OLD BRIDGE TOWNSHIP COUNCIL
AGENDA MEETING
November 19, 2001
An Agenda meeting of the Township Council of the Township Council of the Township of Old Bridge was held on Monday, November 19, 2001 in the Municipal complex. President Maher called the meeting to order at 8:05 p.m. and asked all present to join in a salute to the flag which was followed by a short prayer.
Roll call by Deputy Clerk, Stella Ward showed the following answering present: Councilmen Butler, Greene, Hoff, Redmond, Sohor, President Maher. (Councilman Cucchiara arrived at 8:10 p.m.; Councilman Testino arrived at 8:15 p.m.; Councilwoman Hegarty was absent.)
HEARING (11/19/01)
H-1 Release/Reduction Performance Guarantee - Oxford Estates
President Maher: Before we start this meeting we had a hearing scheduled for Oxford Estates subdivision but I have a note from their attorney requesting a postponement, the suggested new date is Tuesday, February 19, 2002 at 8:00 p.m. Anyone who is here for this matter, I apologize for your coming out, but we will not be hearing this matter this evening.
M0TION
Motion to renotice residents regarding the new meeting date made by Councilman Hoff, seconded by Councilman Redmond and so moved on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen Butler, Greene, Hoff, Redmond, Sohor, President Maher.
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: Councilmen Cucchiara, Testino, Councilwoman Hegarty
SPECIAL DISCUSSION
Old Bridge Public Library - (Electrical Problem)
Bob Lipp: I am the President of the Old Bridge Public Library. With me are Margie Cyr our Director; Steve Goldman, our Secretary and Mr. Barone who is the architect for the electrical problem. As you are aware the library has had two major problems, one of them was a gas pipe leak which is going to cost approximately $50,000.00 to repair. The problem was caused by electrolysis. The library has contracted and we are going to do the repair out of library funds that we were able to allocate. The entire pipe will be replaced. However, we have another major problem which is why we are coming to the Council and that is the electrical problem.
We have provided everyone with a copy of the report this evening which was prepared by Mr. Barone. Very briefly, some of the problems that we are currently having include the upward facing of some of the lights and there are 864 bulbs of which 468 do not work; six of the emergency lights are out; in the reading area 108 of the lights are out and all the emergency lights in this area are out. The emergency lights are not able to be serviced. The light switches cannot be used, we have to use the circuit breakers to turn them on and off. Less than 50% of the functional lighting in the building is operational and we are currently getting "sparking" coming from some of the fixtures. This is not a fun matter, we are dealing with a very serious situation.
We are anticipating that the cost to correct these problems will be approximately $225,000-$250,000. It is a matter of safety and a matter of getting it done quickly we don't want to wait to get this done. Mr. Barone can probably answer any questions that you might have.
Councilman Redmond: Who was the electrical contractor on this project?
Steve Goldman: There was not one contractor; there was three different contractors on this project. One came on the job and walked off; another came on and either walked off or was asked to leave; the third contractor came on the job and completed it, but there as never an as-built provided. There are some very serious problems there.
Councilman Redmond: I am more concerned because didn't we get sued by an electrical contractor who said they were the lowest bidder and we had to give them the contract.
Attorney Ruggierio: This happened before I got here. I believe it was divided into trades one of which was the electricians.
Councilman Redmond: I am trying to find out why a building this age has this type of electrical problems.
Mr. Barone: As near as we can evaluate, in conjunction with our engineers and we spent time in the library and we spent time going over the prints, the original design was to function automatically. The system works off of a series of electric eyes or sensors connected to a major dimmer panel then from there regulates the lighting levels up or down depending on the needs.
That is the easiest way to describe it, there is nothing wrong with the system, but according to what we can evaluate the system was never installed properly so therefore it has had other difficulties compounding it along the way. Some of the compounds are the dimmers never worked or have burned down; the dimmer panel is not functioning at all, it has to be manually overridden, so we don't know if some of the wires have been basically fried and no longer function. The spotlights within certain areas have been burned through the sockets, the lenses around the sockets are melted so they fused. We have attempted to see UL ratings on these to see if there were replacement parts, but we have not been able to track down the fixtures because some where along the way during construction, they may have been changed from what was originally called for by the architect. It has been a series of things over a period of years that compounded and complicated the fix as well as the repair. We stand today with probably only 40% of the entire library lighting system functioning. It might be higher now, because I hear since we provided the evaluation in May it has gotten worse. Now you have sparking, arcing and emergency and exit lights that are not functioning, so the breakdown of the system is occurring more rapidly now because of the amount of situations. Right now the situation is dangerous because with the sparking and arcing, you don't know what can happen in the panels or in the system.
President Maher: In your research is there any recourse that we have against any of these contractors regarding this building?
Steve Goldman: The architect signed off on these.
President Maher: Weren't there township inspectors who went in to look and inspect this building?
Mayor Cannon: They had different electrical contractors because one I think went bankrupt and they had to hire another one, but there still should have been inspections.
President Maher: I think this is something that the Council needs to understand this further. When you take out a building permit the inspectors have to go out and inspect and okay the work and sign off on it.
Councilman Hoff: This does not fall under the normal code enforcement, it goes under the contracting architects and they supervised the inspections. I just want to say that there was no local code enforcement involved; it is done by professional architects and their field inspectors do it.
President Maher: I would like to see this in writing.
Councilman Redmond: I believe you Joe. When was the library completed?
Councilman Butler: It was completed in 1992.
Councilman Cucchiara: That fell under the uniform construction code and there had to be electrical inspections.
President Maher: Let's not point fingers. You are here tonight to get this fixed. Are you going to ask the Council for emergency appropriations?
Steve Goldman: Yes. We are estimating between $225,000-$250,000 for the repair.
Councilman Testino: Don't you have any money in the capital fund for this?
Mr. Lipp: The money we have we are spending on repairing the gas problem, which is over $50,000.00.
Councilman Hoff: Three times in the last six months the library board has complained about things. I asked publicly and I never got an answer, so I'll ask again, how much in bonding money is still laying there and how much will the repairs be? Now you are telling me the repairs will cost about $50,000.00, don't you have a contractor that will tell you exactly how much this is going to cost?
Mr. Lipp: The system is being designed.
Mr. Barone: I am only giving you an estimate on what we are designing for the gas system in order to accomplish the end result. We placed the number through vendors and the experienced guess is $40,000-$50,000, but until we bid it I cannot give you an exact figure.
Councilman Hoff: Let me ask you another question that bothers me because it was about a year ago when the board came and asked for and got in their budget a wall scrubber for exterior service. What happened there?
Steve Goldman: We did it in house with a sprayer for a very small amount of money.
Councilman Hoff: At that time I asked why you did not fall under the maintenance of the other buildings on this site and you seemed to think that you are a separate entity am I correct?
Steve Goldman: The township built the building it is still township property, but we do our own maintenance in house, but there are some things that the township does provide for us.
Councilman Hoff: If you are a separate entity, why are you asking us for money if you do everything in house?
Steve Goldman: We don't do everything in house and a problem of this magnitude cannot be handled.
Councilman Hoff: But, you people have your own budget some you get from Old Bridge at the mayor's suggestion with Council approval and some you get money from some state agency and you appropriate money from other sources now you are coming to us for money to maintain a building that is yours and yours alone.
Steve Goldman: Not to maintain, but to correct a condition that we cannot do in our budget. We are taking the $50,000 from our monies to repair the gas problem, but we cannot find the $225,000 to repair the electrical problems.
Councilman Hoff: How hard have you looked? I have a problem with the fact that on one hand it is a separate entity and now all of a sudden you want the Council to fund you. That is my problem.
Councilman Testino: When were these problems first discovered, because this is the first time I am hearing about them and I have been up here for six years.
Steve Goldman: The problems have been ongoing for a long time, and we have been trying to correct them with simple repair work.
Councilman Testino: This is the first time anyone has come to the Council and said that this is an emergency condition. My way of thinking is that this had to exist for more than just a couple of months.
Steve Goldman: We have had people coming in to repair and replace things, everything we could do was being done. In April, we contracted with Mr. Barone to do a professional review. In May he came up with this report. We had a meeting with Mr. Heims when this report came out and we asked to come before the Council about a month ago and then it was postponed, so what we are talking about is relatively new.
Councilman Testino: I could be corrected, but this is the first time that anyone from the library board or the mayor has said that there is a hazardous condition at the library. If you had this report back in May why are we now hearing about it on November 19th. I am wondering if this can wait till our bonding cycle because this seems like a capital improvement that can be bonded.
Mayor Cannon: I think that is the idea and we were hoping that we would have had a budget long before and that this could be part of the capital budget for 2002, which would have made the money available. When the budget was delayed, it was suggested that they come now. I don't know if we do special bonding or we treat it as an emergency appropriation.
President Maher: What is Himanshu's recommendation?
Mayor Cannon: Unfortunately, he is not here, but I would assume he would recommend bonding.
Councilman Testino: I see that there are recommendations for various options. I would like someone to tell me what emergency conditions exist that need immediate attention within the next week or so. The Council can then make an intelligent decision as to whether or not we do a temporary appropriation or wait and place it in our regular bonding cycle.
Mr. Barone: I can only tell you that when we rendered our report it May, we recommended that this be done within a six month period and that would give this Council or whoever would be doing it enough time. Presently, there have been other items that have malfunctioned in the library, which are now becoming more critical and the deterioration has progressed more rapidly than what was anticipated.
Councilman Testino: Has our electrical inspector Mr. Faller been contacted?
President Maher: No, Bob Heims has been involved in this process. I think what Mr. Testino is trying to ascertain is within the next 60 days we will have adopted a budget and the capital bonding list. Is there a sense that the library will shut down or there will be hazardous conditions if we don't do this and not have the money until the end of January 2002?
Mr. Barone: To be honest sitting here I could not give you an answer. I would have to revisit the areas and see the deterioration that has taken place from the time we filed the report till now.
Steve Goldman: Maybe Joe, who is a resident and an electrical engineer can explain this better.
Joseph Nuzzo: I am a resident of Old Bridge. Steve is a neighbor of mine and I also spend a lot of time in the library doing my graduate work and what I did was a couple of weeks ago I make an inspection and found a lot of bad safety problems, melted fixtures, exit lights not functioning, it is a fire safety matter. Things are deteriorating constantly. I checked the circuit breaker panel and found breakers that were sparking.
President Maher: Who did you pass this information on to? Did you go to the township officials?
Joseph Nuzzo: Yes, that is why we are here. We have tried to address the immediate problems. I know there are a lot of safety issues. As time goes on the problems are getting worse and worse. I read the report the Mr. Barone prepared and compared to what I found now there is a lot more deterioration.
President Maher: I think that what you are describing is a very hazardous condition.
I am going to ask the Mayor and Alayne that since we don't have a budget in place, is there any way that we can this evening authorize repair work to commence and when we do put our capital projects in place charge it to that line item?
Mayor Cannon: I just don't think it can be done piecemeal. We are looking at the whole system and my question is to how quickly we can address it and to Mr. Barone, how quickly can you do a final design and specs because to do bonding it would take us a month. Would you be ready to bid within thirty days?
Mr. Barone: I don't think so. It will take a reevaluation so we can see what is salvageable.
Steve Goldman: We have been able to take care of immediate emergencies such as the door lights, an electrician came in and he was able to order some parts and repair the lights. Obviously if we see an immediate problem we are going to address it.
Councilman Hoff: Do you have maintenance people on your staff?
Steve Goldman: Yes, but they are not electricians.
President Maher: We can't even put out for bonding unless we have a bid document.
Councilman Redmond: Based on what you have seen why would you want to hold on to any of the present system?
Mr. Barone: There is a cost factor. We are trying to make a conscious effort that any items that are functioning to make the circuits work and can be saved and reconnected in different junction boxes will be salvaged. The library is a very open type of structure so there are certain things that are in place that would be worth using such as the conduits.
Councilman Hoff: I don't know why a maintenance system was not put in when the library was built. Why wasn't a person with electrical background hired to oversee the upkeep of the building.
President Maher: It sounds like we have a game plan. I am not speaking for the entire Council, but I think there is support here and we will add this to our 2002 Capital Projects plan.
Councilman Cucchiara: The problem I have is with the eminent hazards that now exist namely the emergency lighting and the exit lights. You say you have arcing and sparking wires, it the lights were to go out and if something happens at night when you have people in the library then you have a serious problem.
Steve Goldman: We have called in an electrician and make temporary repairs and the emergency system has been taken care of but we need to have a permanent solution as soon as possible.
Alayne Shepler: Perhaps I can expedite the process, we do have down payment money available. I can call the bond counsel in the morning and ask them to prepare a bond ordinance for your next meeting. However, I would need to know from the Council and the library board exactly what would be done. I would need to know the exact numbers that comprise the $225,000 in order to advise the bond counsel.
Mr. Barone: We have identified in our report one of the options that would be most beneficial. I would suggest that we go with Option #2.
Councilman Testino: Where is the money coming from for the down payment?
Alayne Shepler: I would have to amend the temporary budget to put it into the capital line.
Councilman Testino: Does Mr. Barone have a contract for the work he must do within the next 30 days?
Steve Goldman: Not yet, but we will go ahead and do this.
Councilman Testino: I would like to see our township inspectors go through the building and tell us what needs to be done immediately so that we are not sitting here with egg on our face if there is a fire over there. I thank the citizen and Mr. Barone for coming forward, but I think we have to take a different approach to this. I will also ask that the fire official and the electric sub-code official go in there tomorrow and make sure that we are not facing an imminent disaster. I would like to see a report by our next meeting regarding this inspection.
Councilman Hoff: I would like to see a more efficient cost estimate before we go to bonding so we have a better idea of the ballpark costs.
President Maher: Who else from the township has been involved with this building?
Alayne Shepler: Bob Heims and Bob Kelly our maintenance man.
President Maher: I think Mr. Testino has an excellent suggestion and he should have Mr. Heims coordinate this request for a report. Alayne, I will rely on your office to get this together.
Councilman Butler: To wrap this up, I am very thankful to the library board and Mr. Barone for their input. You stated that we are only getting 40% lighting capacity, what about our electric bill?
Steve Goldman: They have gone down and with the system that is being designed we will have a much more efficient system and the bill should reflect this.
Councilman Redmond: Can we get a report on the electrolysis problem?
Alayne Shepler: It is only a thought there is no proof that it was electrolysis that caused the problem, it was Mr. Heims best guess. The library is going to take care of the gas problem, I believe that they have already contracted with Mr. Barone, so this problem will be take care of.
Councilman Hoff: The document before me is dated May 7, 2001, if it was an emergency in May, why wasn't it brought to our attention before this time?
Steve Goldman: It was supposed to be brought to the Council for this bonding period. It was not an imminent emergency at that time, and it did not become quite as serious until the last couple of weeks when things started sparking. There was a six month time frame mentioned in the report and now it is about six months, unfortunately things have gotten a lot worse in the last few weeks.
President Maher: I think what they are saying is that the back-up systems are now failing.
Councilman Hoff: I am not asking you. I want them to say why they did not bring this before us six months ago, that bothers me.
Steve Goldman: We wanted it included in the capital budget for the year 2002 and we had a six month time frame to get it done. The last six weeks we have had problems and that is why we are here. There are things that have gone wrong now that are not in that report.
President Maher: I would like to bring Paul Taguer forward.
OLD BRIDGE RAMS CHEERLEADERS
MOTION
Motion by Councilman Testino to grant $3000.00 to each of the Old Bridge Rams Cheerleaders teams through the Recreation Department to assist in defraying the costs to attend the National Championships, seconded by Councilman Greene and so moved on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen Cucchiara, Greene, Redmond, Sohor, Testino, President Maher.
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: Councilmen Butler, Hoff, Councilwoman Hegarty.
Prior to the Motion the following discussion took place.
Paul Taguer: I appreciate your listening to the request from the Old Bridge Rams Cheerleaders. Two of the teams yesterday qualified to move on to the Nationals. The competition itself is in the spirit of the ordinance. I did speak with Tom Badcock today and I am here today to ask for help with the funding under the organization donation funding.
President Maher: How much do we have in our budget?
Tom Badcock: We had $10,000, but I don't know what is left. They do qualify under the ordinance but I think we would have to move money around to do this.
Councilman Testino: I saw these teams perform and I heard all the people in the stands say how good their performance was.
GUEST PRESENTATION - (11/19/01)
James Murray, Branch Executive - The Community YMCA Richard Pollock, CEO
James Murray: We have brought several people here this evening to assist in our presentation and to answer any questions that you might have. We want to thank you for giving us the opportunity to make this presentation.
Richard Pollock: We have a power point presentation to show you which will give you a virtual reality show of what we are proposing for Old Bridge Township. We are here tonight because the Community YMCA as part of its strategic goal and expansion program that suggests new branches in areas where YMCA's currently do not exist such as Old Bridge Township.
Our board has already determined in its strategic planning that we are ready to move with this branch and conversations that we have had with the Mayor and some of the staff from the Township as well as members of the Council and certain citizens of Old Bridge that there is a high degree of interest for a community center, a YMCA type facility for this community to serve as a centerpiece for recreation and gathering of people of all ages. It seems to us YMCA has a mission and the community has a need, therefore our goal tonight is to get you to think about a partnership between the Community YMCA and the Township of Old Bridge.
(At this point a presentation was done via power point, which gave a virtual reality tour of the type of facility that is being considered for the Township of Old Bridge).
Richard Pollock: I know that you have a busy agenda tonight, but I would like to move forward on this process and create what we think would be a tremendous asset to people in this community. My staff is going to distribute handouts documenting what was presented this evening.
Councilman Butler: I just wanted to say upfront that I have been working with Jim and Dick for quite some time being the campaign director for United Way of Monmouth County and we have funded many programs that they run and they have a great operation. With that I do have a question, what kind of square footage are we looking at in this facility?
Mr. Pollock: In the handout we are giving you there is a space and financial budget. It is a total of 56,250 sq. ft. at a cost of $11,696,000.00.
President Maher: With respect to the fund raising can you give us a little more detail. It is my understanding that the way you normally build YMCA's is that a shovel will not go in the ground until the community raises millions of dollars, is that a fact?
Mr. Pollock: Our board would and has already authorized the expenditure of $20,000 to conduct a feasibility study for fund raising to kick off as quickly as possible because we felt that there was a strong interest within this community and within the municipal authorities. As soon as our board senses that interest we would spend the $20,000 to commence the fund raising study. We would meet with leaders in the community to get a sense of at the end of that study we would be able to ascertain how much we could raise from individuals and companies in this community and that gives us a base line. Once we know that number then we know how to concentrate on how to fill in the difference.
President Maher: With respect of from start to finish, if you did this study when would a YMCA be completed in Old Bridge?
Mr. Pollock: In the package there is even a suggested time line and I think it would have a sort of two year scenario. I think that can be shortened, we think we can get a study completed and back to us in the first quarter of next year regarding the capital development side. Once we do that, we would like to see a steering committee formed that works the dual process of the financing side and the site selection and construction site, so we are working side-by-side instead of waiting.
President Maher: We have also just recently sent out to engineering firms to prepare preliminary design and site locations and I know the Council is very anxious to begin. In terms of size, the Red Bank YMCA how large is it?
Mr. Pollock: It is on a five acre site and it is smaller that what we proposed in the virtual "Y" that we have just proposed, which is on 12.5 acres. The combination of a one story facility with a significant parking area and outdoor facilities as well. If we are in a partnership with the town and the town has a site there are ways to package this as part and have it as a shared facility so there are options.
President Maher: Under your scenario who would own the facility?
Mr. Pollock: Our proposal would be that the YMCA would own the facility. However, I can site many partnerships around the country where municipalities and townships have made other types of arrangements. Any arrangement that meets the needs of people in the community and makes the most sense economically and in terms of feasibility we are open to. However, we feel that especially with a community YMCA that you examine our financial statements and examine our track record as an organization and have a chance to look at our facilities and know that if we are going into business in this community we are here to stay.
Councilman Greene: I could not let you go without complimenting you on what a fine job you did tonight. You had a great presentation and you told us what you can do for the township and basically indicated what you may want from the township in order to put this together. I sense a great organization so I just want to say that you did a great job and I hope things work out.
Councilman Sohor: Where do you expect to draw the membership from, would it strictly by Old Bridge or more of a regional facility?
Mr. Pollock: I think that based on location, because in today's world the attendance is based on convenience and accessibility. The philosophy now is no more than 15 minutes by car to the facility and that is the convenience parameter. As you know we have a huge shortage of indoor aquatics in New Jersey so the fact that with an aquatic facility we envision here I imagine people will come from beyond the borders of Old Bridge as they are attracted to such a facility.
Obviously, the majority of the members based on the demographics of this community they would be Old Bridge residents.
Councilman Sohor: In terms of residents if the demand is great would there be the possibility of giving Old Bridge residents preference for membership and use of the facility.
Mr. Pollock: The answer to that is "yes" and the answer to that is "no". The YMCA will never find itself in a position that it does not have the operating funds to take care of what is necessary to be taken care of. So in order to do that we have to generate revenue and the way we generate revenue is through membership and program fees and we cannot discount to the extent to which we would be diminishing the operating ability of the association. However, there may be opportunities if the town participates in the financial arrangements, it certainly could be taken into consideration.
Councilman Sohor: After you have done the initial fund raising, where would you typically expect to raise the balance of the financing for this project?
Mr. Pollock: The current debt that the community YMCA is about $1 million dollars of economic development, low interest loans and the YMCA qualifies for that type of financing and so typically we would determine what the difference was between our fund raising capability , potential grants from the County, State, Legislative Grants that could be out there. Old Bridge has political clout and we may have the opportunity to leverage some help from the State. The answer is really let's find out what we can raise from the community, what we can get from government and then we will find out what we have to borrow to make up the difference.
Mayor Cannon: As far as fund raising, if it is going to attract people from outside the community, then I would assume you will be doing fund raising outside also?
Mr. Pollock: That is correct.
Mayor Cannon: Do you expect that 24 months is a reasonable time frame?
Mr. Pollock: Baring any unforeseen snags or delays and based upon what I think would be a cooperative relationship with the community, I think that time frame is feasible.
Mayor Cannon: As far as any financial commitment from the township, that would be to fill any gaps that you would experience, but it would not be for the day to day running of the facility, but rather for the construction of the facility itself.
Mr. Pollock: We will raise the operating funds through membership and programs, the challenge will be the financing of the construction the facility. It is quite feasible that the master plan we have for the facility can be built in phases as the money becomes available. So we can do this project in phases.
Councilman Redmond: I would also like to commend you on your presentation this evening as well as say thank you to all the volunteer people who came out this evening. My question is that you have mentioned there are other communities in the area who have had this presentation, have you gotten any commitments from any other community either in Monmouth or southern Middlesex County?
Mr. Pollock: We are at the same level in terms of relationships with the other communities mentioned as we are with Old Bridge right now. We are at discussion and presentation level in each case.
Council-elect Kevin Calogera: If we are going to donate the property and they fall short in the fund raising, what will the commitment be with regard to the size of the facility or will it be downsized without the amenities we were shown here.
Mr. Pollock: The YMCA will do its best to manage the entire facility. However, we will not put the organization in a position that we could not manage a debt. Our board is successful because we are good stewards of the contributors dollars.
Council-elect Lucille Panos: My question would be your relationship with the schools and the swim teams, could they use the facility free of charge? How deep does this partnership with the community go?
Mr. Pollock: Arrangements for various groups and organizations are permitted. We work with the high schools in various ways to give them access to the facility. As you know there is nothing as costly as the operation and maintenance of a swimming pool, so there is no way we could offer anything for free in a swimming pool, there could be financial arrangements between the school and the YMCA to cover the cost for the kids but there needs to be an expense there.
President Maher: Who was the architect that designed the Red Bank YMCA?
Mr. Pollock: The firm is Kaplan Gontersantis, a Red Bank firm.
President Maher: Please make sure they get a copy of our letter that was sent out.
Councilman Testino: Are you willing to build a facility on land that the township maintains ownership of?
Mr. Pollock: I think we need to check with our own legal counsel and there are pros and cons to a whole variety of relationships; such as a 100 year lease, there are different arrangements that can be considered. We are amenable to those types of suggestions, however, we want something that makes sense to the community so that you can sell it to your constituency and we can operate and maintain the facility.
Councilman Testino: Is your board a volunteer board? How do Old Bridge volunteers integrate into your board?
Mr. Pollock: That is correct and we would absolutely plan and require that type of participation. We want the local board to be the managing volunteer board and make the decisions for the facility. We would also want people representing the Old Bridge board on the main board along with members from other facilities.
Councilman Testino: Would the money raised be in a dedicated account for Old Bridge?
Mr. Pollock: Each branch raises funds for each branch and those funds are dedicated to the branch for which they are derived.
Councilman Testino: So you have to get the branch before you can get the funds?
Mr. Pollock: We have an annual campaign and if we had an Old Bridge Branch and Old Bridge board, that raises about 1/3 of one million dollars in our existing operation. Each one of the branches has a goal of that $330,000. In the case of Red Bank their goal is $120,000; Matawan's goal is $80,000. If we determine that it was appropriate for the community here to raise $100,000, that would be the goal and whatever they raise would go back to support the kids and families in this community and this branch.
Councilman Testino: You were looking for the Township to put significant contributions into the construction phase?
Mr. Pollock: That is correct. We can discuss the numbers when we know how much the community can raise. On an $11-12 million dollar package, I think we need to have a sense of what can be derived from the community support to see what that balance looked like.
Councilman Testino: If Old Bridge built the facility, would you be willing to manage it?
Mr. Pollock: That is another option. I would like to conclude with this statement, but we are dead serious about our willingness and ability to accomplish something with this community and the folks here. This is not a fluff kind of presentation, we are anxious to hear from you on the next steps because we need to move as an organization ourselves. Thank you for your time and consideration.
HEARINGS
H-1 Release/Reduction Performance Guarantee - Oxford Estates - Postponed per attorney Request - New Date: 2/19/02
Motion
Motion to renotice all residents regarding the new date made by Councilman Hoff, seconded by Councilman Redmond and so moved on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen Butler, Greene, Hoff, Redmond, Sohor, President Maher
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: Councilmen Cucchiara, Testino, Councilwoman Hegarty.
Prior to the roll call vote the following discussion took place:
Councilman Redmond: I would like to have all the residents renoticed on this matter.
HEARINGS - 11/26/01
H-1 Release/Reduction Performance Guarantee - Amboy National Bank
H-2 Release/Reduction Performance Guarantee - Wawa Store #932 (Attorney requests postponement) Suggested New Date: Monday, 2/11/01 at 8:00 p.m.
H-3 Cedar View - Enforcement of Bonded Obligations
Move-up
ORDINANCE FOR FIRST READING
FR-1 Accepting interests of Cheesequake Village Dam
DISCUSSION ORDINANCE
DO-1 Ordinance establishing the Right to Farm
Councilman Redmond: Can we put that for first reading because we need that in place in order to get the farmland preservation funds?
Move-up
DO-2 Ordinance Amending Old Bridge Land Development Ordinance - "Storm Water Management Facility Maintenance Requirements.
Move-up
CONSENT AGENDA
C-1 Bingo/Raffle Applications
Move-up
DISCUSSION RESOLUTION
DR-1 Resolution Supporting Senate Bill 2481 - Additional retirement benefits.
Councilman Greene: It gives employees at least 50 years of age and 25 years of service they would be able to retire with an additional 5 years of service credit.
President Maher: What senator is sponsoring this bill?
Alayne Shepler: Shirley Turner out of Mercer County. It affects PERS and TPAF it is not PFRS. The League supports this bill and basically it clears up when the PERS bill was first passed that changed the formula, it excluded those that retired under a Veterans pension, this bill is planned to cleanup that inequity.
Move-up
DR-2 Request for Professional Services from Buchalski, Reynolds & Brodowski for valuation and consulting services for properties located in the Township of Old Bridge for fiscal year in the amount of $35,000.00 (Cert #1012) (Affirm Act)
Move-up
DR-3 Resolution granting Leave of Absence without pay to Kathleen Pirtle
Move-up
DR-4 Appointment Attorney Tom Norman for legal Assistance in the sum of $4000.00 for Town Center District Master Plan (Cert #1012) (Affirm Act.)
Move-up
DR-5 Additional sum of $2,500.00 to Attorney Tom Norman for Old Bridge Township Planning Board vs. Sprint Spectrum (Original contract previously approved in the amount of $7,000.00) (Cert. #1013) (Affirm. Act.)
Move-up
DR-6 Memorialize Release/Reduction Performance Guarantee - Route Nine Plaza (WalMart/Home Depot)
Move-up
DR-7 Resolution authorizing execution of Municipal Services Agreement with Springknolls
Move-up
DR-8 Financial Allocation ($200.00) to Robert Antonelli for participation in the Junior National Ice Competition
Move-up
DISCUSSION
D-1 Codification of Code Book - Attorney to submit recommended changes and adoption Ordinance to Council for their review)
President Maher: Jim, when do you expect to have this ready?
Jim Condon: I know Bill has been working on it and you will have to ask him.
President Maher: We will move this to the next Agenda.
D-2 Vacation of Dock Road
Motion
Motion to table made by Councilman Hoff, seconded by President Maher and so tabled on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen Cucchiara, Greene, Hoff, Redmond, Sohor, Testino, President Maher
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: Councilman Butler, Councilwoman Hegarty
D-3 Possible change to Ordinance #31-97 - An Ordinance to amend short titled "Old Bridge Township Land Development Ordinance adding to Article 10-8.A Storm Water Management Facility Maintenance Requirement")
Motion
Motion to table D-3 until report is received from the engineer made by Councilman Hoff, seconded by President Maher and so tabled on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen Butler, Cucchiara, Greene, Hoff, Redmond, Sohor, Testino, President Maher.
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: Councilwoman Hegarty
Prior to the motion the following discussion took place:
Councilman Redmond: Do we have these possible changes?
Alayne Shepler: No I have not received a written report from the engineers and it is my understanding that you requested a recalculation of the current fees to determine the contribution. However, Nelson was not in the office today and I do not have a copy of the report.
D-4 Texas Road - Water
Alayne Shepler: I have a copy of the survey that I did and I will be happy to handout to Council. Council President was not here last week but we did have a rather extensive discussion on the issue. The OBMUA has obtained a permit for the eleven homes and the construction schedule was 4 weeks to begin and 4 weeks till completion so approximately an 8 week interval.
D-5 Speeding in the Township (On going status of Police Dept., developing a plan to target areas of the Township)
Motion
Motion to table pending report on Police Department Status Report made by Councilman Hoff, seconded by President Maher and so tabled on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen Butler, Cucchiara, Greene, Hoff, Redmond, Sohor, Testino, President Maher
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: Councilwoman Hegarty
Prior to the motion the following discussion took place:
Councilman Testino: Larry and I and the Chief happened to see these new devices at the convention that can be hung on poles. They are powered by solar energy "Eye in the Sky", I would like to see that put in the Capital budget and perhaps buy one or two per year and put them in strategic locations and as we fund more and more there will be a constant speed detectors on the road. I would like the Chief or Alayne develop a plan to test a few of these around the town.
Councilman Redmond: I have the literature at home that I picked up at the convention.
CRYSTAL LAKE AT GREENWOOD
Resolution
BE IT RESOLVED, by the Township Council of the Township of Old Bridge, County of Middlesex State of New Jersey that:
WHEREAS, there is currently an application pending before the Aberdeen Township Planning Board for site plan approval for a proposed development known as Crystal Lake at Greenwood; and
WHEREAS, the construction of this proposed development may severely tax the local infrastructure and have a very deleterious effect upon the health, safety and welfare of Old Bridge Township residents living near the proposed location of the Crystal Lake at Greenwood development;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Township Council of the Township of Old Bridge, County of Middlesex, State of New Jersey that the Township of Old Bridge hereby opposes the grant of site plan approval for the development known as Crystal Lake at Greenwood by the Aberdeen Planning Board; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Township Attorney and Township Engineer are hereby authorized to take all appropriate action to oppose the application for site plan approval for the Crystal Lake at Greenwood development; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a true copy of this resolution shall be sent to the Mayor and Township Council of Aberdeen and the Aberdeen Township Clerk.
Moved by President Maher, seconded by Councilman Hoff and so ordered on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen Butler, Cucchiara, Greene, Hoff, Redmond, Sohor, Testino, President Maher.
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: Councilwoman Hegarty.
Prior to the roll call vote the following discussion took place:
Councilman Sohor: After the closing time for the agenda, we became aware by notice from a developer in Aberdeen Township of a proposed development on Morganville/Greenwood Road right next to Cedar Ridge I Development. This development is on a little piece of property that fronts on that road it is about 40 acres. Basically this development comprises 400 apartment and stacked condominiums. That development would be the most dense around in the area.
If they were to build that it would add about 800 cars in that corner of Old Bridge and the only way out would be to come down Ticetown Road and exacerbate the problems that we have there. I have asked the legal department to prepare a resolution and basically I would like us to pass this resolution in opposition to this type of dense development and authorize the legal and planning departments to attend the hearings on this. We also have some additional leverage because they cannot get water from Aberdeen and they would have to get it from either Old Bridge or Marlboro.
Councilman Hoff: Why don't you pursue it and notify our own OBMUA and ask for their assistance?
Councilman Sohor: I spoke to Rocky and this resolution would have to be amended to include the OBMUA.
Mayor Cannon: I just want to add that Sam Rizzo is attending the meeting tonight and has reviewed the plans so he will be testifying on behalf of Old Bridge.
APPOINTMENT
A-1 Alternate Member - Zoning Board
Resolution
John Denny is hereby appointed to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, as an alternate member replacing James Giffin for a term expiring December 31, 2001.
Moved by Councilman Greene, seconded by Councilman Cucchiara and so ordered on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen Butler, Cucchiara, Greene, Hoff, Redmond, Sohor, Testino, President Maher.
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: Councilwoman Hegarty.
Prior to the roll call vote the following discussion took place:
Councilman Greene: It has come to my attention that John Denny, Jr. is interested in being appointed as an alternate member of the Zoning Board. He is a lifelong resident of Old Bridge and I would like to recommend him.
REPORTS
R-1 Rt. 9 Plaza (WalMart/Home Depot) - (Report on lighting and acceleration lane by engineer)
Pinder Sumal: I am aware of the acceleration lane, but I am not aware of the lighting problem. The acceleration lane was discussed with the traffic engineer and there is no plan for an acceleration lane at the present time. From the entrance of WalMart to the overpass entrance we need an acceleration land and a deceleration lane and there is not enough space to accommodate both. The distance needed is 1200 feet, the distance there is about 650 feet, so the DOT takes preference over the deceleration lane, which is for the overpass. I need to discuss this further with Nelson because something needs to be done.
President Maher: We will carry this matter forward because you have not had an opportunity to discuss it with Nelson.
Carry to next Agenda
R-2 Lowe's/Cedarview Estates (Report by Administration)
Attorney Ruggierio: We have everything we need in connection with calling the bonds.
Engineering is still sorting out what improvements go with what bonds and we need some time to notice. I will give you a date at the next regular agenda meeting.
Councilman Butler: Bill, if I remember correctly, Nelson at the previous meeting had some correspondence from Lowe's in reference to specifics and listing a time frame, have you seen a copy of that letter?
Attorney Ruggierio: No.
Councilman Butler: I think you need to get a copy of that letter to give you a better handle on what they have promised to do.
R-3 Bonding of Roads - Cedarview (Report by Administration)
Attorney Ruggierio: I will have the information in 2-3 weeks. We will have a hearing to default the bonds and then we can go from there.
LIQUOR LICENSE
LL-1 Issuance of new Plenary Consumption License to Saljoper, Inc. t/a Mickey McGuire's due to failure to timely renew.
Move-up
LL-2 Extension of Plenary Consumption License #1209-33-025-003 Saljoper, Inc. to Nancy Issacson, Esq. (Trustee)
President Maher: I would like to announce that we will be introducing the budget on next Monday, November 26, 2001. Alayne are any of the department heads prepared tonight?
Alayne Shepler: Mr. Badcock is here this evening. Rocky was not available; Nelson is not here and Himanshu is on vacation.
President Maher: I would like the Council to come prepared with their additions and deletions to the budget on next Monday night.
Councilman Redmond: There are a couple of kids here from Laurence Harbor, can we give them a couple of minutes to ask some questions.
Kevin Lyons: I live at 90 Gordon Place.
Greg Pawelczyk: I live at 315 Morristown Road.
Kevin Lyons: I would like to talk about another skate park on the other side of town.
The one in Veteran's park is very nice and we would like to thank you. It is on the other side of town and some of the kids cannot get to it. I know they are trying to get rid of kids skating on the streets in Laurence Harbor and I can understand why because it pretty much is wrecking everything down there. There are unused basketball courts in the Harbor by Hoffman's. You do see kids down there with roller blades, bikes and skateboards.
Tom Badcock: They have called me and the only place that we have property other than the 100 year lease to the County on the waterfront property is at Laurence Harbor park. The only thing we could do is convert one of the courts. A few years ago, we converted the tennis courts to basketball courts, now the guys are saying there is more of an interest in skateboarding. I don't know what the situation or the numbers would be.
Councilman Redmond: Are we getting any property from the Bridgepointe?
Tom Badcock: There might be some, but at this point I don't know.
President Maher: What about the park by Whales Creek?
Tom Badcock: That is a very small court and it is used. For this type of a situation you need a double court.
Kevin Lyons: You can pretty much find out that the skatepark is one of the most used parks in Old Bridge and I have heard from police officials that vandalism went down almost 100% since we have the skatepark and the special police officer. I think that you are doing a great job in the Harbor with the new boardwalk and I want to see it continue that way. I like seeing it look great not only for the residents but also for people from the area to come down and see how nice the waterfront is around here.
President Maher: Tom, can I ask you not to go overboard but to do a cost study as to how much it would cost to put up a skatepark right next to that basketball court.
Tom Badcock: There are two courts that I converted to basketball courts and there is a single basketball court and next to that there is a handball court with a handball wall. If we knock the handball wall down we could fit something in there.
President Maher: Can you see if you can retrofit one of those existing facilities down there to a skatepark or where you would recommend one to be put in that area?
Tom Badcock: There is an area by the County park that we can look at also.
Mayor Cannon: First I would be hesitant to eliminate the basketball courts without getting some kind of sense from the community. While I agree we should look to put a facility down there I think we have to look at other alternate sites and maybe work with the County and the beachfront area.
President Maher: I think that you have to sit down with Mr. Badcock our professional and see what we can come up with. I agree with the Mayor and I think that we have to get more information before we do anything with those courts. You can work with Mr. Badcock and am sure that you can come up with some sites.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Resolution
BE IT RESOLVED, by the Township Council, Township of Old Bridge, County of Middlesex, State of New Jersey that:
the public be excluded from this meeting pursuant to NJSA 10:4-13 for the discussion of the following matter or matters:
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this meeting shall reconvene in public session in 10 minutes and that the minutes or other record of these discussions shall be available to be disclosed to the public in sixty (60) months unless a sooner date is determined by vote of the governing body at a public session.
Golden Estates
Woodland Trails
Moved by Councilman Butler, seconded by Councilman Redmond and so ordered on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen Butler, Cucchiara, Greene, Hoff, Redmond, Sohor, President Maher.
NAYS: Councilman Testino.
ABSENT: Councilwoman Hegarty.
Motion to go out of Executive Session made by Councilman Butler, seconded by Councilman Redmond and so ordered on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen Butler, Cucchiara, Greene, Hoff, Redmond, Sohor, Testino, President Maher.
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: Councilwoman Hegarty
Motion Woodland Trails
Motion to authorize our attorney to prepare the settlement regarding Woodland Trails in the amount of $6.2 million and file with the Superior Court within sixty days made by Councilman Redmond, seconded by Councilman Sohor and so moved on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen Butler, Cucchiara, Greene, Redmond, Sohor, Testino, President Maher.
NAYS: Councilman Hoff
ABSENT: Councilwoman Hegarty.
Motion - Golden Estates
Motion to authorize our attorney to make the settlement with the bonding company in the amount of $47,000.00 regarding Golden Estates made by Councilman Redmond, seconded by Councilman Butler and so moved on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen Butler, Cucchiara, Greene, Hoff, Redmond, Sohor, Testino, President Maher.
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: Councilwoman Hegarty.
Motion to adjourn at 10:30 p.m. made by Councilman Hoff, seconded by Councilman Greene and so ordered on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen Butler, Cucchiara, Greene, Hoff, Redmond, Sohor, Testino, President Maher.
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: Councilwoman Hegarty
______________________________
Dennis M. Maher, Council President
_______________________________
Rose-Marie Saracino, Township Clerk
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