City Gathers Waterfront Advisory Committee from Public

Welcome to the Reporters' Notebook - clarifications, additions, etc., all welcome, since I simply take down everything as fast as my hands will move over the keys... AsburyRadio@aol.com
Council Meeting Feb 2, 2011 
Susan Henderson, Dep Mayor John Loffredo, Mayor Ed Johnson, Kevin Sanders, Absent from council: Former Deputy Mayor James Bruno,
Clerk Steve Kay presiding

Workshop - This session is open to the public, but the public cannot comment.

Brian Grant – Public Works Dir and City Engineer

Shd’ve done this months ago…Monmouth County …

Roads selected mainly based on their connections to other highways, etc., tried not to overdo…intent to intro ord designating streets as snow routes/ sunset ave to bridge, main st. including deal lake drive/ portion of is state Hiway 71/ entire length of third ave, Asbury av, kingsley st to deal lake dr, lake av and springwood ave from grand ave to city border…(missed one pairing) / common practice in other towns to implement no pkg when snow covered, consistent w/ no pkg st clng. Think if we were to do that hv to hav gd resident notification svc/ can put a sign up but also hv on webb site to say whether really enforcing it/ nothing more disconcerting to resident that mov car and then not sohow up / that’s the pc havn’t seen elsewhere, baby steps first snow routes and then others when need to…

JL- why not do all the way…

BG – east of main st also be designated snow route, coastal evacuation routes, Monmouth cty consistent with cty coastal routes for emergency/

EJ – in case of snow…

BG- snow routes wd be both sides vacate in snow

EJ – where do I put my car?

BG-Idea was to hav jst on these streets/ jst those mst likely to get used in emergency/ park on adjacent streets/

SH – hard to get to church lots

BG – still lkg at the lot solutions/ complicated w/ who owns the lot, dif elements to it

EJ – also going to include the next level? After the snow when cars still not dug out since Dec. cars double pk’d next to cars not dug out/

BG – needs to be the next step, havn’t discussed that…if no muni ord we’ll hv to address that…

EJ – at some pt if we des these sts as emergency we’re going to hv to …

BG – somr ordinances that do allow that…

Next item – adv for proposal for next gen of pkg meters/ need to mv ahead probably 30 day time frame/ from key features, cd buy annual code to speed processing along, meters we’ve seen instructions on screen, pay via cell phone/ also can sell beach badges at meter/ hv draft, adv next wk, get features back, don’t hv financing yet/

EJ – one of issues had, use of credit card, our mach has to contact another machine, sys that jst deal w/ your info captures it and deals w/ later…

BG – realtime trans, advantage is if card is bad or stolen u know right away, what you mentioned is a matching sys, does hv some exposure for city/ we’re going to tk that risk, won’t get a very hi percentage for the risk/ we’re trying…

EJ – been in sev’l areas where coin machine…

BG – conversation we’d need to hv w/ Madison Marquette

Section on dewitt ave…can’t hear, off mic/ tried to get in storm drain damage, not draining fast enough, intersection of mattison// lot of potholes out there

Whenever we get a window try get storm drains in, step 2, dewitt ave to…can’t hear
James Famularo – for city to host Urban HS Wrestling championship

He distributes some photo or diagram to council, public can’t see, spans sev’l decades / what is beneath the ground in terms of contamination/ tank removal $2,000

Special Event Apps

Tom Gilmour –

Sweet 16 party, mc cloone’s supper club on bch firewks/ beach fee and fire inspection/ 3/19

Community dev dept, senior party at transportation center

Need city date for fund raiser for Jason fazio, paramount theater,

Little League annual brkfst at Thurgood Marshal School

Blood Drive fire house 9 – 2

City mgr Terry Reidy regarding court hearing on  Feb 17th 11 am: city sent letr terminating its agreement w/ iStar AKA Asbury partners/ 2 resolutions tonight: Request for qualifications and statements of interest from developers.
I can tell u numerous developers interested in investing in variety of areas, springwood down to waterfront. Governing body w/ be passing res getting interest from dev and formalize process from dev who hv expressed interest.
Second resolution provides for residents and gov body to establish a "Waterfront Asbury Advisory Comm.", drawn from residents, businesses thruout city, a step on part of gov body invite commun to revisit redev plan/ we’ve been wkg on a plan amendment/ it’s clr the wld of 2002 was very dif from the one of 2011, in real estate mkts, the economy, and what we’ve learned in that time/ w/ be seeking adv comm to help us w/ that / 2 members of council, one w/ serve as chair //
  According to the resolution:
the committee will include a rep of Asbury Partners as designated by Asbury Partners (iStar Financial)
A rep of Madison Asbury Retail LLC as designted by same
Two reps of property owners within Waterfront Redev Area as designated by the mayor and city council
Two reps of business owners or proprietors w/in WRA as deisngated by the mayor and council
One rep of the city Urban Enterprise Program as designated by the UEZ Committee;
The City Manager or his designee
The City's director of planning and redevelopment
A state rep as nominated by the Dept of Community Affairs
Two council members, one of whom will be chair person
A rep of the City Planning Board
A rep of the City Sustainability Comm
At least two reps who are residents of the city of AP and do not represent property or business owners w/in the Prime Renewal Area of the WRA
Other members will be invited from various county and state institutions.
Applications will be taken right away, forms w/ Clerk Steven Kay, and selections will be decided by the governing body.

SH – lkg forward to little league bkfst, on Feb 16th high school w/ learn about meetings at 6 and 7 clock mtg/

EJ – add my voice to the LL bkfst, very good…

TReidy – my niece Rachel’s 16th birthday

City Attorney Fred Raffetto – action tonite also issuance svc liquor license coral bay enterprises, DBA Synapsis.
PUBLIC PORTION

PUBLIC COMMENT

James henry 6th av

Last cpl mtgs I attended lot of people complaining about snow removal here in ap and since..dec. pub wks dept been out there cutting bk the snow piles on curbs, side streets, time people in this city started doing for themselves, how many cars sitting there not dug out when are they going to be ticketed and towed? Cooperation from city…people not dug out yet, stays overnight and doesn’t get ticketed. Not Miami where it doesn’t snow, people hv to do some of the wk for themselves/ prevent PWD from doing their job.

TR – been thru 3 snowstorms, they w/ be coop

Bernard Corbin – allan chapel church, dewitt av

Got a problem recently dropped load of mat’ls / can’t understand why dropped load in front of our church(distributes photos to council) Mr Mayor it’s disgraceful.

TR – don’t know if u were here for brian gran’t statements

BC- I understand but brought 2 more loads, hindering our coming out of our church. Got report going to do it in the morning. Know winter months coming in, mud and potholes absolutely ridiculous/ mr mayor, city mgr we press now that something be done if not t’w immediately…

TR – it was a mistake, crew respons reported to us, as mr grant said lst mtg they said line was connected and it wasn’t really, no excuse for it.

BC – this time of yr and way economy is kind of suffering, need congregation to pay our bills, can’t if members can’t come. When rains can’t get into church. Jst like a business,…in community over 80 yrs, to be treated like this

[ASK IF MEMBERS W/ BE SWORN TO SECRECY – Members of the new Waterfront Redevelopment Advisory Committee will be asked to keep certain aspects of the committee’s deliberations from the public, explained Mayor Johnson, after the meeting adjourned. Just like the Springwood Avenue committee kept certain elements confidential during the process. However, Asbury Radio asked if this committee will operate as the budget advisory committee did, which was sworn to refrain from budget comments during the current year’s deliberations, even as the committee was prevented from seeing the current budget, but instead relegated to the previous year’s budget for “training purposes”. The Mayor assured that this committee will not duplicate that situation.]

Rita Marano –

Heard city officer got hurt putting up ring and got injured and now out on disability…Is that true?

Audience member : was not I put that up myself

EJ – can’t answ from the audience hav to come to mic

RM – 20 yr old men using it? Thought it was for children

TR – hvg men of all ages, women, boys, only reinforces that it is for community

JF – They hav a police officer as part of the PAL

RM – on duty?

Chief Kinmon – that’s his job, to participate

RM – w/ all we’re reading about gangs

TR – I’m glad you said that because that is exactly why this is needed/ where our police officers shd be, multiple goals and role models / best way to prevent young getting into gangs is hvg positive role models, involvement w/ community/ more time spent pos role models w/ young men and women and children/ one child prevented from going into crime money well spent/

RM – Money?

JF – interfaith neighbors, community initiatives,

TR – No tax dollars

RM – I called him but he never calls back

Carl Simms – life long member of AP, that 21 yr old u may hv seen in ring was once one of those kids who boxed in that gym we had on bdwk, that kid could’ve been one of the ones you tlk about being in those gangs/ I helped turn a different way…because of those sports, pop warner, uaa football, I’m the security in that gym/ I don’t limit or restrict who comes to the gym, I want the gangs in the gym/ let them ccome and harass me for a cpl of hours/ if you’re arthritis…come to the gym, it’s for everyone/ the pol officers w/ some of their pot bellies need to come to the gym/ you’ve seen some of officers box on msg, that’s what trying…tlk about each other w/ the donuts they eat/ I’m sp[kg w/ an employee of PSE&G to get more funding for the gym

Myra Campbell – mattison av

Thought I’d get a call from some of you council members after the football game when steelers won [laughter]

Street signs for snow distributed randomly, not strategically/

Got sev’l copies of WSide redev plan, want one at WSCC/

Lst wk said standing here w/ wet socks/ same tonight, flooding there, right across from Allan chapel church/ don’t understand why water still standing there/ Brian Grant didn’t stay for public comment last meeting/ john loffredo came w/ me one day, I said john lk at the tore up 1/3 of the street/ lk at that/ put 2 drains at end of street, now all kinds of debris going down there/

TR – as told members of allan chapel I w/ personally go out there and see what’s going on.

Duane Small – contractor

Lately in paper seen lot about gangs and gang activities/ I wnt to compliment you Johnson on what you said about jobs, ar’d here 16 yr old at 2 oclock in morning, when it comes to wk it shd be done by us or not at all. We know we can’t do it all, every chance the newspaper puts us down in Asbury…I know why ms marano concerned becaz it’s our economy and tax dollars/ but if we don’t get jobs, u see what’s goind on in Egypt don’t thnk cdn’t come here/ we hv to wk w/ our youth, Don’t be scared of them/ they w/ respect you too when see u respect them



Andrea Harbison – AP sustainability comm.. Reads letter from…

North beach area favorite, only spot left that still reserves open space/ plans for development in north end encroaches on green acres land, violates coastal rules.. while city reviewing dev s/ consider preserving this land and not developing on this land. Likelihood of flooding, imprudent financially/ city proven itself leader in development enhancing w/

Glenn and Debbie Carson, Medford NJ

Gerry Scarano – L Branch

Snow removal, hvg locals shovel hydrants, RBnk asked residents to do, we shd do so here/ People first impression for First Sat shdn’t be piles of snow for cookman av., put on facebook that we’ll be there for pancake brkfst Sat get few 100 instead of the usual 80 or so.

Denise Richards, Ridge Av

Problem with streets going on cpl months, understanding was bef Lucas left for winter break there wd be nothing left to cause problems, there is a backho across from church parked atop a huge deep hole, why, why wd anyone leave that w/ kids in the area/ something is wrong, they can’t do that. The pile of tar in the middle of the steet. Enough w/ the pacifying, someone has the feeling we’re trying to get brian grant fired that’s not my purpose, rather to get something done. See that it’s done



Holly House – for 3 days city truck knocked a power line…instead of fixing it, they hit a gas main. People going to school making a better life for themselves. Decent plc for all the tenants/ I hv a bill here I hv to pay becz the city knocked a pole/ mayor Johnson and mr reidy came by…all I’m asking is for you to do the right thing. I shouldn’t hv to pay, my insur co shdn’t hv to pay anything. My insur w/ go up and yours will stay where it is.

EJ – how much is bill?

HH - $3477. I call down here and everyone’s in a meeting/ what u doing, donuts and coffee?

TR – city trk hit a Verizon Line, by Holly House, Verizon line was too low, pole of JS
P&L fell down, wasn’tour fault/ JCP&L tk 3 days to fix it not city/ took 3 days not 3 hours/ Ms Winkler Description if perfectly accurate/ city wk’d w/ red cross, human svcs wk’d w/ citizens so had food and shelter/ No one said Ms. Winters has to pay this bill/ BTW, this pole had 3 transformers on it/ Tk 7 or 8 transformers to find the right ones. In add’n to hitting gas line was a disaster/ HR staff there right through. Not mkg light of anything terr res put out of apts at this time/ Terrible situation, / cpl things about the bill, I said the city is not going to pay this bill/ Verizon, JCP&L are part of this, I faxed bill to them/ is city part of solution absolutely, their wire that started it/ I’m not going to submit a bill of $3477 to be paid by the residents of this city. So that’s where we are other entities need to be funding this. We did not delay the solution of this.



Diane…Citgo station –

Station been there 40 yrs/ five yrs ago had to pull tanks out contamination, dep monitoring property/ u rec’d notice, trying to hv station shut down/ asking city council if this can be put on hold, not beneficial to close it down now/ we’re hearing asking consideration/

TR – lot of bkgrnd to this case/ lot more than can go into this moment. My understanding is this case was bef muni crt, then superior crt and back again to muni crt/ u hv main stt redev plan that doesn’t allow for this use/ it was pre existing, but also non conforming, dep req’d taken out/ use was abandoned/ tk tanks out x # yrs ago. These are issues of legal interpretation/ not council dec. it’s in the crt / if this was a pre existing non conforming us then … Right now gov body can’t mk a dtermination becz in the crts



Pam James – lifelong res AP

One of residents of Holly House / thankful didn’t get burned up or blown up/ why on Sat nite when figured out cdn’t do anything why did everyone lv/ sign on dr, if need something come to APHS. Police were patrolling but soon everyone left the house was left exposed. Mgr of house was told to get her own security. Ho9w she going to pay for that and we didn’t do anything wrong.



End of public portion –

Approval of minutes –

Bill resolutions app’d

Quality Claims – lawsuits…

Raffle Licenses Red Cross – 2 app’d

Resolutions –

Muni open space for Springwood Av pk - All yes

Over payment of taxes, 633 Cookman Ave – all Yes

Auth city to execute whole…righ of entry Monb cty mosq commission

Auth discharge of mot 1224 washington av, and a second address

Of ap waterfront redev advisory committee

Publication of disseminate statements of interest from dev in waterfront area

Issuance serv charges against synaxis – all yes

Req for proposals for pkg meters – all yes

Famularo accepting prop from env alliance assessment Bangs av middle school

Introduction – March 2, estab new reg gov extent bixz entity can mk conributions during public contracts, pay to play reform – all yes

Adjourn