Avenue A Transfer/ Noise Ordinances Postponed

Police Chief's $112,000 Salary Not to Rise, Unless...

Asbury Park City Council Meeting, Monday November 16, 2009
Council met the Monday before the regularly scheduled meeting due to the League of Municipalities’ trip to Trenton this week. The League is a lobbying group that represents the interests of municipal governments.
Present: Sue Henderson, Deputy Mayor John Loffredo, James Bruno
Absent: Mayor Ed Johnson and former mayor Kevin Sanders - Mayor Johnson was at an official function. No reason was given for Sanders' absence.


Don Sammet, Redevelopment Director City of AP
Planning Board's 2 recommendations – (rec) - re. parking needs for 550 Cookman project.
Original suggestion was to reduce pkg req in CBD 1.5 to 1 spc per unit.
Second amendment allow for residential pkg req’t on Cookman to be satisfied w/ pkg on Lake. Option to provide w/in CBD not Lake Ave. Discussed w/ planning bd, a very well thought out process…PF final set of recommendations, the PB rec you accept those rec as per packets you have been given tonight.
PB does not rec u amend redev plan to mk pkg a permitted use on 3 vacant lots pre-existing w/in the Lake Ave zone, to satisfy needs of Cookman Ave dev project. If rezone for pkg… the lots were meant to be residential uses, lakefront property.
Wd break 550 cookman into two phases
First dev 550 cookman, grndflr comm’l and upper floor apts.
Two – make the lots into residential developments.
The phase in approach preserves integrity of redev plan
Reducing req from 1.5 to 1 pkg spcs, PB has concerns, not rec parking be reduced. Wd have to be on a district-wide basis. Before reduce pkg req’t need to be some empirical data, would have to do so becz of specifics.
Need to look ahead and not be stuck in 2001 as for pkg downtown. Felt at this time shdn’t be jumping into amending pkg req’t for whole downtown.
Rec: keep 1.5, city revaluate over 3 yr period plan in force now, lk at shared pkg, nonresidential pkg req’ts, onstreet meters w/ be in plc by then, then decide.
Final rec from Planning Bd – allow for 1/3 residential permit spaces be used for nonresidential purposes in daytime since not as much demand while residents off to work. A lot of hard work by PB, they shd be commended for it.
Construction dept.
Dir and code enforcement officer Billy Gray and George Seal (?)–
George: Compared fees w/ other towns, ours low compared to Neptune, brad bch is lower than us, loch arbor runs w/ p/t help so fees lower than AP’s.
Our fees went up slightly in building, plumbing and fire in past few years, but still minimal.
Gray: there was a check and balance besides this (to assure not treated as a cash cow).
An ordinance was later approved for introduction, but no $ info was given.
Another ordinance for air rights at 603-605 Mattison Avenue was also introduced.

Sculpture Park and Tour –
Program asked AP to join thru Arts Coalition of Asbury Park (ArtsCap)… did we want to add sites, SICA and (www.artscap.org) w/ be putting out proposals for artists to participate.
Tom Gilmour – special events apps: app for walk the Center does for AIDS Day, Dec. 1
, Triathelon Aug 7th, 2010, Jersey Shore Triathelon Club

Matters to/be introduced by city council.
Revised list for ArtsCap committee will be put on agenda for next mtg.

City Vehicles – Bruno wants to know how many city cars are taken home, how many of those taken out of town and why. Also, is there a cheaper way of doing GPS now?
Reidy – I’ll come back with a recommendation – 2 methods: one trks real time, fairly expense, operating fees monthly; another tracks where cars are going, download info weekly.
Bruno – Gas – what’s the system in place for tracking gas useage?
Reidy – if we’re going to track it, it really needs to be automated.
Bruno – It used to be tracked.
Reidy – no mystery in doing it, just that a capital investment wd/be req’d
Bruno – used to be done with a notebook and pencils
Reidy – but easier when we had our own pumps. Now it’s different.
Bruno – Agree. How do we keep track of how much gas they get? We used to hv inspectors keep track.
Reidy – I agree w/ the issue that you’re raising, needs to be automated. Think time is right to automate that. Let me come bk w/ a proposal to the governing body.
Henderson – new governor is lkg for shared programs with other communities. I’d like to be ahead of that if we can.
Reidy – agrees.
Loffredo – are all the signs up for alternate side parking?
Reidy - Think been up 2 or 3 wks.
Loffredo - How many dates left for Convention Hall, days city gets to use that Hall?
Reidy - We get 25, 6 – 8 already spoken for, for this yr

City Atty, Fred Raffetto: Only 1 item from the executive (private) council meeting tonight which the council anticipates acting on – employment contract agreement between Police Chief Mark Kinmon and City Jan 1 2009 - 2013
Revisit salary paid to the chief, after the department finishes arbitration process, to allow $10k differential between chief and next rank in the police dept. This is different than in the past, said city attorney Fred Raffetto. Inspector is next rank / No increase for chief, who’s currently making $112,000, said Reidy. But this is to be revisited after the negotiations are completed. So it may go up. “Hopefully,” says Reidy, “He’s among lowest paid chiefs in state, one of lowest in the county and the state.”

Public Portion
Rita Marano – 8th Ave
Listening to what you said about 550 Cookman, think you might want a performance bond on that project. Don’t want another Esperanza (the former c-8 site that owner Metro Homes stopped work on two years ago) on your hands.
Reidy – something like that wd be handled in the redeveloper’s agreement. Comparison to the Esperanza; we have 5(?) empty storefronts on cookman now, thrilled that we hv a developer coming to town to do this. Ordinance tonight deals w/ redevelopment agreement. There’s another agreement coming up. That’s where we’d be dealing with question of a performance bond. Sackman will be providing the full complement of parkg for the residential units proposed to be constructed, which has to come back to PB for site plan approval.
Marano: “Think it wd be a good thing to hv some kind of a guarantee”
What’s a half a space?
Reidy – if 31 units times 1.5 we wd round up
Bruno – (we thought he said that would mean 35 spaces. But our count comes to 47, since 15 would be half of 30, rounding up would make it 16, plus 31. )
Scarano –Long Branch, Snow rules, can you use reverse 911 to communicate them?
Enforcing sidewalk cleaning of snow, maybe Asbury Works could supply workers to shovel.
Reidy – code enforcement issues summons w/in certain period if not removed.
Scarano: Do u hv a lobbying budget for Trenton trip?
Reidy -We do not have a lobbying budget.
Scarano: thought that wd be a good idea, so you can keep track of your expenses.

Tripp Brooks – Asbury Park - works for Sackman Enterprises – thank you for making this happen in the time necessary to get the funding and make this happen. Thank you to council and building dept.
Joseph Grillo – 521 Cookman – thank Mayor and Chief Kinmon for coming to mtg, re soundproofing initiative in the CBD area. Main thing; reexamining CBD improvement plan to add soundproofing. We’re all in agreement – artists, merchants, residents – we can come together on as a community. Most of costs wd fall on businesses themselves. Maybe use UEZ (Urban Enterprise Zone) funds…(Gilmour handles this) I hope it continues on w/ initiative in a fairly expedient manner.
Loffredo – we are going to recommend a nuisance ord.
Lou Parisi – Asbury Pk – many said this was best tribute in history of City/ thanked members of council for attending, Tuskegee airmen were represented there… After tribute to veterans had 30-40 police and firemen honor veterans. Next Mem’l day dedicating part of that Memorial Park (5th Ave) dedicated to those who died in WWII.
Lost 400,000 and 1 mn wounded in WWII, we’ll honor the few remaining of which I’m one. Will honor not only WWII veterans but all of community who have a connection to WWII. Fee will be reasonable, $25 p/person catered by a local restaurant.
Business --
Payments $930,400, Bd of Ed $2,783,000. Quality claims $52,000, and $3,000.
Approved Gilmour’s event requests.
Installation of Ornamental rail along Wesley lake – App’d
Refund overpayment of taxes by Asbury Partners due to drop in property values.
Introduced ordinance for increase of fees.
For Dec. 2 hearing – introduced ordinance to alter pkg req’t
Noise ord carried to Dec. 16th.
Public hrg re. transfer of property from 5 DeWitt Av property. No one commented.
Three properties on West Side – Horvath matter – 12, 14, and 16 Avenue A, carried to Dec. 16th
Reidy: reason we’re carrying it is because Ms Horvath as u know has been lobbying to develop those properties, hired atty (Land Use specialist William Potter). Ms Horvath laims Ms. Hazel Samuels, housing development director, has conflict of interest, becz she served on a board with Interfaith Neighbors. Even though properties weren’t going to Interfaith Neighbors (going to Monmouth Housing Alliance), said Reidy, City wants to avoid any confusion that might conflict with the project down the road, to make sure “absolutely nothing gets in the way of bldg affordable hsg in this area.” Recommendation will come back to the gov body in 30 days, after which the ordinance will be considered by the GB.
Meeting called to a close about 7:30.