interested in joining

[42:56] us or us joining them, even though we

[42:58] were the first branch.

[43:01] Um

[43:02] but um

[43:05] we will have a library.

[43:07] We have a significant endowment.

[43:09] Um I could get into details about some

[43:12] of their underhanded dealings during

[43:14] that

[43:15] um

[43:16] lawsuit where they became an amicus

[43:18] curiae

[43:20] and basically presented facts

[43:23] that

[43:24] didn't hold water as far as I'm

[43:26] concerned, trying to prove that we could

[43:28] not financially run a library.

[43:30] We proved otherwise. We won the lawsuit.

[43:33] Um

[43:34] suspiciously

[43:37] they were um third in line to receive

[43:39] the assets if

[43:42] the endowment failed, if the borough

[43:45] couldn't

[43:46] run the library. So,

[43:49] my question is

[43:51] who are we dealing with here?

[43:54] Um so I figured I would come tonight. I

[43:56] just read an article today

[43:57] >> About 30 seconds.

[43:58] >> today about this and I thought it would

[44:01] be

[44:02] good for you folks to hear some of the

[44:04] background that we've been dealing with.

[44:06] >> We appreciate your comments. Thank you,

[44:08] sir.

[44:08] >> Thank you.

[44:10] Any other public comments, sir?

[44:11] >> Is this just on library or

[44:13] >> No, anything.

[44:14] >> Okay, good.

[44:17] My name is Daniel Pontonio. I live on

[44:19] 101 Eastern Ave, Somerville.

[44:22] Um

[44:22] first thing about the library, I'm

[44:23] curious, is there a county library,

[44:25] Somerset County Library?

[44:26] >> Yeah, it's not a Q&A, but yes, there is.

[44:29] It's a whole system. There's a number of

[44:30] different libraries.

[44:31] >> know that. Just curious.

[44:32] >> It's a comment period.

[44:32] >> Okay. So,

[44:34] the reason I'm here today is we were in

[44:37] the process of buying a home on 69

[44:39] Fairmont Ave, which is right down the

[44:41] street from you.

[44:42] When we went through this process, what

[44:44] we found out through the inspections is

[44:46] that this particular house had a chimney

[44:49] that had about $30,000 worth of damage.

[44:52] So, my whole thinking was, coming from

[44:55] where I came from, Voorhees, New Jersey,

[44:57] in South Jersey, down there, when you go

[45:00] through inspections, the township is

[45:01] required to do a CO, and they do not let

[45:04] you in that house if you're missing

[45:05] sidewalk, if you're missing if you have

[45:07] a crack in your fireplace, any kind of

[45:10] damage you have in that fireplace, they

[45:11] will not let you move in because it's a

[45:13] hazard.

[45:14] What I found out when I called the

[45:16] township here, cuz it was an argument

[45:18] with this guy,

[45:19] that the township doesn't care about a

[45:21] CO, that you don't need a CO to move

[45:23] into an older house, and all they care

[45:25] about is carbon monoxide and smoke

[45:27] detectors.

[45:29] Now, with that said, this town, if you

[45:31] take out the new town homes and the

[45:33] condos, homes are about

[45:36] roughly about 80 years old in this town.

[45:39] You did a great job at refurbishing this

[45:41] town. Like, I'm not from here. I love

[45:43] this downtown,

[45:45] right? And I live down the street, and I

[45:47] watched the house, and I watched the

[45:50] firemen, and I watched the the police

[45:53] run into a house where a girl died.

[45:56] And that hit home.

[45:59] I'm urging you to change your laws. You

[46:02] need to have a CO. You need to inspect

[46:05] fireplaces. The guy that owns that

[46:07] house, what did he do to fix it? He

[46:09] tried to sue me for my 80 grand down

[46:11] deposit. What he did to fix it is he

[46:14] brought in a guy to paint the chimney

[46:16] and he's back selling it again. And God

[46:18] forbid if somebody buys that house, I do

[46:20] plan on giving my level two inspection

[46:22] to whoever buys that house because

[46:24] there's multiple hazards, there's

[46:26] multiple conditions, there's cracks in

[46:28] it. You burn a fire in there, there's no

[46:30] vents, carbon monoxide will leak

[46:33] throughout the house and God forbid if

[46:35] there's kids in that house, those kids

[46:36] will die. Or they will get ill.

[46:39] So, my urgent to you, change the laws in

[46:42] the town. I don't care if you have to

[46:44] whoever buys the house, they have to pay

[46:45] $150 fee. You're already paying $650 for

[46:48] a home inspection.

[46:50] Pay a fee.

[46:51] Pay it to the township to come in there.

[46:54] You need a CO to get into this house.

[46:56] You need a CO, you need to have full

[46:58] inspection, fireplace, and you can't

[47:01] have sidewalks missing like this guy was

[47:02] going to sell me.

[47:04] Not until I backed out that he finally

[47:05] go in there and replace the sidewalks. I

[47:08] just I'm a firm believer that, you know,

[47:09] safety is first. And this town, I I've

[47:12] only been here 5 or 6 years. My future

[47:15] in-laws have lived here their Well, they

[47:17] lived here their whole lives until they

[47:18] moved to Branchburg. Branch- Branchburg.

[47:20] I love this town.

[47:22] And that's why we're looking to move

[47:23] back into this town. So, I just urge you

[47:25] to really take a look at the laws.

[47:28] >> Thank you. If If you stay for the

[47:30] meeting, I just ask you to get your name

[47:31] and telephone number to Mr. Sluka.

[47:33] >> Sure.

[47:33] >> And we'll make a connection.

[47:35] >> Sure. Thank you.

[47:35] >> Thank you.

[47:38] Any other public comment?

[47:46] » Thank you, Mayor, and thank you,

[47:47] Council, and thank you, Somerset County Library System.

[47:51] You've got a problem here.

[47:53] I was a property manager for a while and

[47:55] I know once you have mold in any

[47:57] building, it always seems to stay.

[48:01] And I understand that problem on both

[48:02] sides of it. And I understand the

[48:04] mitigation you can do, but people say,

[48:06] "Oh, it has mold. Maybe I'm sick."

[48:09] So, it's a hard problem you're going to

[48:10] have to solve that. I'm not saying you

[48:11] can't. I'm just saying it's a hard

[48:13] problem. And it's a hard problem for you

[48:15] because you have that behind you. You

[48:17] weren't here when that was going on, but

[48:20] unfortunately you have it now.

[48:22] But, I'm here for a different reason.

[48:24] Jim Somerville was our town historian

[48:26] for many, many years. We have a Jim

[48:28] Somerville room.

[48:29] It's full of history. Full of history of

[48:32] this town, this area.

[48:34] I haven't heard it mentioned at all. I'm

[48:36] really concerned about that. And you

[48:38] know why. I'm a historian type. You

[48:40] know, my wife and I ran four symposiums

[48:43] about the Rev War.

[48:45] We're really concerned about that and I

[48:46] hope in your thinking of what you're

[48:48] going to do, where you're going to live,

[48:51] we don't lose that room and we don't

[48:53] lose that material because it gets

[48:55] abandoned for a while.

[48:57] And that's what I wanted to say. Thank

[48:59] you.

[48:59] >> Agreed. Thank you.

[49:02] Any other public comment?

[49:05] Sir.

[49:12] » Justin Kaiser, North Clark Avenue. Uh

[49:15] I'm here tonight on behalf of SBI.

[49:18] I'm currently a board member. I just

[49:19] want to take a moment to thank uh you,

[49:21] Mayor Gallagher, the council uh for

[49:24] passing

[49:25] uh the new ball fields going in the

[49:27] Carol Pedro Ballpark. Um I grew up

[49:29] playing on ball fields. I feel it shaped

[49:31] me as a man.

[49:32] Um building a lot of long friendships,

[49:35] teamwork, uh discipline.

[49:37] Um

[49:39] it's just a wonderful thing. You guys

[49:40] are making an investment in not only a

[49:42] ball field, but in the kids,

[49:45] uh the parents, the town. So, I just

[49:47] want to say thank you very much. It's

[49:50] really appreciated and it wasn't a small

[49:52] undertaking.

[49:53] >> Thank you.

[49:53] for coming out and saying

[49:54] that. Thank you.

[49:56] Any other public comment?

[50:04] » Good evening. Roberta Carpenito, 66

[50:07] Fairview Avenue. And I'm also the

[50:08] chairman of the Somerset County Library

[50:10] Commission.

[50:12] I would just like to say, Mayor, I

[50:13] respect what you're saying.

[50:15] I think an issue that we're encountering

[50:18] is we are not seeking to close the

[50:21] library.

[50:23] We wish to provide 21st century library

[50:26] service to our patrons and it in a

[50:30] healthy, safe environment. Right now,

[50:33] the mold is an issue and we do

[50:35] appreciate what you're doing to

[50:37] remediate it. But I stopped down in the

[50:40] library on Friday.

[50:43] And it's not just mold. As Peter

[50:46] indicated, the sewers are a problem. The

[50:49] emergency exit door in the children's

[50:52] room, there's a big sign on it

[50:54] downstairs in the basement. There's a

[50:56] sign on it that says alarm, door locked.

[50:59] The door's ajar.

[51:01] Can't close it. It's a jar.

[51:03] That's a safety issue.

[51:05] There have been in You've had reports

[51:07] over the years through the hack that

[51:09] there are other

[51:11] issues with regard to water. The windows

[51:14] are moldy. If you look at the windows,

[51:16] they're moldy.

[51:18] You have chunks

[51:20] of of insulation where pipes are. Chunks

[51:24] ripped out of that insulation.

[51:26] There are There are issues there that

[51:29] make it untenable for us to continue to

[51:32] provide service.

[51:35] Upstairs, we've had concerns from

[51:37] parents. They don't like that we have

[51:40] glass walls in the children's room.

[51:42] That's a concern for them.

[51:44] They're concerned about the emergency

[51:47] exit. I took a look at that. It's

[51:49] totally rusted. And yes, Mayor, they did

[51:52] repair the bottom step by putting 2 by

[51:55] 4s on it. That's not a safety situation.

[52:00] So, we do want to work with you, but

[52:03] that wasn't the question that was asked

[52:06] of Peter and I when we were in the

[52:08] executive session.

[52:10] We cannot address a hypothetical. If

[52:13] something occurs, which we don't know

[52:16] what it might be, will we do this?

[52:19] If the question is, can we work

[52:21] together? Yes, absolutely.

[52:24] I started my political career working to

[52:27] save the Somerville Public Library.

[52:30] And I I spent most a good part of my

[52:33] time doing that. And Mayor, we worked

[52:35] together to join the county association

[52:38] or the county commission.

[52:39] Why would we want to change that?

[52:42] But we do need to work together. And I'm

[52:44] hoping perhaps the governing body

[52:48] and the commission, we can all take a

[52:50] deep breath

[52:51] and say, let's start again. Maybe have

[52:54] another discussion.

[52:56] But one where the question is, how can

[52:59] we work together? Not, will you do this?

[53:02] Oh, no, if your answer isn't yes, please

[53:04] leave the room. Thank you.

[53:08] >> Any other public comment? Yeah.

[53:16] » Hi, my name is Kate Ambrose. I live at

[53:18] 204 East Cliff Street.

[53:22] And I just wanted to say the library has

[53:25] been and will always be extremely

[53:28] important to my family and I. We use the

[53:29] library a lot. Um

[53:31] we my daughter loves to go pick out

[53:35] books. We my husband just gave a

[53:38] book reading there a couple weeks ago

[53:40] and it was a great

[53:42] And um so that's where I'm coming from.

[53:46] I

[53:48] the librarians and other staff members

[53:51] at the library are also many of them are

[53:55] also our community members and we care

[53:57] about each other deeply in this town.

[54:00] And I really care that they are getting

[54:03] sick. As someone who suffers from

[54:04] migraines, I really have heard what

[54:07] Peter had was saying before about their

[54:10] symptoms.

[54:12] And the mold testing was a good start.

[54:14] I'm really happy to hear that Did you

[54:16] say it was an industrial hygienist?

[54:18] >> Yes.

[54:19] >> is doing the testing. That's exactly who

[54:21] needs to be doing the testing. I'm not

[54:23] an expert, but I have talked to one

[54:26] about this very issue. And um there are

[54:29] many apparently many other things in the

[54:32] air that could be making people sick,

[54:35] not just mold. There's other particles,

[54:38] fibers that could be in the air that

[54:40] makes somebody sick.

[54:42] Um people who are susceptible, people

[54:45] who have asthma, people who have

[54:48] allergies, people who suffer from

[54:49] migraines, um people who are on chemo,

[54:53] all all different people that are

[54:55] susceptible could be affected by these

[54:57] other things that aren't necessarily

[55:00] toxic mold.

[55:02] So I'm really glad and the public will

[55:05] um

[55:06] be anxious to hear those results.

[55:09] Um

[55:11] it's not okay that this relationship has

[55:15] soured.

[55:17] And I'm sure it's not okay with any of

[55:19] the people in this room.

[55:22] This

[55:23] relationship needs to mend for the good

[55:26] of the community.

[55:28] We need to get back to communication

[55:31] and problem-solving.

[55:35] I think that it's true um

[55:39] that that space

[55:41] although the staff members have done a

[55:43] tremendous job working with what they

[55:47] were given.

[55:48] Um that space was not working as just

[55:52] somebody visiting the library and I'm

[55:54] sure many parents would agree. Um it's

[55:58] not the same since they needed to move

[56:00] out of of the children's section

[56:02] downstairs.

[56:04] So I'm asking everybody just to take a

[56:08] minute and get themselves together and

[56:11] that get back to what's important, which

[56:14] is problem solving for this community.

[56:17] Um

[56:19] and get back to a working relationship.

[56:21] We expect it and we demand it. Thank

[56:24] you.

[56:24] >> Thank you for your comments.

[56:26] Any other public comment?

[56:35] » Okay. My name is Edward O'Dowd. Uh I

[56:37] work at a facility on Main Street called

[56:40] Freedom Trail,

[56:42] which is um collaborative services of uh

[56:45] New Jersey.

[56:46] A company that's been in existence since

[56:48] the '80s. We serve uh

[56:50] some of Somerville's most vulnerable.

[56:53] And Lorraine, my partner, and I have

[56:55] been at it for the last 4 months. We

[56:57] wanted to just generate some awareness

[56:59] about what we're doing and who we are

[57:01] cuz we feel like nobody really knows us.

[57:03] Um

[57:05] that was all.

[57:06] >> Great. Uh what I would suggest is get

[57:08] your contact information to Mr. Sluka

[57:10] >> Mhm.

[57:11] >> and uh um

[57:12] website, any literature you might have,

[57:15] and uh

[57:16] you know, I I'd be interested in finding

[57:17] out more about you.

[57:18] >> Okay. Thank you.

[57:19] >> Thank you.

[57:22] Any other public comment?

[57:25] » [clears throat]

[57:31] » Good evening. Uh Brian Healey, 70

[57:33] Veterans Memorial Drive, right here in

[57:35] Somerville. That's h e a l e y, and

[57:38] Brian, just like the mayor.

[57:40] >> [laughter]

[57:41] >> Spelled the right way.

[57:42] >> That's right.

[57:43] And I come to you tonight for something

[57:44] very, very simple. I live on the one of

[57:46] the apartment buildings on Veterans

[57:47] Memorial, and I want to know I I've been

[57:49] living there about 8 years now, and

[57:52] Veterans Memorial Drive east and west

[57:53] has been

[57:54] basically a test on your suspension for

[57:56] since I've lived there.

[57:58] And I know it's not a state or a county

[58:00] road, so I know when is public works or

[58:02] the borough going to resurface that

[58:04] road. I know PSE&G has ripped it up

[58:06] 50,000 times doing utility work here and

[58:09] there, but it's just it's been a mess

[58:11] since I've lived there, and it's I know

[58:13] all the roads have been done, and I was

[58:15] wondering if it was possible cuz it's a

[58:16] very busy road, it's a very major road.

[58:18] People travel on it all the time.

[58:20] I was curious as to when it will be uh

[58:23] done, or when public works will will put

[58:25] that on their agenda.

[58:27] >> Thank you. Thank you for your comments.

[58:29] That's all right. I will in a in a

[58:31] moment. Any other public comment?

[58:38] » Good evening.

[58:40] As many of you know, my name is Mallory

[58:42] Craig Karen. I'm a mom, and I live at 41

[58:45] Ross Street.

[58:46] I am here about our library,

[58:49] but also about something more

[58:51] fundamental.

[58:52] Namely,

[58:54] our town deserves to be a partner in

[58:56] decisions made about Somerville's

[58:58] library,

[58:59] rather than an afterthought, informed by

[59:01] the county only after decisions have

[59:03] already been made.

[59:05] So, this is about process. This is not

[59:07] about anything more.

[59:09] Tonight, I'm asking our council to

[59:11] confirm whether the required processes

[59:13] were followed, and whether it will be

[59:15] the case going forward.

[59:18] Somerville's library has served local

[59:20] residents not only as a place for

[59:22] reading,

[59:24] but also as an information hub,

[59:26] right, with computer access and trained

[59:29] librarians,

[59:30] a study center for students,

[59:33] a designated cooling center where our

[59:35] elderly residents cool off in sweltering

[59:37] weather like today,

[59:39] and a center where our families and

[59:41] community groups can gather.

[59:44] Yet, our library branch was permanently

[59:47] closed,

[59:49] at least for this time, by the county

[59:50] library system last Friday

[59:52] with very little notice given to the

[59:54] public.

[59:56] Looking into this decision,

[59:58] I'm presented with more questions than

[1:00:00] answers,

[1:00:01] namely about the process,

[1:00:03] and questions that include the

[1:00:04] following.

[1:00:06] First, section two of Somerville's

[1:00:08] contract with the county library system

[1:00:11] requires borough approval before any

[1:00:13] closure of our branch.

[1:00:15] I checked with our borough clerk, who

[1:00:17] confirmed that formal approval was never

[1:00:20] sought nor given.

[1:00:22] So, I'm asking the council and our mayor

[1:00:24] tonight, just factually to be aware,

[1:00:27] did the borough council authorize the

[1:00:29] county to close our library? And if so,

[1:00:32] can you tell us when you authorized it

[1:00:34] and what led to your decision?

[1:00:36] Separately, public records suggest that

[1:00:39] Somerset County's library commission,

[1:00:42] which is the board that governs the

[1:00:43] county library system,

[1:00:45] never formally authorized Somerville's

[1:00:47] library closure.

[1:00:49] The library commission doesn't meet in

[1:00:51] July or August, so I can't go ask them

[1:00:53] directly,

[1:00:55] but I'm wondering if the council knows

[1:00:57] whether the library commission had

[1:00:59] approved our library's closure before

[1:01:01] their summer break.

[1:01:03] Note, however, that even if the

[1:01:05] commission had separately approved of

[1:01:07] the closure,

[1:01:08] this should not circumvent the county's

[1:01:10] obligations to Somerville under section

[1:01:13] two of our agreement with the county.

[1:01:16] Third,

[1:01:17] one reason given for the closure, again,

[1:01:19] just one,

[1:01:21] was the suspected presence of mold.

[1:01:23] To his credit, when that issue was first

[1:01:25] presented and reported to him, Mayor

[1:01:28] Gallagher quickly ordered testing to

[1:01:31] determine whether mold was a health

[1:01:32] threat to the library's employees and

[1:01:34] others.

[1:01:35] As we've discussed, preliminary samples

[1:01:38] from the occupied floors of the building

[1:01:40] found that mold levels there were not

[1:01:42] elevated.

[1:01:43] And the county library director, who we

[1:01:45] heard from tonight,

[1:01:46] indicated that the decision to close the

[1:01:48] Somerville library was not actually

[1:01:50] caused by the test results and would not

[1:01:53] sway the decision to close the result

[1:01:54] the library.

[1:01:56] It is true

[1:01:58] that the age of the facility and the

[1:01:59] reductions in the usable space within it

[1:02:02] were less than ideal.

[1:02:04] But, the question arises,

[1:02:06] why the sudden closure of the entire

[1:02:08] facility,

[1:02:09] including its usable spaces,

[1:02:11] before an improved replacement plan had

[1:02:14] been developed and shared in partnership with our bureau?

[1:02:21] Put plainly, our library's closure

[1:02:23] appears to have been a decision

[1:02:25] in which Somerville's legal right to

[1:02:27] input was bypassed.

[1:02:29] And I understand that that input is a

[1:02:32] right that we have as part of the

[1:02:34] process.

[1:02:36] When the closure was recently announced,

[1:02:38] we drafted a petition confirming

[1:02:39] community support for making

[1:02:41] Somerville's library a priority.

[1:02:44] This modest effort to build awareness

[1:02:46] has already resulted in hundreds of

[1:02:48] local signatures, which I provided to

[1:02:50] all of you tonight, and I can also

[1:02:51] provide digital copies.

[1:02:54] We warmly recognize the very important

[1:02:58] work that you do as our elected leaders

[1:03:01] to ensure that we have a library that

[1:03:03] serves our community's needs.

[1:03:05] And the response to our petition

[1:03:07] confirms

[1:03:08] that the library should indeed be one of

[1:03:11] your priorities for Somerville.

[1:03:13] I have personally written to to county

[1:03:15] library director expressing the concern

[1:03:18] that our library branch was closed

[1:03:20] without a viable plan being shared to

[1:03:22] replace it. And perhaps I'm I'm really

[1:03:25] looking forward to answers tonight. Um,

[1:03:27] you know, without that process being

[1:03:29] followed.

[1:03:31] Those of us who love Somerville and

[1:03:33] believe that our

[1:03:35] truly great town deserves a vibrant

[1:03:37] library

[1:03:39] now count on you as our leaders

[1:03:41] to ensure that local library services be

[1:03:45] restored fully and quickly in some

[1:03:47] central Somerville location

[1:03:50] as promised by the county library

[1:03:51] system.

[1:03:53] And fundamentally I ask that you ensure

[1:03:55] and continue to ensure that Somerville's

[1:03:58] rights under agreement will be honored.

[1:04:00] Thank you so much.

[1:04:02] >> Thank you.

[1:04:05] Any other public comment?

[1:04:08] Hearing none, I'll ask for a motion to

[1:04:09] close.

[1:04:10] >> So moved.

[1:04:11] >> Second.

[1:04:12] >> Discussion. Roll call.

[1:04:14] >> Council members, Anne

[1:04:15] Andrew Conty.

[1:04:16] >> Yes.

[1:04:17] >> Linda Lee.

[1:04:17] >> Yes.

[1:04:18] >> Randy Pitts.

[1:04:18] >> Yes.

[1:04:19] >> Gina Stravic.

[1:04:19] >> Yes.

[1:04:20] >> Roger Fleming.

[1:04:21] >> Yes.

[1:04:21] >> All right, public session is now closed.

[1:04:23] Um, the the easy one first, Veterans

[1:04:25] Memorial Drive, the paving.

[1:04:27] Where is he? There he is.

[1:04:29] Um, I believe we're coming to a close

[1:04:31] very soon on a grant that we had

[1:04:33] received which would pave Veterans

[1:04:36] >> The uh bids on that project are due

[1:04:38] August 12th. Um,

[1:04:40] once the bids are received, it's not as

[1:04:42] simple as as our normal process cuz it's uh federally funded. They uh two

[1:04:48] things have to happen is it goes to the

[1:04:51] state DOT who then communicates with the

[1:04:54] federal government to ensure that the

[1:04:56] bids were satisfactory and and meet

[1:04:58] their their requirements. In addition to

[1:05:00] that is uh the federal government does

[1:05:03] require a full-time construction

[1:05:06] inspector on the job. That RFP is is

[1:05:09] waiting for approval to be issued. So,

[1:05:12] um listen, I I know we also use that road for, you know, one of the

[1:05:18] state's largest Turkey Trots, right? So,

[1:05:20] that that's the goal to try to get it,

[1:05:22] but right now, unfortunately, because of

[1:05:24] the level

[1:05:26] that has to go through, but the bids are

[1:05:27] coming back on August 12th, which is a

[1:05:29] couple weeks.

[1:05:30] >> we can say probably late fall, early

[1:05:32] spring. Is that a reasonable time frame?

[1:05:35] >> Yeah, I said that before. Um

[1:05:37] >> [laughter]

[1:05:39] >> Unfortunately, you know, for us. Oh,

[1:05:41] yeah. Uh that's our certainly our goal

[1:05:44] is to push that envelope.

[1:05:45] >> Yeah. Okay.

[1:05:47] Um

[1:05:47] as far as all the questions relating to

[1:05:50] the library, and there's some good

[1:05:51] questions. And look, I I appreciate

[1:05:54] everybody's passion on this, and and we

[1:05:57] share that.

[1:05:58] I I said at the outset of this,

[1:06:00] everybody's goal is exactly the same.

[1:06:03] And it's unfortunate that we've been

[1:06:05] pushed to our corners for a whole lot of

[1:06:06] reasons.

[1:06:08] And and I don't like being pushed to

[1:06:09] corners.

[1:06:10] Um

[1:06:14] I sat on our library commission here, or

[1:06:17] committee.

[1:06:18] Um I've sat on the county li- well, I

[1:06:21] was the liaison as a freeholder, I was

[1:06:24] the liaison to the county library

[1:06:25] system.

[1:06:26] I know how it works.

[1:06:28] I've been around it a long time.

[1:06:31] 25 years.

[1:06:33] I know the process.

[1:06:35] Um we have rights under our agreement.

[1:06:39] Um I'll agree with Roberta. We do need

[1:06:42] to talk. We do need to to come to an

[1:06:45] agreement.

[1:06:46] And part of that is first, ensuring that building, our building, is clean

[1:06:53] and safe.

[1:06:54] That's my primary concern right now.

[1:06:56] Once that's done,

[1:06:57] and I said this at our our meeting last

[1:07:00] Thursday,

[1:07:01] I said, when we can show that that

[1:07:02] building is clean and ready to go and

[1:07:04] ready to occupy,

[1:07:06] that's when we can have that discussion.

[1:07:08] And I'm pointing at Kevin and pointing

[1:07:10] at Peter cuz Peter was sitting there

[1:07:11] last week. Um but that's when we can

[1:07:13] have that discussion.

[1:07:15] Um

[1:07:16] we have to do our diligence to ensure

[1:07:19] that that's safe.

[1:07:20] At the same time, we also have to as a

[1:07:22] municipality preserve our rights under

[1:07:25] our agreement, and that's what our

[1:07:26] attorney will do.

[1:07:27] Um

[1:07:30] it's going to be a little bit of a

[1:07:31] process. Um

[1:07:34] I would agree if if they can outsource

[1:07:36] some at this point while we go through

[1:07:39] that,

[1:07:40] great.

[1:07:41] And I had intimated to that last week

[1:07:44] that we would help in that process. We

[1:07:46] can.

[1:07:47] But when that building is clean,

[1:07:50] well, I'm even when it's

[1:07:52] when we have the results back, and

[1:07:54] again, the the mold was brought up again

[1:07:56] that there's mold.

[1:07:58] There's not There is no mold.

[1:08:00] There's no more mold inside than there

[1:08:01] is outside. That's what the testing is

[1:08:03] showing.

[1:08:04] And and we keep coming back to this mold

[1:08:07] issue, and the mold issue was the

[1:08:08] impetus for this entire discussion.

[1:08:11] And we now have proof that that's not

[1:08:13] the case.

[1:08:15] So I think we have to kind of work

[1:08:18] through some of those issues as to what

[1:08:20] the reasons are.

[1:08:21] Um and I would agree with you as well,

[1:08:24] Mallory. I think you you you took this

[1:08:25] on and I give you kudos for that. It's a you took this on and and you've

[1:08:30] brought it to um

[1:08:32] you know, the forefront of of a

[1:08:34] discussion, and and I think that's good.

[1:08:36] Um

[1:08:39] I was around for Rocky Hill. I was a

[1:08:41] freeholder when Rocky Hill was going

[1:08:42] through. And I actually helped the

[1:08:45] discussions in keeping Rocky Hill open

[1:08:47] at that time. I sat with their mayor.

[1:08:50] So I'm very familiar with all this

[1:08:53] that's going on.

[1:08:55] Um but my goal is

[1:08:58] to keep our library in town.

[1:09:01] And this building will be

[1:09:04] certified.

[1:09:06] And it'll be ready to be reoccupied

[1:09:10] in the short term.

[1:09:11] Then we can work on the long term

[1:09:13] because we all want the same thing out

[1:09:15] of that long term. We all do.

[1:09:19] It makes sense.

[1:09:20] So.

[1:09:22] Um all right.

[1:09:25] Resolutions. Uh we have consent

[1:09:26] resolutions any to be pulled off for

[1:09:28] further discussion.

[1:09:31] All right, hearing none. 234 is

[1:09:33] authorizing the sale of surplus

[1:09:34] equipment to the Flagtown Fire

[1:09:36] Department in the amount of $750.

[1:09:38] 235 is approving chapter 159 from the

[1:09:41] Governor's Council on Alcoholism and

[1:09:42] Drug Abuse for 26 Municipal Alliance

[1:09:44] Grant Program.

[1:09:46] 236 amending approving the release of

[1:09:48] the performance bond for Santana LLC as

[1:09:50] noted. 237 is authorizing the donation

[1:09:53] of surplus municipal equipment to the

[1:09:55] Hillsborough Township Department of

[1:09:56] Public Works. 238 is amending resolution

[1:09:59] as noted to authorize and direct the

[1:10:01] Planning Board of the Borough of

[1:10:02] Somerville to include block 67 lot one

[1:10:05] which is two Park Avenue as shown on the

[1:10:07] official tax map of the Borough in its

[1:10:09] examination of whether certain property

[1:10:11] should be determined to be an area in

[1:10:13] need of redevelopment specifically a

[1:10:15] non-condemnation redevelopment area

[1:10:18] pursuant to the local redevelopment

[1:10:19] housing law as noted and considered for

[1:10:22] inclusion in the East Central Business

[1:10:23] District Redevelopment Area.

[1:10:25] 239 is approving the hiring of Kyle De

[1:10:27] Monte as full-time laborer effective

[1:10:30] August 24th at a rate of $22.50 per

[1:10:32] hour.

[1:10:33] 240 is approving a 6-month door-to-door

[1:10:35] solicitor license for Power Home

[1:10:36] Remodeling for those noted. 241 is

[1:10:39] authorizing the award of a contract to

[1:10:41] Millennium Communication Group for

[1:10:43] access control cameras, panic buttons,

[1:10:45] message boards, and software licenses

[1:10:46] for the Emergency Services Facility,

[1:10:49] Police Department through the interlocal

[1:10:50] purchasing system. Authorizing the 242

[1:10:54] is authorizing the award of a contract

[1:10:56] and execution of a master service

[1:10:57] agreement with language line services

[1:10:59] for on-demand telephone and video

[1:11:01] interpretation services.

[1:11:03] 243 is approving chapter 159 from the

[1:11:05] national opioid settlement trust. 244 is

[1:11:08] issuing a refund of uncollectible taxes

[1:11:11] address known as 444 Catherine Street.

[1:11:14] 245 is approving chapter 159 for state

[1:11:16] of New Jersey 26 recycling tonnage

[1:11:18] grant. Do we have a motion?

[1:11:19] >> So moved.

[1:11:21] >> Second.

[1:11:22] >> Roll call.

[1:11:22] >> Council members Andrew Conti.

[1:11:24] >> Yes.

[1:11:24] >> Glenn Zaney.

[1:11:25] >> Yes.

[1:11:25] >> Randy Pitts.

[1:11:26] >> Yes.

[1:11:26] >> Gina Strabic.

[1:11:27] >> Yes.

[1:11:27] >> Roger Vernam.

[1:11:28] >> Yes.

[1:11:28] >> All right, bills and vouchers Roger.

[1:11:29] >> I make a motion to pay bills and

[1:11:31] vouchers in the amount of 1 million

[1:11:32] 512,098

[1:11:34] dollars and 80 cents.

[1:11:36] >> Second.

[1:11:37] >> Discussion.

[1:11:39] Roll call.

[1:11:39] >> Council members Andrew Conti.

[1:11:41] >> Yes.

[1:11:41] >> Glenn Zaney.

[1:11:42] >> Yes.

[1:11:42] >> Randy Pitts.

[1:11:43] >> Yes.

[1:11:44] >> Gina Strabic.

[1:11:44] >> Yes.

[1:11:45] >> Roger Vernam.

[1:11:45] >> Yes.

[1:11:46] >> All right, Mr. DeNike I will ask for a

[1:11:47] motion for adjournment.

[1:11:48] >> I would like to make a motion to

[1:11:49] adjourn.

[1:11:50] >> Second.

[1:11:51] >> Discussion. All in favor?

[1:11:53] >> I.

[1:11:54] >> Opposed? This meeting is adjourned.

Borough Council meeting: August 3, 2026

Agenda

Transcript