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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2001/12/06 DECEMBER 6, 2001 The Regular Meeting of the Mayor and Council of the Borough of COUNCIL MEETING Carteret was called to order by Mayor James A. Failace approximately 7:30 P.M. on Thursday, December 6, 2001, Municipal Court/Police Facility, 230 Roosevelt Avenue, Carteret, New Jersey. Upon individual roll call, the following were noted present: ROLL CALL Councilmember Daniel Reiman Ronald Rios Janet Santoro Also noted present was Borough Attorney Robert J. Bergen, Esq. and Borough Attorney Donald Norbut. Noted absent were Councilmembers Jack Fazekas, Remy Quinones and Buddy Sohayda. The meeting was opened with a moment of Silent Prayer and The PRAYER, PLEDGE Pledge of Allegiance led by Mayor James A. Failace. He asked OF ALLEGIANCE everyone to remember the men and women serving in the Middle East. The Clerk stated that on November 30, 2001, in full compliance with STATEMENT OF the Open Public Meetings Act, a notice of tonight's meeting was sent MEETING NOTICE to The Home News Tribune, The Star-Ledger and posted on the bulletin board. Upon MMS&C, Councilmembers Reiman and Rios and unanimous APPROVAL OF affirmative vote of the three (3) members present, the minutes of MINUTES October 18, 2001 were approved as transcribed and engrossed by the Clerk. Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Reiman and Rios and unanimous MOTION TO AMEND affirmative vote of the three (3) members present, a motion was made THE AGENDA RE: to amend the Agenda to allow Mathew Pitts and Albert Williams REPRESENTATIVES FROM SPRINT PC & representatives from Sprint to speak in reference to the cell phones for NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE the Crossing Guards and Bob Grimm, Assistant Chief Engineer for the Turnpike to speak regarding the article in this morning's newspaper regarding the Turnpike. Mayor Failace invited the Crossing Guards who were in attendance to MATTHEW PITTS & __ come up to the front of the room. ALBERT WILLIAMS SPRINT PC A Sprint Representative said he would like to donate thirty cell phones on behalf of Sprint PCS to thc Crossing Guards of Carteret. He thanked the Mayor for having them and said it has been his pleasure. Councilmember Rios told Georgia Barron, Crossing Guard spokesperson and the rest of the Crossing Guards this has been in the works since August. He said they would have had the cell phones CCEMBER 6, 2001 PRINT PC sooner but due to the tragic events of September 11th Sprint PCS was Continued) not able to give the phones since there were other things with a lot more priority like the World Trade Center attack. He said through Sprint's generosity this came to be and he thanked them very much. He said he hoped they would never have to use the phones for 911 but it would be at no cost to the Borough. Mayor Failace also thanked the Sprint representatives on behalf of himself, the Council and the citizens of Carteret. He asked Bob Grimm, the Assistant Chief Engineer for the New Jersey Turnpike to speak. IOTED PRESENT Councilmember Sohayda was noted present at 7:35 P.M. Bob Grimm thanked the Mayor and Council for inviting them here to 3OB GRIMM speak.. TURNPIKE ' ~UTUORITY Mayor Failace interrupted and said this was not a question and answer period, they would be having a public meeting on this shortly but not right at the moment. Bob Grimm said he was happy to be here on behalf of the Turnpike Authority to tell the Mayor and Council of the Turnpike Authority's commitment to improving Interchange 12 and its connection to Roosevelt and Industrial Avenues. He said they have met with representatives of the Council a few times over the past few months, the most recent being yesterday morning. He said they have shared their status on the several alternatives they have developed over the last few years and most recently on improvements to Interchange 12 and the area. He said they are in the process of retaining a consultant to take them into the next step, which would be to prepare an environmental impact statement. He said at this point they anticipate hiring a consultant in January, which would allow them to begin work in March. He said it is anticipated that the Environmental Impact Statement preparation process would take about a year. He said they prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in accordance with New Jersey Executive Order No. 215 which requires the Turnpike Authority to prepare an Environmental Impact Statements and submit them to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for approval. He said if they get the approval they are prepared to move into the final design and ultimately construction. He said final design could also take an additional year. He said construction would take three or four years and felt the best case scenario would be improvements open to the public in five or six years. He said the Turnpike wants to inform Carteret and Middlesex County who have also been at the meetings with Carteret. He said he hoped to continue improved relationships with Carteret as they move forward. He said they would brief the residents and Council periodically on where we are and what the alternatives look like. He said it is important to note as they move into the Environmental Impact Statement process the conceptual alternatives are just that, conceptual alternatives. He said they all have DECEMBER 6, 2001- preferences but the Interchange that would be designed and built BOB GRIlq['I would be subject to approval by the Department of Environmental NJ TIJRNPIKE AUTHORITY Protection and there would be no final alternative until all factors are (Continued) considered and approved. He said the consultant's scope of work also includes a Public Hearing with a minimum fifteen-day notice and fifteen-day comment period after a Public Hearing and are required to respond to every comment received. He said they go to Public Heating after they have submitted an Environmental Impact Statement to the DEP. He said the reason they do that is even though the two things are not related to each other the Turnpike Authority learned over the years that they don't go to a Public Hearing without the Environment (inaudible) because that is what everyone wants to see anyway. He said they anticipate that and feel it would take place late in 2002 or early 2003. He said during 2002 they would continue to meet with the Mayor and Council to advise them of the status and get input and comments as they move along. He said the Turnpike Authority considers this project one of its highest priorities and has a commitment to this project. He said he had no doubt in his mind they would see an improvement in Interchange 12 in the not too distant future. Mayor Failace said he had a number of calls from the citizens already since the article came out in the newspaper. He said he was excited about the possibility of eliminating the problem and was glad the Turnpike has made a commitment. Bob Grimm said they have the commitment and are committed to working together over the next few years to see this happen in every one's best interest. Councilmember Reiman asked if the Public Hearing would be held in Carteret. Bob Grimm said it would be held in Carteret and he would coordinate the heating and location. Councilmember Reiman asked if there was any possibility of an Interchange 12A as they had previously discussed would ever happen. Bob Grimm said a new Interchange 12A was studied at the request of Union County but has been eliminated from further consideration by the Turnpike Authority which did not work from an operation traffic safety stand point primarily for reasons associated with the existing distance between Interchange 12 and 13. He said it was not physically and safely possible to add a third interchange in such a short distance. He said they have agreed to analyze this to provide a connector between Industrial Avenue in Carteret and Tremley Point Road in Union County by constructing a bridge across the Rahway River. He said this is part of the scope of work their consultant would be looking into. He said the Turnpike Authority considers this one project with one component and is committing whether there is a connector or not. He said the Turnpike Authority is certainly committed to Interchange 12 improvements. Councilmember Rios asked if the connector would be considered a Phase II or III and if it would happen at a later date and would happen after Carteret's problems have been corrected. 3 ZCEMBER 6, 2001 DB GRIMM Bob Grimm said that has not completely been determined and there J TURNPIKE was some thought the components would move at their own pace. He UTHORITY said they would look at the possibility of constructing a connector Continued) sooner than the Interchange if it were possible from an Environmental- permitting design and construction standpoint. He said if they did that they understand it could not be done without at least temporary improvements with some kind of direct connection to the Interchange so that the traffic did not go out to the traffic on Roosevelt Avenue. He said they don't want to add to the problem before they fix it. Councilmember Reiman said he received several phone calls today from residents. He asked if he was correct that there would not be any taking of residential property. Bob Grimm said he believed that was correct. Councilmember Santoro said this is going to be funded by the Turnpike. Bob Grimm said absolutely, it was approximately a one hundred million-dollar project, not one hundred fifty million dollars as was stated in the newspaper. Councilmember Santoro said from the beginning the Turnpike has been great in listening to Carteret's every day problems. She said everyone's concern was the traffic from Carteret to West Carteret and entering and exiting the Turnpike. She said the Turnpike listened and agreed with the Council because in all their proposals they are addressing the problem. She said traffic is one of the concerns all the residents have. She said they are anxious to see a drawing of what is going to happen. She said that would not be possible because this would be decided by other powers that be. Bob Grimm said he wanted to caution that despite the fact that they shared four conceptual alternatives, nothing has been decided. He said this was just a starting point for the consultant they are in the process of hiring. He said everything is subject to change and this could change as a result of engineer and traffic studies. He said this is clearly a starting point and shows the Turnpike Authority understands Carteret's problems as well as theirs and is looking for a solution to everyone's problems. Mayor Failace said everyone was very excited about this and said the sooner the better. Bob Grimm passed out a news release that was sent out by the Turnpike Authority this morning that simply announced where they were, where they were going and reiterated what he had said tonight. Councilmember Santoro said the County held a "My County" poster ;ERTIFICATES )F MERIT: contest and made up a calendar of forth grade students' posters. She IY COUNTY said the contest was held to promote awareness of County government 'OSTER CONTEST and its functions. She said two students from Carteret won and she presented Certificates of Merit to Jasmir Jaswall for an honorable mention and to first place winner Crystal Krimpuri. DECEMBER 6, 2001. The Clerk stated that Ordinance #01-49 was introduced and adopted ORDINANCE #01-49 on First Reading and the Clerk authorized and directed to advertise CAPITAL IMPROVEMENt} APPROPRIATING same for Public Hearing to be hcld on December 20, 2001, upon $250,000.00 RE: MMS&C, by Councilmembers Rios and Reiman. Upon individual roll VARIOUS SEWER call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted IMPROVEMENTS in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. ORDiNANCE #01-49 "AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR VARIOUS SEWER IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE BOROUGH OF CARTEKET, COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX, NEW JERSEY, APPROPRIATING $250,000.00 FROM THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND RESERVE FOR SEWER IMPROVEMENTS OF THE BOROUGH FOR THE COST THERFORE" The Clerk stated that Ordinance #01-50 was introduced and adopted ORDINANCE #01-50 on First Reading and the Clerk authorized and directed to advertise AMENDING AND same for Public Hearing to be held on December 20, 2001, upon SUPPLEMENTING CODE, MMS&C, by Councilmembers Pros and Sohayda. Upon individual SECTION 160-26, ENTITLED "EXPIRATION roll call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, Rios, Santoro and Sohayda OF VARIAMCES" voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. ORDINANCE #01-50 "AN O1LD1NANCE TO AMEND AND SUPPLEMENT SECTION 160-26, ENTITLED 'EXPIRATION OF VARIANCES' OF CHAPTER 160 (LAND DEVELOPMENT) OF THE CODE OF THE BOROUGH OF CARTERET" The Clerk stated that Ordinance #01-51 was introduced and adopted ORDINANCE tirO1-51 on First Reading and the Clerk authorized and directed to advertise AMENDING AND same for Public Hearing to be held on December 20, 2001, upon SOPPLEMEIqTING CODE, MMS&C, by Councilmembers Reiman, Rios. Upon individual roll CHAPTER,,cODE OF20'ETHICs"ENTITLED call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas, Quinones were noted absent. ORDINANCE #01-51 "ORDINANCE TO AMEND AND SUPPLEMENT CHAPTER 20, ENTITLED, 'CODE OF ETHICS' OF THE CODE OF THE BOROUGH OF CARTERET" gCENBER 6, 2001 RDINANCE #01-52 The Clerk stated that Ordinance #01-52 was introduced and adopted LITHORIZING on First Reading and the Clerk authorized and directed to advertise RIVATE SALE same for Public Heating to be held on December 20, 2001, upon F PROPERTY- MMS&C, by Councilmembers Reiman and Rios. Upon individual roll LOCK 272, LOT 12 vote, Councilmembers Reiman, Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. ORDiNANCE #01-52 "AN ORDiNANCE AUTHORIZiNG THE PRIVATE SALE OF BLOCK 272, LOT 12 ON THE TAX MAP OF THE BOROUGH OF CARTERET PURSUANT TO N.J.S.A. 40A:12-21(k)" 3MMENTS Councilmember Reiman said this is the sale of a building on Roosevelt Avenue in an attempt to bring Head Start back into Carteret. Mayor Failace said he is excited about moving forward with this. RDINANCE {01-48 The Clerk stated Ordinance #01-48 was introduced and passed upon MENDING AND First Reading at a Regular Meeting of the Borough Council held on LIPPLENENTING November 20, 2001. It was duly published in the Home News Tribune ttAPTER 55 OF on November 27, 2001 with notice that it will be considered for final HE CODE, RE: passage after Public Hearing to be held on December 6, 2001 at 3NE DEVELOPMENT 9RPORATION approximately 7:30 P.M. the Ordinance was posted on the bulletin board and copies were made available to the general public according to law, she read the Ordinance by title. UBLIC HEARING Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Reiman and Rios and unanimous affirmative vote of the four (4) members present, the Mayor declared the Public Hearing to be open: EARING CLOSED There being no comments or objections to the Ordinance, the Mayor declared the Public Hearing to be closed, upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Reiman and Rios and unanimous affirmative vote of the four (4) members present. DECEMBER 6, 2001 Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Reiman and Sohayda ORDINANCE t~01-48 AMENDING S~ CHAPTER 55 OF THE ORDINANCE #01-48 CODE, RE: ZONE DEVELOPMENT "AN ORDiNANCE TO AMEND AND SUPPLEMENT CHAPTER CORPORATION 55, ENTITLED 'ZONE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION', OF THE BOROUGH OF CARTERET" was finally adopted. Upon individual roll call vote, Councilmembers ADOPTED Reiman, Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. Approved and Adopted: December 6, 2001 'teTRANSCRIBER' S NOTES: Introduced: November 20, 2001 AS OF DECEMBER 19, Advertised as Adopted on First Reading 2001 ,THIS ORDINANCE [lAS NOT BEEN SIGNED with notice of Public Hearing: __ November 27, 2001 BY THE MAYOR Hearing held: December 6, 2001 Approved by: Advertised as Finally Adopted: A copy of each Resolution was placed on the table for public review MEETING OPENED prior to the meeting in accordance with the Rules of Council and upon PUBLIC INPUT ON MMS&C, by Councilmembers Rios and Reiman and unanimous ALL RESOLUTIONS affirmative vote of the four (4) members present, the meeting was opened for public input on all Resolutions. Unidentified man said he wanted to speak on Resolution #01-365, the COMMENTS Carteret Housing Rehabilitation Program. He asked that the Mayor and Council continue the program and felt it worthwhile to the people of Carteret. He said the taxpayers that have been here a long time and qualify for some type of improvement are entitled to it. He said about a hundred homes were bettered by this and felt they were improving their homes as far as value. He said he felt the program benefited the town and the individual taxpayer and hoped the Mayor and Council continued the program with the company that is involved in it. He said the company that has been involved in the program has done a good job and felt they should be retained to finish this program. He said he could not see any reason why the program should be discontinued since he felt it was proven that it was a worthwhile program. Mayor Failace said they are continuing the program with the company who was administering the program. ECEMBER 6, 2001 EETING CLOSED There being no further comments or objections to the Resolutions, the Mayor declared the Public Heating to be closed upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Reiman and Rios and unanimous affirmative vote of the four (4) members present. ESOLUTION #01-359 RESOLUTION #01-359 was introduced by the Mayor and referred to IRECTING THE the Council for action. SSUANCE OF ARIOUS BINGO ICENSES Upon MMS&C, by the Councilmembers Rios and Sohayda RESOLUTION #01-359 "DIRECTING THE ISSUANCE OF VARIOUS BiNGO LICENSES" was adopted. Upon individual roll call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, DOPTED Rios, Santoro, Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazckas and Quinoncs wcrc noted absent. ESOLOTION #01-360 RESOLUTION #01-360 was introduced by the Mayor and referred to IRECTING THE the Council for action. SSUANCE OF ARIOUS RAFFLE ICENSES Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Rios and Reiman RES OLUTION #01-360 "DIRECTiNG THE ISSUANCE OF VARIOUS RAFFLE LICENSES" DOPTED was adopted. Upon individual roll call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. DECEMBER 6, 2001 RESOLUTION #01-361 was introduced by the Mayor and referred to RESOLUTION #01-361 REFUND OF TAX AND/OR the Council for action. SEV/ER USER FEES Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Rios and Reiman RESOLUTION #01-361 "REFUND OF TAX AND/OR SEWER USER FEES" was adopted. Upon individual roll call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, ADOPTED Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. RESOLUTION #01-362 was introduced by the Mayor and referred to RESOLUTION {01-362 PROVIDING FOR THE the Council for action. TRANSFER OF SURPLUS FUNDS Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Rios and Reiman RESOLUTION #01-362 "PROVIDING FOR THE TRANSFER OF SURPLUS FUNDS" was adopted. Upon individual roll call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, ADOPTED Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. RESOLUTION #01-363 was introduced by the Mayor and referred to RESOLUTION t01-363 the Council for action. CREATING HANDICAPPED PARKING SPACE FOR COLUMBUS SCHOOL Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Sohayda and Rios RESOLUTION #01-363 "CREATING HANDICAPPED PARKING SPACE FOR COLUMBUS SCHOOL" was adopted. Upon individual roll call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, ADOPTED Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. 9 ECEMBER 6, 2001 ESOLUTIOM #01-364 RESOLUTION #01-364 was introduced by the Mayor and referred to ANCELLATION OF the Council for action. UTSTATING CHECKS Upon MMS&C, by Councilmcmbcrs Rciman and Rios RESOLUTION #01-364 "CANCELLATION OF OUTSTANDING CHECKS" DOPTED was adopted. Upon individual roll call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. ESOLOTION ~01-365 RESOLUTION #01-365 was introduced by the Mayor and referred to OTHORING AGREEMENT the Council for action. ITH HOUSING ERYICES, INC. TO ERFORM CERTAIN Upon individual MMS&C, by Councilmembers Rios and Sohayda UTIES IN CO~Rq~J£1C{q ITH THE BOROUGH ' S CATTERED SITE OUSING RI~IABH.]TATI(3~I RESOLUTION #01-365 "RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AGREEMENT WITH HOUSING SERVICES, INC. TO PERFORM CERTAIN DUTIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE BOROUGH'S SCATTERED SITE HOUSING REHABILITATION PROGRAM" .DOPTED was adopted. Upon individual roll call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. :OMMENTS Councilmember Reiman said the Council has discussed this over the last few months. He said they thought they could find a firm that would do the work at a lower price. He said he worked with John Riggio, Director of Community Development and they contacted a dozen companies that do this type of work and have similar experience and expertise. He said no firm could match or beat the eighteen- percent rate. He said some companies matched it but he felt there was no sense bringing in an outside firm to replace them if they did not give any additional savings. He said the reason this was delayed a month was the Council wanted to see if they could save additional money. He said it tums out they can't and this ninety thousand dollars would help with the restoration of an additional twenty-five homes in Carteret. Mayor Failace said he was glad and felt the Council had the right to see if they could save money and they would be moving forward. 10 DECEMBER 6, 2001 RESOLUTION #01-366 was introduced by the Mayor and referred to RESOLUTION /:01-366 the Council for action. APPROVING CHANGE ORDER ~2-STAR OF Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Reiman and Sohayda SEA CONCRETE CORP o RE: SUSPECT AREAS SE}IER SEPARATION & INPROVENENTS RESOLUTION #01-366 "APPROVING CHANGE ORDER #2 SUSPECT AREAS SEWER SEPARATION AND IMPROVEMENTS CONTRACT" was adopted. Upon individual roll call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, ADOPTED Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. RESOLUTION #01-367 was introduced by the Mayor and referred to RESOLUTION /:01-367 the Council for action. APPROVING CHANGE ORDER #l-TAR HEELS ENTERPRISES, INC. RE: MILIK STREET Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Reiman and Rios RESURFACING RESOLUTION #01-367 "APPROVING CHANGE ORDER #1 TARHEEL ENTERPRISES, 1NC./MILIK STREET RESURFACING PROJECT" was adopted. Upon individual roll call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, ADOPTED Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. RESOLUTION #01-368 was introduced by the Mayor and referred to RESOLUTION {01-368 the Council for action. ADOPTING CARTERET ' S SEXUAL AND OTHER HARRASSMENT POLICY Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Rios and Santoro RESOLUTION #01-368 "ADOPTING CARTERET SEXUAL AND OTHER HARASSMENT POLICY" was adopted. Upon individual roll call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, ADOPTED Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. 11 ECEMBER 6, 2001 OMMENTS Councilmember Reiman said Carteret had lacked a harassment policy and the insurance company required this to put the Borough up to speed. He said they needed to do this before they could search for competitive insurance contracts. Mayor Failace asked if the Council had to do this by Ordinance. Borough Attorney Bergen said they could if they wanted to but he felt the easiest way was to do a Resolution because he wanted to get it on the books. ESOLUTION #01-369 RESOLUTION #01-369 was introduced by the Mayor and referred to PPOINTING the Mayor for action. ONN ASHBY-LABORER Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Sohayda and Rios RESOLUTION #01-369 "APPOINTING JOHN ASHBY LABORER IN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT" DOPTED was adopted. Upon individual roll call vote, Councilmembers Reiman, Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. PPLICATIONS: The Clerk stated that she was in receipt of an application from OLUNTEER FIRE Volunteer Fire Co. #2 approving a new member, Kamila O. #2-APPROVAL Januszkiewicz. Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Rios and Reiman F NEVI NENBER and unanimous affirmative vote of the four (4) members present it was AMILA JANUS,~TFI/iCZ ordered to be received and placed on file. .BC LICENSE The Clerk stated she was in receipt of a Place-to-Place ABC License 'LACE-TO- Transfer from Round the Clock Plaza Foods, Inc. Upon MMS&C, by 'LACE TRANSFER Councilmembers Sohayda and Rios and unanimous affirmative vote of .OUND THE CLOCK the four (4) Councilmembers present it was accepted to be turned over 'LAZA FOODS, INC. to the Police Department for further consideration. ,OMNUNICATIONS: The Clerk stated that she was in receipt of a Communication from IDDLESEX COUNTY Middlesex County Planning Board-Notice of Public Heating, 'LANNING BOARD December I 1, 2001, Re: Amendments to the Lower Raritan-Middlesex County Water Quality Management Plan Revision and Amendment Procedures. 12 DECEMBER 6, 2001 The Clerk stated that she was in receipt of a Communication from the COMMUNICATION: Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders-Public Hearings, MIDDLESEX COUNTY 12/19/01-Piscataway and 1/17/02-New Brunswick, NJ-Re: Green BOARD OF CHOSEN FREEHOLDERS Acres Parkland Diversion. Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Rios and Reiman and unanimous affirmative vote of the four (4) members present, all Communications were ordered to be received and placed on file. Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Reiman and Rios all bills PAYMENT OF BILLS appearing on the prepared list properly audited and signed were ordered to be paid. Upon individual roll call vote Councilmembers Reiman, Rios, Santoro and Sohayda voted in the affirmative. Councilmembers Fazekas and Quinones were noted absent. The Clerk stated that she was in receipt of the following reports: REPORTS DEPARTMENT 1. Clerk's Report-November 2001 2. Social Services-September & October 2001 3. Treasurer-Bond Anticipation Note Report Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Reiman and Rios and unanimous affirmative vote of the four (4) members present, all reports were ordered to be received and placed on file. BUILDINGS & GROUNDS: Councilmember Santoro, in the absence STANDING COMMITTEES of Committee Chairperson Quinones said there has not been a meeting this year. She said she imagined there was progress. FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION: Committee Chairperson Reiman said as everyone heard from Bob Grimm from the Turnpike Authority and from the meetings with the Council, this was not a problem created overnight and would not be solved overnight. He said this Council did not initiate the talks with the Turnpike it was initiated in years past with Mayor Sica and prior Councilmembers like Mayor Failace. He said this has been a problem for many years and hopefully there was an end in sight. He said they would be continuing to work with the Turnpike Authority to continue to develop plans. He said 13 ECEMBER 6, 2001 TANDING COMMITTEES whether or not any of this Council was still in office when this is completed they would see but they are working together to complete this process. He said the Council has rejected the bid on the Waterfront pier which was Phase I and came in over a million dollars more than they have available. He said he recently had a meeting with the Freeholders to see if the town is eligible for a grant. He said he has a meeting set up for next week with the Army Core of Engineers and there is a possibility there may also be a grant there. He said they are trying to get the funds in place to move the project along. He said as he has mentioned for the last few weeks, in the aftermath of September 11th, insurance rates and renewal policies have come in at a significant increase. He said the Borough is anticipating a six to eight hundred thousand dollar increase in insurance rates, which would be the equivalent of eight to nine tax points. He said the Council has to be mindful of this and see where they could potentially save money, in all departments while putting together next year's budget. He said he spoke to the Council at the Agenda Meeting about an appraiser. He said they are unable to meet this week but he would like to meet with him and any Councilmembers who would like to discuss having some of the Borough lots appraised for a potential auction. FIRE: Committee Chairperson Rios said repairs to the Fire Headquarters have started, the company is rechalking the cracks and expansion joints on the building and the bricks will be repaired. He said last week twelve Firefighters attended a Firefighter Safety Seminar at the New Jersey City University. He said two Firefighters completed their EMT recertification. He said Firefighters have been conducting preplarmed tours of the former Ball Glass Facility in West Carteret to familiarize themselves with the building in the event of an emergency. He thanked the Parks Department for removing the vines that were growing on the side of the Community Center. He said they had several companies look at it but declined to do the work. He said it was an eyesore and the Parks Department removed the vines. He reported progress. PARKS & RECREATION: Councilmember Rios, in the absence of Committee Chairperson Fazekas said the Christmas Tree Lighting at Carteret Park would be held on Sunday December 9th at 6:00 P.M. He said there would be live music, refreshments, presents for the children and if Santa arrives, pictures will be taken. He said the House Lighting Contest is December 17 & 18th, entries are at the Borough Hall and must be submitted by December 14th. He said Seniors will be bused to all the homes entered and they will judge the winners. He said sometimes people are not happy if they are not winners but felt the process was a fair one. He said the Seniors would be served at St. Demetrius Men's Club after the judging. He said the work on Shore Crest Park's playground is ongoing and on schedule. He said a drainage system followed by the wood chips would complete by the middle of next week. He apologized for the temporary inconvenience this might have caused and felt the park will be nice when completed. He reported continued progress. 14 DECEMBER 6, 200! POLICE: Committee Chairperson Santoro said she mentioned at the STANDING COMMIIIEES last meeting there was going to be a Police Test April 11, 2002. She said she would be bringing applications to the meetings to encourage residents to take the test. She said the deadline is February 15, 2002 and she had applications at this meeting and at the Police Station. She said she has talked about the two Carteret Police Officers who were killed in the line of duty years ago and how they were trying to get them a plaque and the Policemen's Memorial Park they are planning for the Spring. She said she was notified by the PBA that the plaque was in and they would try to schedule a ceremony December 20th before the next Council Meeting. She said she would be getting the word out and advertising in the newspaper if that would be taking place. She said she had the pleasure of attending a meeting in Belleville with the paid Fire Department in support of the Belleville Firefighters. She said the Mayor and Council in Belleville had looked into a possible layoff of fifteen Firemen and possibly privatizing the EMS service that was presently done in house. She said that was something that was close to Carteret because they are looking at just the reverse since they received notice from their private service that they might have to go in house. She said she spoke in support of the men saying this is a public safety issue not an issue about money. She said after September 11th she did not know how any town would try to cut manpower and felt it was something everyone should take into consideration down the road. She reported progress. PUBLIC WORKS: Committee Chairperson Sohayda said there have been more leaf pickups due to the lack of rain and the Spring like weather people are raking and bagging more leaves than ever. He said Streets and Roads has been going through their normal routine, and felt there was nothing out of the ordinary there. He said the Sewer Department has been cleaning out the Old Sewer location by the Recycling Plant to get ready for the some demolition work. He said they had two employees that were hospitalized and asked for everyone to keep John Hadyniak and Tommy Ginda in their minds. He said these men have been Borough workers for some time and felt they are two great people. He said they have an unusual amount of vehicle repairs at the Garage and felt this might be partly because they had one mechanic in the hospital. He said the sweeper has been down for two weeks and said if anyone's street is not swept it is because the sweeper just got back and running today. He said on December 16th there would be a Toy Run with a parade of motorcycles that would be going through Carteret. He asked Bert Irizarry to tell him what time and where the refreshments would be. Bert Irizarry said December 16th at twelve P.M. and would start at Midstate Federal Credit Union across from the Firehouse. He said it would start on Roosevelt Avenue, go up Washington Avenue to Pershing Avenue, down to Bergen Street from Edwin back to Roosevelt Avenue at the Firehouse where refreshments will be served and toys will be given to all the children in attendance. He said everyone is welcome to bring his or her children and family members. He said Santa would be there to give out toys to all the children from 3:00 to 5:00 P.M. 15 ECENBER 6, 2001 OMMENTS Councilmember Sohayda said he believed Mr. Irizarry's group would be going to the hospital the day before to give out toys to the children in the hospital. Bert Irizarry said they would be visiting Raritan Bay Medical Center on the fifteenth to distribute toys to the children. Councilmember Sohayda asked if Mr. Lugo was involved with the hospital deliveries and thanked both Mr. Lugo and Mr. Irizarry. He reported progress. Mayor Failace said he had a number of calls last week and asked if there was a problem with garbage pick up. Councilmember Sohayda said there was no problem other than that they had a track down. He said he spoke to Mr. Dauman and he said he did not say there was anything but some truck mechanical problems. BOARD OF EDUCATION: Councilmember Santoro, in the absence ;TANDING COMMITTEES of Committee Chairperson Fazekas reported progress. Councilmember Reiman commended Councilmembers Rios and ;OMMENTS Sohayda for their help in contacting Sprint and getting the thirty cell phones that were given to the Crossing Guards. He said they would have cost around three hundred dollars and Sprint also donated twenty- four months of service for the phones at a monthly cost of thirty dollars per phone. He said this was an approximate donation of around thirty thousand dollars. Mayor Failace said he felt Beverly Hedesh would have a hard time with the judging of the House Lighting Contest since he has been riding around town and there are a lot of gorgeous houses in town. He asked if there were a lot of houses entered in the contest. Beverly Hedesh said there are about ten houses that signed up and she has sign up sheets for other homeowners who wanted to enter. Mayor Failace said he wanted to thank the Council, Borough Engineer Don Norbut and former Councilmembers from the last four or five years and the citizens who have written letters or voiced their concerns to the Turnpike on Carteret's behalf. He said he felt that kind of effort is what helped the town get this project taken care of. He said the Council has told a number of citizens they have been talking to the Turnpike and was happy the citizens heard it tonight from the Turnpike Authority's representative that they do have a commitment from them to take care of the problem at the Interchange. He said he 16 DECEMBER 6, 2001 hoped that would eliminate the traffic problems in Carteret ~r many COMMENTS yearstocome. Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Reiman and Sohayda and PUBLIC DISCUSSION unanimous affirmative vote of the four (4) members present, the meeting was opened to the public for discussion. Ed Zamarich said the face of Soldier's and Sailor's Monument was COMMENTS black and asked that the Council get a company to replace the blackness from the monument because he felt it was very distracting. Councilmember Rios said he spoke to Mr. Kately a month ago about cleaning the monument and they were working on getting it cleaned up. Councilmember Reiman said he also spoke to Mr. Kately and they want to have the monument sand blasted along with the Municipal Annex. He said they would like to have this done as soon as possible. Robert Hedesh said he was glad everyone was happy about the Turnpike but despite the Council's efforts he felt (inaudible) the only reason they would be doing this was that Tremley Point would be tied in. He said he asked the Turnpike representative why it took five years. He said there is a plan to take traffic offthe bridge. He said the plan was to build a bridge from Omar Avenue straight across the tracks, up the tracks, around the Holiday Inn and up the wide area that goes as if you were going up the Turnpike. He said that was supposed to be tied in, he has seen the plans. He said the Deputy Chief Engineer trampled the plan and he believed there was another set of plans. He said the proposal was for the Shopping Center and the plan was to take the traffic off the bridge and Industrial Road, which was done in conjunction with the Turnpike. He said there was at least two sets of plans maybe three. He said the Turnpike is not fixing the Carteret Interchange and felt the only way to get them to fix the Interchange is it would cost them dollars because the Turnpike monitors their money every day. He asked if any one knew how much money the Turnpike makes a year on the Carteret Interchange and said they make a gross income of 8.5 million dollars. He said Interchange 12 was one of the top five net Interchanges on the Turnpike. He said there are five people and no maintenance (inaudible). He said under the Interstate Highway Act there has to be more property than that. He said they would never be able to deal with a back up between the two Interchanges, 12 & 13 that was what Tremley Point was projecting. He said the only way they could get the trucks that are going to New York would be to come through Carteret or Elizabeth. Councilmember Sohayda asked what trucks would be coming in from New York. 17 ECEMBER 6, 2001 UBLIC DISCUSSION Robert Hedesh said the Garbage Transfer Station. He said they would be bringing the garbage in by barge and they have to put it on to something. He said everyone knows one of the most powerful people in the State was Ray Lesniak. He said he felt if Ray Lesniak doesn't want the trucks on the streets in Union County they would not be on the streets of Union County, they are going to be on the streets of Carteret. He said that meant Carteret would be taking all the trucks even if it was a bypass route, they would still be coming into Carteret. He said there would still be taxes on the road, Police and Fire Protection that would have to be provided and it was not going to be done by Turnpike workers. He said the road would be similar to Industrial Road and felt the Turnpike would start at the Turnpike. Mayor Failace said he agrees with that and Tremley Point is a dirty word in Carteret and realizes that that is a problem. Robert Hedesh said he has proposed for years that the town purchases a temporary scale. He said Carteret was one of the few towns in the area that has the great advantage, they have a scale that is certified and could be used. He said (inaudible) traffic bureau get a temporary scale and stop every truck going on or off the Turnpike and they would back the Turnpike to Exit 16. He said when the trucks are overweight on the temporary scale they could be weighed and felt the Municipal Court would make more money than they could spend. He said he felt that would not happen and the trucks would not go into Carteret. He said if the tracks don't come to Carteret they partially solve the traffic problem or the Turnpike will realize they will lose substantial revenue by the trucks getting off at Interchange 13 when they are traveling south making traffic in Elizabeth and Woodbridge. He said the second most powerful politician in New Jersey would be the Governor who he felt would not want the trucks in Woodbridge. He said if Carteret had a Traffic Bureau they would not be able to count the money the Municipal Court would make stopping the trucks. He said the Turnpike would realize the loss of revenue and then start paying attention to Carteret. He said this was his solution and felt they should do this now and not wait five years. Councilmember Santoro said Mr. Hedesh was involved with the Council, the Mayor and was involved in the discussions with the Turnpike. She said basically Mr. Hedesh had these ideas for years and felt the sad thing was they have all talked about doing this and nothing had changed in the twenty-three years she has been in Carteret. She said there are still the same problems, which she felt could have been taken care of years ago and no one has moved forward with that. She said she felt the Turnpike is committed and felt Mr. Hedesh heard the man yesterday say they would be spending over a hundred million dollars. Robert Hedesh said the Turnpike could not be committed at this point. He said in sixty days the Turnpike would have a completely different administration and anyone who says it is a priority now has no ability to say that. He said there would be a new Executive Director and Chief Engineer and all of the people in upper Administration will be gone when we have a new Administration they will be the people setting the new policies. He said anyone who said they are committed he hoped that they are... 18 DECEMBER 6~ 200~ Councilmember Santoro said if they are moving this far to commit to PUBLIC DISCUSSION the Council the Council is still going to be here in sixty days. She asked Mr. Hedesh if they had ever come into town to commit before. She said he had to take what they are offering at this point. She said hopefully they would be moving forward with that and what Councilmember Rios said months ago that the police should be ticketing tracks. She said if it does get to that and moving forward with the scale she felt that would be great. She said while they were still offering their money to fix Carteret's Interchange she would take it. Robert Hedesh said if you (inaudible) out it would not take five years. He said if you do nothing.., putting the scale and cutting the revenues will only make them stand up and take notice. He said he felt the newspaper reporter would be here every day that the trucks are backed up. He said it would be on television and the Turnpike doesn't like losing money or bad publicity. Tom Lang said the first thing he would like to see the Turnpike do is have five lanes of traffic going out of Carteret and two lanes coming in, which would be the reverse of what you have now. He said there is one EZ Pass Lane and one manned lane going out of Carteret and he wanted it the other way and felt in the evening hours they could reverse it. He said he felt the Tumpike has something up their sleeve when they make a commitment like that primarily because Interchange 12A would not work for them. He said traffic would come into Carteret and felt they might as well make McDonald's a track stop. He said the stop sign he had been talking about for two years that got put up before Thanksgiving was hit again the day after Thanksgiving. He said he did not want to see this happen again but that stop sign was what made him come to Council Meetings. He said he does not want to see any more truck traffic come into Carteret than we already have since we could not handle anymore trucks. He asked if there was anymore discussion on using the Police for traffic on Roosevelt Avenue in regard to the Turnpike and overtime. Councilmember Santoro said they spoke to the Police about that and there could be a possibility to pay for the Police to work during the rush hours. Tom Lang asked who decided that. Councilmember Santoro said the Police decide that. Tom Lang asked when we decide that. Councilmember Santoro said they decided years ago that there was a problem and if it were up to the Council they would hire someone who could charge the tracks, she would do it. Tom Lang asked why there couldn't be a Police car fight there stopping the tracks coming from West Carteret making a right hand mm on Wedgewood Dr. going into the McDonald's parking lot to make a U-turn to get back onto the Turnpike. He said he agreed that would be a low priority since the Police have other calls but he felt the amount of money that could be generated by keeping the trucks out of 19 ECEMBER 6, 2001 UBLIC DISCUSSION the parking lot was a lot. He said they need a larger sign that read "No Tracks" and had a fine posted on it. Councilmember Santoro said this was the first time Mr. Lang sat on a board and some people say they are taking a long time to do something and he should see first hand that things don't always move as fast as everyone would like it to. She said they are in full agreement and the Council will do what ever they have to do to make this happen and that is all they could commit to. Tom Lang said he just gets frustrated when he sees the same things happening all over again and getting knocked down and they are here all over again. Mayor Failace said he agreed and he saw Officers there two days this week since he takes the Turnpike every morning also. Vincent Basilici, representing the VFW, said he (inaudible) sent a letter to Kathleen about trying to get a trailer in the parking lot. He said they need permission from the Council for a 20 X 30 foot trailer because he has eight wheelchairs and other medical items the hospital did not want and he felt it looked like they were running a hospital. Councilmember Reiman said the letter went to the Construction Official and he did not know if they could put a trailer there, permanent trailer or temporary trailer. He said Mr. Neibert had some concerns and would be coming out to the VFW shortly. Approval is needed from either the Zoning or Planning Board, and someone would be getting back to Mr. Basilici. Linda Alvarado said she was a Crossing Guard and thanked the Mayor and Council for the phones. She said there is a serious problem, Nathan Hale School was opened in September and there are no signs there to indicate that that is a school area. She said she thought the signs that were there are still the same signs that were there since the school was built. She said she felt Roosevelt Avenue was like "Indy 500" and no one was doing 25 miles an hour as the signs indicate. She said people are going in and out of St. Demetrius and the Salad Factory since there is no parking on Roosevelt Avenue in that area. She said the children are ignored because people are rushing to get their coffee and she has to watch the children on her right and on her left so that a car would not hit them. She said no one comes around to see what is going on or if everything was okay or to check with the Crossing Guards if there were any problems. She said you rarely see a Police Officer on certain comers, maybe in Chrome since there were more trucks turning. She said she did three years in Chrome on Roosevelt and Middlesex and she felt the tracks might mn over the tiny children. She said she did not know why they couldn't continue the road behind the residential area to eliminate the problem on Roosevelt where the children were. She said with the mass of trucks coming through Chrome she felt they were just waiting for something to happen. She said she felt Carteret has little consideration for Crossing Guards and they expect the Crossing Guards to give a hundred percent while they are crossing the children. She said she felt they need the Police to patrol and they need to understand the children come first and are a priority. She said in Woodbridge there are signs everywhere as well as painted on the streets and Carteret has nothing. 20 DECEHBER 6, 2001 Mayor Failace said the children are a priority and he was not aware PUBLIC DISCUSSION there were no signs by the schools and wished she would have come to the Council sooner so they could make sure the signs are there. He said in reference to Industrial Road and the traffic, the Council has worked very hard with Woodbridge and right now that was the only way Carteret could do this to extend Industrial Road. He said the Council wants to do that but it is not as simple as Ms. Alvarado thinks it is and they do care about the children. Ms. Alvarado said unless you are there and you see those tiny little children and the tractor-trailers trying to make a right turn on Middlesex Avenue you would be thinking, "Would the truck make it or would it turn over." She said now there are tractor-trailers coming passed Nathan Hale School on Roosevelt Avenue looking for Middlesex Avenue and asked why when you leave the Turnpike there was no sign saying that Industrial Road leads to Middlesex Avenue. Mayor Failace said he understood that happens and sometimes trucks get lost and are not supposed to go on Roosevelt Avenue. He said that was the intent of having Middlesex Avenue and he has had some complaints about that and has talked to trucking companies about this. Councilmember Sohayda asked John Riley of the Road Department if the town has signs telling what roads lead to Middlesex Avenue and if they had any stencils to make signs. John Riley said he would call the County tomorrow since it was a County Road. Councilmember Sohayda asked Mr. Riley if the Road Department would take care of the lining of Roosevelt Avenue. John Riley said if Councilmember Sohayda wanted something like "School Crossing Ahead" or "Slow Down School Zone" he had signs that said "25 Miles an Hour" or "School up Ahead". Councilmember Sohayda said they would take care of that in the Nathan Hale area and asked if the Crossing Guard had any problem with traffic behind Nathan Hale. Chris Salvaggio, Crossing Guard said traffic does try to come down the road. She said today before she could open the road for the truck to come down he decided to make a turn and went on to the school property. Councilmember Santoro said the Crossing Guards fall under the Police Department and Captain Hojecki was in charge of the Crossing Guards and when it was brought to the Council's attention they put additional Guards on because of the concerns in Lower Roosevelt Avenue, which they worked through. She said her concern now was to have a meeting so that the Crossing Guards could tell the Council what their problems were. She said she would call Captain Hojeeki and she would be at the meeting to listen to what their concerns were and they would come back to the Council for the Agenda and they would be working through it. She said for anyone to say the Council is not concerned for the children of the town or the Crossing Guards' jobs and the safety of 21 ~CEHBER 6~ 200~ UBLIC DISCUSSION everyone is incorrect. She said even tonight with the cell phones and the work Councilmember Rios did to get this program for the Crossing Guards, she felt it was a great program because it gave the Crossing Guards contact and the Council realizes they are out on the street comer by themselves. She said if something happens to one of the Crossing Guards or any of the children they would have no means to be able to contact anyone. She said the Council does hear it and she will reach out to Captain Hojecki tomorrow to set up a meeting with all the Crossing Guards because evidentially they all have concerns. Georgia Brown said the biggest problem is that the Police come by and give out tickets, then some one complains and the Police are not around anymore and are not allowed to ticket anymore. Councilmember Santoro reiterated that they would be having a meeting and they would be going over the issues, which is the only thing she could do at this point. Linda Alvarado said this is the job they chose but she wants to see some improvement and the signs should be posted as in Woodbridge. Councilmember Sohayda asked Ms. Alvarado and Ms. Barton if they knew any streets that had to be singled out. Georgia Barron said someone needs to change the "One Way" sign on High Street because people are going over the cones and going right down High Street to Pulaski Avenue where the children stand waiting to go in and out of Columbus School. Councilmember Santoro said they would do a list of the streets and concerns when they meet which she felt was the only way they could address the issues. Bob Melnick, 64 Edgar Street, said he went to the Library last week to get a report from the Star-Ledger newspaper which was in the previous Saturday's paper. He said when he asked if they had the newspaper he was told no, they did not have it because the Borough did not pay the bill. Mayor Failace said that is tree with an explanation. He said someone in the Library sent over in writing to pay this bill but did not send the bill over and no one had a copy of the bill. He said he felt it was sad that the Star-Ledger would do that to the Borough since they were getting the paper for a very long time but it was taken care of and the Star-Ledger will resume. He said if it does not resume shortly he would put a paper in the Library every day himself. Patrick Crilley said he missed the Turnpike presentation and had a question. He said he welcomed the changes he read the Turnpike was proposing in the newspaper. He said his question was whether there were any temporary solutions offered. He said he understood this would take a long time and felt there were solutions that could be done on a temporary basis that were not as costly as the millions of dollars that the Turnpike was proposing. He said one of his suggestions was a reconfiguration of the light pattern at the Interchange which might produce a better traffic flow than what is going on there daily. He said he comes off the Turnpike in the evening and he sits in the traffic. He 22 DECEMBER 6, 2001 said he travels about seventeen miles to work each day and it takes PUBLIC DISCUSSION him about fifteen minutes to get to the Turnpike entrance and it takes him about twenty minutes to get home from there and felt it was a disgrace. He said the light coming off the Turnpike is a fifteen or twenty second light and felt an adjustment to the light would increase the flow of traffic off the Turnpike. He said that would take a few seconds off the East/West flow of traffic on Roosevelt Avenue as opposed to the North/South traffic coming off the Turnpike. He said he felt simple things like that from an engineering standpoint might give a temporary solution to the problems there. He said the same thing with the traffic coming from West Carteret going on to the Turnpike has a similar situation and felt there could be simple adjustments to that which might improve the flow of traffic at certain times of the day. He said it may have to be changed from the morning to the evening but felt with computers it would not be difficult. He said he felt widening the exchange coming off the Turnpike going to West Carteret and making a little more space for the truck traffic going toward West Carteret off the Turnpike. He said the traffic in the evenings is so bottlenecked coming off the Tumpike that the tollbooth is not the problem, he felt the traffic with EZ Pass can flow through the Turnpike, he felt the problem was the light and the bottleneck at the bend that causes the problem. He said if there was ten feet at the curb where a lane of traffic could flow to West Carteret he felt that would not impede traffic going to Carteret and allow it to flow more freely. He said these would be temporary solutions that he felt could be addressed with the Turnpike with little cost that he felt would give little relief to the people coming and going to and from Carteret, specifically coming in at very little cost. Councilmember Reiman said the light issue can be addressed by the Borough Engineer and the County Engineer regarding temporary solutions to fix this and they had proposed something with Industrial Road along the back end of the Turnpike property and (inaudible) they said they are not going to spend a penny or a dime on a temporary fix. Patrick Crilley said that was more than a penny or a dime, he was talking about things that cost minuet, he said even extending the bend a little would be fifty thousand, one hundred thousand or one hundred fifty thousand dollars. He said it was not a lot of money and felt in the process of five years the Borough could budget the money or even the County. He said he knew it was Turnpike property and it was a difficult solution but he felt something has to be done on a temporary basis as Mr. Hedesh said the political change in New Jersey that is coming and he agreed with Mr. Hedesh one thousand percent. He said two months from now the Borough could get stuck for this, but did not anticipate this happening but felt it could. He said he felt while this was going on the Council should get the Turnpike to commit to a temporary solution and he believed there are simple things that could be done to fix this or at least a good portion of the problem. Councilmember Santoro said they did talk about a lot of temporary solutions and felt five years would not do the town any good for tomorrow. She said the meetings last a few hours and the Council keeps asking the same questions like what are they going to do for Carteret now and as for waiting five years and settling for waiting five years with their plan she said absolutely not. 23 ECEHBER 6, 2001 UBLIC DISCUSSION Patrick Crilley said he agreed with Councilmember Santoro but he would take the five-year solution. He suggested the Council have Mr. Norbut present a temporary solution and the budget and cost. He made some suggestions on what Mr. Norbut might suggest to the Turnpike Engineers. He said if the Borough gives them a solution and he felt the Council should not go to the meeting and say we need a solution, this would give them a solution. Councilmember Santoro said Councilmember Reiman brought up a solution and the Council had asked about lining the bridge to make two lanes so the confusion is not there. She said she thought they spoke about the different suggestions at the light and felt the Council was trying to hit on every solution. Patrick Crilley reiterated trying to find a solution and putting a solution down on paper are two different things. He said he was not talking about the solution, he was talking about a temporary solution to alleviate the problem for the people coming off or on the Turnpike every night or the fire trucks trying to go back and forth in town every day. He said he felt the Council should pay Mr. Norbut five thousand dollars to put this on paper if that is what has to be done. Lou Mangieri said he wanted an immediate solution right now. He said he could give the Council one immediate solution coming from West Carteret over the bridge. He said he did not know who made the bridge but he was retired after being a truck driver for thirty-three years and he does not know why there was a curve in the bridge for the trailers to swing around and felt it should be eliminated. He said when the trailers curve they are eliminating a lane coming down the bridge and he felt it could be done now. He said this could be done immediately to get a good flow of traffic going over the bridge and he felt it was one of the main things he had noticed for years. He said he never saw a road that goes down and around. Patrick Crilley said they built the bridge while the other bridge was still up so they had to go around it until they knocked down the first bridge. Mayor Failace said he understood what Mr. Mangieri was talking about. Joe Adiet said he was discussing this with the Council and suggested they stop the trucks coming in from Rahway on Roosevelt. He said they could go on Blair and then onto Federal and asked why the companies that are on Blair Road come down on Roosevelt Avenue when he felt they should go the other way. Mayor Failace said they are looking into that to see what they could do. Councilmember Rios said he suggested the idea a few months back where a tractor coming from Rahway going to Carteret should go around and make the right on Blair Road and come around to alleviate some of the traffic and the same thing going into West Carteret. He said going into West Carteret might be a little more difficult because the traffic right now is horrendous on the bridge and backed up. He said the Council directed the engineer to look into that and see what he 24 DECEMBER 6, 2001 could do as far as getting in line and getting cooperation with the PUBLIC DISCUSSION County since it is a County road. Joe Adiet said they would save telephone poles and light poles, which are knocked down constantly by people making that turn. Councilmember Rios said the Council understands and is in the process of making some relief right now. Saad Radwan said Resolution #01-369 appointing John Ashby- Laborer. He said he has an application in for the Borough and he has not been called in for an interview or told what qualifications are required and now he sees the name and the person (inaudible) for the School System. He asked what the qualifications were to work for the Borough. Councilmember Rios said the person has to be a resident, pass the drug test. Councilmember Sohayda said pass the drug test, pass the physical, have a driver's license. Saad Radwan asked what else they need. Mayor Failace said for the laborer's position that was probably all that was needed. Saad Radwan said his application was already submitted and received. Councilmember Reiman said his application was received with about three hundred and fifty other applications. Saad Radwan asked if they went by who applied first or who applied last or did the Council go by something else like the people the Council really liked. Councilmember Reiman said they review the applications, review that prior work history or experience but there was no set reason for an interview and felt there couldn't be three hundred and fifty interviews done to fill one position. Saad Radwan asked if Mr. Ashby had an application in with the Borough. He said he believed this was under the Freedom of Information Act and everyone should be able to see it. Borough Attorney Robert Bergen said he did not know if all the information could be released on an application. He said there are Social Security Numbers and information that should not be... Mayor Failace interrupted and asked what about information as to when the person submitted the application to the Borough. Borough Attorney Bergen said if you generate a document that says it may be a public document. He said he did not know if they did that to keep track of it. Mayor Failace said it was all part of one document. 25 ZCEMBER 6, 2001 UBLID DISCUSSION Councilmember Reiman asked if Borough Clerk Kathleen Barney listed the applications as they came in. Borough Clerk Kathleen Barney said they are stamp-dated. Mayor Failace said they have the date on the applications and asked if they were put in any order when they came in. Saad Radwan said his question was answered and said on the Freedom of Information Act if an application is submitted by the candidate for the job, any person should be able to see it. Borough Attorney Bergen said he did not know if that was the case and said he would take a look at it since he could not tell Mr. Radwan that off the top of his head if someone could come off the street and see someone else's employment application. Saad Radwan said he would like to see this application and asked if the Council was denying him to see the application. Mayor Failace said no one was denying him anything at this point and thought what the Attorney was saying was that he needs to research this a little to ensure whether an application is or is not public information. Saad Radwan said he would give them time and check with them later to see if he has a right to see the last three applications. He asked Borough Clerk Kathleen Barney if she has a list of applications. Borough Clerk Kathleen Barney said she does not have a list, the individual applications are stamped in. Saad Radwan asked if the application is lost how would Ms. Barney keep track of them. He said for example he sent the application to Ms. Barney, it is stamped they make a copy where would the original be. Borough Clerk Kathleen Barney said it is in a folder. Mayor Failace asked Borough Clerk Kathleen Barney if a copy of the stamped application is given to the applicant. Borough Clerk Kathleen Barney said they also give a copy to the department head in charge of the department the person applies to. Mayor Failace clarified what Ms. Barney said and repeated it to Mr. Radwan. Saad Radwan said Borough Clerk Kathleen Barney has a copy of the application and asked if he has a right to come in and check on that. Borough Clerk Barney said it is up to the Borough Attorney. Borough Attorney Bergen said as of tomorrow he is advising Ms. Barney not to open up a list of everyone's applications for him to look at. He said if there is a list of applications Mr. Radwan would like he suggested he gives the written list to the Borough Clerk and he would take a look at it. He said he would look at the Freedom of Information 26 DECEMBER 6, 2001 Act to see if Mr. Radwan was entitled to the information or whether PUBLIC DISCUSSION there were certain privacy interests to the people submitting the applications or if they are waived when applying for public jobs. Councilmember Reiman said he has seen over three hundred applications and asked if there was a point to this. Saad Radwan said the question was when you submit an application to the Borough and no one notifies you if they are going to have an interview or not. He said he felt people who are (inaudible) from the School System and then boom, they are hired for the Borough. He said he felt as far as he knew there was no applications submitted and it sounded to him that the Borough cooperated with the School System that when someone is discharged from there, they are hired by the Borough. He said there are minorities that are being left behind. He said he felt they are being left behind and he is talking about (inaudible) open opportunity for every minority in every district to have a job like everyone else. Councilmember Rios said any employer has the fight to hire the people they have in applications it does not go on a first come first serve basis for a job as Mr. Ashby got as laborer. He said as Councilmember Reiman mentioned there are probably over three hundred applications that come in. He said just because he may have filled out an application in January of 1975 that does not give him the ultimate right that he has to get hired before someone who just filed an application in 2001. Saad Radwan asked what guideline the Council chose this applicant from. He said this person submitted an application two years ago and someone else submitted an application last week and they hire him, he asked what was wrong here. He said that was his question and wanted to know what was wrong there. He said he wants to see the information for himself to see if he was qualified or not. He said if he was unqualified he would withdraw his application from Ms. Bamey's office himself. Councilmember Rios said for that matter the Council would have to tell the other two hundred and ninety nine applicants that they did not accept them because maybe they did not apply for certain positions. He said maybe other people have applied for specific positions and that was why they did not get that particular job they were looking for as far as a laborer. He said the Attorney said when Mr. Radwan makes his request he would review it and see if Mr. Radwan is allowed to see those applications. Councilmember Rios said he does not know if that would be possible since he is not an attorney: He said if he submitted an application it ~vould have his Social Security number and he does not want anyone to know his Social Security number. Saad Radwan said he does not want anyone's Social Security number they could cross it off if they want. He said they could cross off everything about the applicant, just give the date the application was submitted. He said it sounds to him that the minority of Carteret is being (inaudible). He said he is not making accusations, it was just his opinion. He said he wanted to make sure his opinion was correct before he will seek legal matters against the Council or discriminate against any individuals who discriminate against any minorities in 27 ZCEMBER 6, 2001 'UBLIC DISCUSSION Carteret and not just himself. He said as far as he was concerned if the Council was going to hire some one and they are (inaudible) from the School System and they are going to get hired from the Borough. Councilmember Rios said he was a minority too, since he was of Puerto Rican nationality and decent. He said his mother and father were bom in Puerto Rico and he was proud to say he was Puerto Rican and was considered a minority also. He said he along with the rest of the Council would not allow any one to be discriminated against as far as a job hiring, appointment to a Board or anything else. He asked Mr. Radwan not to say the Council is discriminating against any one. Saad Radwan said that is his opinion. Councilmember Rios said that was his facts. Saad Radwan said between his opinion and Councilmember Rios's opinion it would be decided by the law and not by Mr. Radwan. Fie said he asked for an answer and no one gave him an answer. Councilmember Rios said the Borough Attorney will give Mr. Radwan the answer. Councilmember Santoro said she had a simple question for Borough Attorney Bergen. She asked if Mr. Radwan wanted to see a date when something was received if there was any law or requirement that he could research about a hiring practice according to date and if that would be a problem. Borough Attorney Bergen said they are clearly not obligated to hire any one according to the date of the applications. He said they could purge the applications weekly if they want since the Borough Clerk could spend a lot of time trying to get the applications and making sure they are all in order. He said the Borough Clerk could call someone who submitted an application three years ago to see if they are still interested. He said he felt there was really no obligation in terms of hiring someone for a new term hire, not a promotion under the law to follow any procedure with regard to what time they got the application. Mayor Failace said he felt Mr. Radwan wanted to know what the criteria was in hiring. Saad Radwan said the Mayor was correct and it was not timely and wanted to know what it was based on. He said Councilmember Rios did not have to get so excited that was all he asked. Councilmember Rios said he was getting excited when he said this Council discriminates and that was Mr. Radwan's opinion. Saad Radwan said he did not make accusions, the tape was there, he said it sounded like that in his own personal opinion. He asked what they go by if they are not going by that. Councilmember Rios said they go by past work performance, references and a variety of things. He said the Council would have to feel they could handle that particular position and as far as 28 DECEMBER 6, 200! discriminating against anyone, the Council will not discriminate PUBLIC DISCUSSION against anyone. Borough Attorney Bergen said any request for public information should come in writing directly to the Borough Clerk and she would relay it to him. Mayor Failace repeated what Borough Attorney Bergen told Mr. Radwan. Patrick Crilley said he felt the Borough Attorney was incorrect in saying the Council can purge the applications after a week or two. He said he believed the law requires they be held for a year. He asked what the Affirmative Action Hiring Policy was and if it was in place. Councilmember Santoro said there has to be, the Borough has an Affirmative Action Officer. Patrick Crilley said not an Affirmative Action, an Affirmative Action Hiring Policy. Councilmember Santoro said they would have to look into that and get back to Mr. Crilley. Unidentified Woman asked the Council when they would be planting the shade trees. Robert Kately, Parks Department said hopefully in the Spring. Mayor Failace said in the Spring. There being no further business or discussion, upon MMS&C, by ADJOURIqED Councilmembers Rios and Sohayda and unanimous affirmative vote of the four (4) members present, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:10 P.M. Respectfully submitted, "K~THLEEN M. BARNEY, Municipal Clerk KMB/cp 29 3CEMBER 6, 2001 ;OUNCIL MEETING 3O