A Wanamassa resident, Drew Waynert, suggested Asbury Park declare itself New Jersey's Music Capitol. What do you think?
City Authorizes $11 Million in Bond Anticipation Note to run city until State funding comes through
City Manager: If State funding doesn't come through City Property Taxes will Double
City Asked to Fight Trenton's Plans to Close UEZ - Gilmour Organizes Bus Ride to Capitol
Construction Eyesores Wear Thin in Lots Along Kingsley - Loffredo asks how much longer?
AP Council Meeting April 7, 2010
Present: Council members Sue Henderson, John Loffredo, James Bruno and Mayor Ed Johnson. Absent: Kevin Sanders
Asbury Radio’s Reporter’s Notebook – Corrections, additions, clarifications welcome. AsburyRadio@aol.com
Don Sammett presentation on Pony’s stage adjustments, Curley, occupany 400-493 ended up w/ 1200 occupancy. Resolution in packets for council.
Fire Chief Keddy – fire prevention fees, tinton falls, red bank..Fire Inspector Giberson did research in / square foot of space determines fees. Multiple dwellings now $50. Non Owner occupied 1 and 2 units, multi dwellings w/ be $120?, over 20 units $200. Rates haven’t been increased at least since ’98. 389 mercantile licenses now. 420 multiple dwellings, but as review non owner occupied w/ increase dramatically. Keddy plans to have all officers trained to do inspections.
Councilmember Jimmy Bruno – Aren’t there any fireman that can be taken out to do inspections. Merchants feel intimidated when an entire company comes off truck to do inspection.
Keddy – been some resistance trying to deal w/ that now.
Bruno – but only one inspector now.
Keddy can have sworn fire fighter assigned
JB - I’m sure we have licensed inspectors at least 1 or 2 on each shift.
Tom Gilmour and City Counsel Fred Raffetto – special event fees, new applications w/ be subject to new fees. Fee for businesses who like to use beach; i.e., joga businesses, $400 not $500 as written in document.
Special Events app
Madison Marquette –
fireworks – may 30 and sept 5th, Sundays
Bond Fires every Fri at 7 pm starting Sept thru Oct.
Police and fire are ok w/ it, says Gilmour
Checkmate block party, moved location to sunset park 5/22 – ok w/ that now
Beach concert May 22, promoter said unsuccessful raising funds request chg date to Oct 22
Mayor Johnson – asked city counsel if he shd vote on checkmate since he just joined the Bd.
Trying to arrange Bus to Senate Hrg at State House, 3 pm April 12th, to fight for UEZ
Mayor – UEZ injected millions of dollars thru the Asbury Park UEZ/ had anticipated $800k in revenue jst for AP, if we had to raise from tax base can you imagine what that would mean? User fee based on 3% sales tax/ one of smartest programs the state ever came up w/…(recording paused due to lo battery)
Gilmour – number things you can do/ one is write letters, sample available, pls mail to governor and other people mkg decisions on this. Every uez dollar spent in ap has returned $5 in revenue to state. Everyone has benefited from UEZ program, attracted businesses here, able to buy fire trucks for city, which dropped the fire casualty rates for the city businesses.
City Manager Terry Reidy: Subsequent redeveloper agreement w/ not be introduced tonight, not ready; Wd’ve been signed by council tonight. [Editor’s Note: This would have meant a new redeveloper agreement with iStar Financial, which has yet to speak to residents. The City has been holding meetings to discuss the new agreement without the public even observing, as they do in workshop meetings. The city would’ve passed the agreement tonight by resolution without the public seeing the agreement, hearing the issues debated or having the chance to comment. The city is not required to explain the nature of the new agreement unless a citizen asks questions about it during his/her three minutes at the mic.]
JB- Vehicles that leave town, decals? How many?
TR – three fire and police chief shdn’t have decals, but fire chf is havg it done/ third one…
Mayor – is this for safety?
TR- think it’s more obvious, in history of city not been trad’n to have decals on chiefs cars
JB – I don’t believe that…worked here for yrs.
TR- councilman asked that it be done and chf getting it done
JB – you were asked years ago to do
Mayor – hold your comments to yourself, when you talk at mic we’ll respect you and listen
TR – construction official is reaching out to Asbury Partners/
JB - 3ft piece of cement around utility box,
TR – that’s what we’re doing, construction official seeing to it.
JB – Budget?
TR – I’m mkg a report on that
JB – can we get a copy of it?
TR – it’s in there. It’s not an official copy yet.
JB – stimulus money for cookman ave, we bonded already for it
TR – Maureen was asking about it earlier/ environmental trust money the city has rec’d a lo interest loan/ is stimulus money in that, most is zero % money, bal is 3.4% or in that range/ city had to compete for EIT money and apply for add’l $5mn grant, also stimulus money. We were 127th on list when city applied for money. Thru engineer’s efforts moved us up to 52, but gov’t stopped at 50. Frankly we should advocate for. So now we’re #2.
Jb – amount we’ll have to pay for debt service charge?
TR – w begin in 2012, w/ depend on num people paying sewer fees, downtown springw’d avenue offsets, w/ be determined …$900,000 is the gross amount.
We’re always applying for grant money, forming committee w/ library, board of ed, etc. to apply for grants/ some grants applied for that had resolutions of council behind them
JB – some of these grants forced down our throats.
TR – third vehicle w/ decal is the engineer’s.
JB – budget restructuring?
TR – Don’t have that w/ me…
SH – opportunity in media center of school/ written up in Coaster, she’s in picture, importance of census was topic. wants to congratulate school system for fulfilling what said wd do in adding Census to their curriculum. Census bureau doing march to the mailbox/ meet at 11 AM, bangs ave elementary school (Obama Elementary School) playground to march to town hall. Want to make sure we get everything we’re entitled to from state.
JL- Work began at 6:30 am, asking them to start later.
What’s status yard by Paradise?
TR – owned by Asbury partners, getting estimates to see how much w/ cost to move very heavy maybe over to where fletcher craemer’s equ’t is.
JL – more to the pt, if we mv it from there to across the st
Guess I’m getting at when is it going to be used??
TR- that’s all part of the conversation we had earlier… (executive session there was discussion re. Asbury Partners/iStar,e tc.
JM – easter parade festivities, a great and beautiful weekend, thank you to all put it together. Congratulate Councilmember Henderson on her wk on the census.
City atty Fred Raffetto – no action on any items discussed in exec session
TR – where we are in budget process re changes in Trenton
City been effective in getting state aid – when last introduced budget we were able to get spec munic aid in budget, and when apply for it it’s lengthy process, what we plan to do w/ the aid, etc. So we submitted app for spec muni aid in 09, but recently told gov changing name to transitional aid and state dev new application, not out yet. So muni w hv to aply anew for this transitional aid.
Comptra aid – stands for all muni in state rec’vee and energy aid, which is already cut by $1.2m to AP/ the other pc is the special muni aid/ State saying we shd introduce budget w/out antic any transitional or special munic aid. If we got no transi, our taxes wd double. I spend a lot of time in Trenton advocating for us and … Increased budget w/ hv a number that w/ be just phenomenal – not in a good way. May not be the number we adopt. There are new rules we hv to abide by, state figuring out new rules, and that’s where we’re at now.
Council very subdued as it recessed for break.
PUBLIC MEETING –
Public Speaks – 3 minutes, one time
Lori Ross – have questions re Rice Notices, I in particular was served by APPD re. rice notice at my home in LBranch, despite that I was at work at city hall. I never got notice at work. Called supv Hazel Samuels never called me back.
83 yr old grandfather home when APPD arrived at my door. I was not at home. Were you aware police officers were being used to serve Rice notices?
Mayor – No I was not.
LR – like TR to explain how much this costs. Don’t understand why need two police officers visit my home twice. Been loyal city employee, volunteering at West Side Com Ctr,
Mayor – I said all of us should lay ourselves down on our swords in order that thic ity better…
Rita Marano –
Stone Pony – going to hv 4000 people? Why not convention hall and have 3500 people? I can hear the outside stage from my house (8th Ave). better think twice about stage being put up there. Are they going to hire our police or what? Block everything up there?
What’s $3mn for pension plan that’s in the bill resolution, sev’l things that add up to almost $4m…
TR – city’s obligation.
City makes payments to state of nj for pension plan. Employees, city and state fund. This is am’t city obligated to pay.
RM – since when don’t chiefs hv insignias on them? Always had them. Not their choice not there car.
Vernice McGriff – 2nd ave – mentioned hvg a budget comm.., tried hvg one last yr and suggested hav one this yr to keep people informed. Possible if small and qualified com we cd hv some feedback, finances key in everyone’s mind. Understand you’re workg w/ some of grops causing my taxes to go up. Bd of ed…
TR – yes
VMcG - we’re in crunches now and maybe shd do. Nuisance ord can u explain it.
Drugs on rampage again. Do we call police or prosecutor’s office. Chief Kinmon says call police we hv our own drug unit. We wk w/ pros office every day. Tip line – new # don’t have it now, will get it to you.
Tim McCorey – dir of cap projects for housing alliance on Ave A – windows in houses this week, doing everything we can to provide hsg for community, met w/ NAACP yesterday, doing everything we can to mk successful project.
Frank Syphax….- Sister is Lori Ross, few yrs ago started West Side Citizens United, for miss ross to be discriminated against, she has always been on th front lines, block party, valentin’s party for seniors, spring clean up/ community meant springwood ave / everyone was buying something, waterfront seems to be where all attention was going. Now w/ redev on west side/ are you going to hv people wkg together on that like waterfront. Want u all to reconsider things. Ms Samuels is gone, but she’s the bedrock of our community.
Angie Sugru – mvg bk to AP/ spek on behalf of the musicians, which is respons for much of the improvement in community. When hv events dollars get spent over and over again, important to support, not allow run rampant, esidents need for quiet shd be respected also.
Denise Richardson – Ridge Ave, piggy back on Mr. Syfax, blk party very successful event, Valentines Party for seniors, all that and WSCC all been Lori Ross, events won’t be as successful as they have been. How many employees do we hv in AP who don’t live here? When u consider layoffs I’m standing in support of lori ross, it hurts me, trying to pull more people in to stop the crap going on on West Side. We’re talking about doing newsletter so people on other side of tracks know what’s going on and to let people know what’s going on at WSCC.
John Mohammad – Nation of Islam, part of Ministerial Alliance - after young man, Mr. Laws, was murdered in AP, another shooting last night, jst had conversation, asked them what can be done / we need help w/ the big elephant on the table, which is young black and Hispanic men no job and useless to themselves right now. Trying to be creative and think outside the box. If I had a dime for every one who said cdn’t get job because have a record. What can we do for citizens of Asbury to help young citizens of Asbury work. Started Cease Fire movement, wkg w/ chief. We want to call their bluff, say hey come w/ me.
Mayor – job fair in March, in long branch saw men hired on spot.
Next is in Neptune, talking to leaders about that event. Are jobs / happy to sit down and talk about this in terms of action steps.
Dwayne Small – Mattison Ave., when we spk to these young brothers, hv nothing to do. Like lady says drugs on move again. They gotta eat. Need everybody comes together. Fast and pray nothing happens to no one in here walking down street and getting a stray bullet. I don’t have nothing to offer them. Let’s do this for the betterment of this community. If we don’t AP w/ be known as the good side and the bad side. Used to be Easter was time to dress up. Brothers I see in t shirts and pants hanging down. Have to do something about corner stores. They’re hot bed of criminal activities.
Jerry Scarano – need system to encourage them to keep trying.
JL- had working papers when I was 14 yrs old, paid my way thru college. This problem we’re hearing about. We came into office 8 yrs ago…Tried many things, Asbury Works, training sessions. But the economy is bad. In Mon Cty alone 27,000 people out of work, 7,000 in foreclosure, not counting buy backs, short sales. Think it is up to AP to give training where we can and help when we can been extremely proactive. For every dollar spent on East side $2 spent on West Side, that’s city money. And we will do all we can. Thanks for coming.
Payroll for period from March 16 to 31st $1,271,470.28
Approved
Payment to bd of ed $5,641,035.17
Applications – Big Brothers Raffle license/ also for red cross – all yes
Work session – applications / Mayor recusing self on Checkmate – rest approved
Mon cty - $86k grant program for springwood ave open space grant acquisition
Stone Pony – reconstruction of stage, referring Planning Bd for app’l – all yes
Beach fees – all yes
Resolution for State to Continue funding UEZ program – all yes
Tax antic note $11mn 2.67% interest - TR – sold by city to pay our bills until we get money from the state, good news this yr in 2009 city paid 5% on note, this yr add’l sale brought in at 2.67% /
Ordinance transferring prop Ave A to Monmouth Hsg Alliance… no one commented on it.
Second Ordiance tonight– police regulations, health, nuisance ordinance…
Judy Yackarino – Lbranch – asked noise ordinance
FR – ordinance on table right now arose from Brick Wall site of complaints about noise raised issue of how best to handle noise in mixed use areas. Prior ordinance has spec decibel level, which brings it inline w/ DEP’s guidelines. But max decibel level readings wd put these businesses out of business, so we lked at other remedies, a nuisance code deals w/ decibel standards but police have more discretion to judge the situation. This prohibits excessive noise, sets forth prohibitions on certain things like horns, bullhorns, which can become a nuisance to others. Give code and health and police officials right to enforce as well as individuals to file complaints. Delicate bal between those who run businesses and those who live above these venues. Can always revert and return to decibel standards. w/ be municipal layer and the DEP layer the county w/ enforce.
JY- ocean twp nj – my family owned entertainment facility, what effect w/ ord hv on young black and Hispanic males who want to sing/ if u pass this w/ it mean never be an upstage lounge again?
Gina Buono – 710 Cookman Av – first time able to read ordinance, forgive if not up to snuff on all details. May be too discretionary on some latitudes. Lot of freedom to people to enforce based on own discretion/ prefer more objective than subjective. Is there a reason why we need …
JL – if we don’t only other way is go by county, which is too strict a limit/ can’t evenr sing on sidewalk w/out this thing going off.
GB- it’s a noisy city, but I moved in there w/ the knowledge of that. But want a way to avoid people arguing and bickering. Should be understanding of businesses but also to the artists. Talking about the mixed uses of the city…I was encouraged to move into Cookman Ave because I’m an artist, enjoy playing music. Very small number now who object. Afraid nuisance ordinance w/ only start more fights among neighbors and not resolve.
TR – yu asked about higher decibel level we started back w/ that. We tk readings in different places – cookman ave, by pony, by train station/ We were amazed how many noises in this delightfully noisy city were over the limit. Something rigid is not the answer for Asbury Park something that understand the culture of what we are. Ord is not to shut things down but allow us to live together. This is not an ord that (dictates) but allows / u can’t legislate people living together. Give us a chance to work it out.
GB- one of things concerned aobut is the pin drop situation, or is the squeaky wheel going to get the attention. Easiest way to rid selves of problem. When is the cut off time? She went for mediation and ended up w/ 11 pm cut off for playing maybe three times a month. Now she doesn’t play at all.
Carl Chesna – 601 Mattison – happened w/ michelle in Be Gallery when they wanted their space back upstairs. I play acoustic guitar, if I see someone walking baby down street, I’m not going to start up my motorcycle. I lost a gig at Rafferty’s because of one guy. My acoustic guitar is very mellow with a chello and… it’s not hvy metal. But still lost the job which paid for my cell phone.
Ellen Berman – woodbridge, nj – no one hates noise more than I do when someone is talking by my video taping. There is no timeframe for when entertainment becomes noise?
FR – think that wd bring us into that area of how much noise you can make..and the decibel standards.
EB – I’m actually a potential investor in ap. I need to understand that I’m going to be able to run a business. I used to go to NYC – I go to Asbury now. I go to Cookman because of Wave gathering… Costs $18 to go to Brooklyn, both are 45 mins from my home. I come here. Understand times need to shut out the world sometimes. People come here to be a part of the history. We need an historical society to preserve the music. They think they’ve made it. Hate to see u make decisions based on a few people that will affect your legacy. Rock n Roll Hall of Fame closed its Manhattan Annex, might be possibility for opening one here.
Leah Montano –Norwood Ave, Long Branch – I wdn’t be standing here south of the Raritan Bridge if it weren’t for the music down here. AP has diverse background, mixed races at Upstage always. Incredible opportunity. Guy in Rome speaking Italian to his kids in Stone Pony t-shirt; guy in Denmark, where she visits frequently, Bruce Springsteen played with me. Asbury Park is like no other place on earth. Need to make the noise that brings the people in. Go to this Rafferty’s because I may hear some music.
Drew Waynert – Wanamassa – moved to area because of venues like the stone pony. Back in my day I thought it was big venues, following bands around. When I decided to ck out smaller venues, I started working at the Saint. It’s known cookman is the downtown business district w/ mixed use. I produce over 50 shows a yr in ap alone. Town hs lost revenue/ Old Man Rafferty lost $16k a month because people stopped going to hear music. Thnk mixed use zone shd be there. Support Live Music in AP on internet. NB lost several venues/ almost closed Court Tavern. Shd hv Mayor declare AP NJ’s music capital
Mayor – So declared (He brings down gavel)
Mayor – this isn’t a question of music it’s about noise too much. It is subjective, but allows both sides to voice opinions. Been in restaurants w/ beautiful music and those where you can’t even speak because your glass is vibrating off the table. When it’s a hot day in August, but if it’s 10 o’clock in dead of winter then you might say hey, let’s have some quiet. So I think that’s what this ordinance is going to do.
JL – recalls when there wasn’t enough going on and businesses were complaining go tto get some attractions going. Don’t want to be too restrictive but don’t want to discourage anyone from living down there either. Are moving toward sound proofing (applause).
JB – what does it take for someone to get a summons?
TR – one call. If police come and consider outrageous give summons. But that’s not the history of our police dept. Officer has discretion to issue summons. But always lk to be reasonable.
All yes on vote to pass nuisance ordinance.
End of Asbury Radio’s Reporter’s Notebook for April 7, 2010 – Corrections, additions, clarifications welcome. Write AsburyRadio@aol.com
- The Voice of Asbury Park ~ matters vital to justice, environment, equality, culture and pursuit of happiness.
Showing posts with label Noise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Noise. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Haiti Report from Marilyn, Trees, Snow Removal, Credit Card Payments, Noise Top List
Asbury Radio's Reporter's Notebook:
At the first Council Meeting of March, the council and audience heard a first hand report on the Haitian Earthquake from recently returned Marilyn Schlossbach and Mark Steiner. A memorial is planned for Sunday (See more below).
City council Meeting – 3/3/10 –
City Considers Taking Payments via Credit Cards
Boxing Ring Costs $260,000 to Build
Noise/Nuisance Ordinance Introduced
Present: all except Kevin Sanders
Sue Henderson, Deputy Mayor John Loffredo, Mayor Ed Johnson, James Bruno
Donald Sammet, dir of redevelopment and planning for city is looking into creating an historic preservation ordinance to be part of the zoning ordinance. Ex of how historic elements have impacted developers is Sachman Enterprises credits for restoring the Steinbach building.
Garrett Giberson, “public maintenance Superintendent” – Central Business District (CBD) Tree Planting Discussion:
Handout for council – 7 pt criteria / low maintenance, clean, no fruit – 8 of old Bradford pear trees hv come down since july – by nature not city. One fell during 4th of july parade. 18 ft trees…quite a few have, he refers to handout to council. Audience doesn’t have copy. Beautiful trees no doubt but brittle and limbs falling. 2 pub hrgs in march of ’03, reviews that year and mtgs. Plan review chamber of commerce. Decision then was to remove trees and Bradford pears not to be recommended for replanting. Sept 09 concept dev by hyer and gruel, at time engineer asked for comments. He used Trees for NJ Streets as ref. It’s been a rigorous process from 02 till the present.
Mayor Johnson: spkg to people in town mst upsetting is not so much saving trees at end of their life, but the sense of beauty, the hard part medicine to swallow.
GG: Be done in 315 days, blk by blk approach
Mayor – can save any?
GG – some of smaller, other species of pear trees that don’t hv weaknesses of Bradford, younger trees root system may be stronger
Bruno: is there a tree sanctuary somewhere?
GG – don’t think so
Mayor – understand first phase is Lake Av and work into CBD. Is it possible to phase, one of concerns businesses have also in summer lack of shade, is it pos to begin process to ensure trees stay up in summer. Hate to see a summer town w/ no trees. Ask people to come down…
City manager Reidy: may be possible trees planted blk by blk after construction on the bloks completed.
Mayor: don’t want us to end up 2 yrs for now, replace trees and hv no funding. We were going to hv to chrge the businesses, but now it’s going to be the stimulus money, we’re not going to assess the prop owners $25k each. Want to do it now while we hv the funding.
Bruno: Do we hv the funding now?
Reidy: ref to Obama money…(cdn’t hear)
GG – state planted 30 on top of other plantings, 100 in VFW area.
SH: know your concern. Can people plant their own? Sustainability to recycle and reuse.
GG – probably not going to get a contractor to save trees for replanting. Should be recycling though, firewood.
Mayor: or mulch
GG – we actually have two sites for distributing mulch for free
City atty, Fred Raffetto – noise ordinance – our ordinances are unenforceable, office prepared sound ordinance, which introduced pending now. Members of biz commun seeking to promote redev efforts, mixed use dev residences in close prox to entertainment biznesses. Danger put biz out of biz. Nuisance code provides more discretion to municp officers. Agreement was to pursue a nuisance code. Ord before you this evening was reviewed by noise subcommittee. Would repeal rules re noise ordina/ code, police and health can enforce and citizen can file complaint in munic crt/ w/ not supplant rights of individuals to lodge complaints with county health. First route for rep of city to use nuisance code. Hopefully nuisance code can balance interests… Can be introduced tonight or
Reidy: audience members who vol on noise comm.. thanked them. Think sev’l issues that were resolved by citizens coming to table together.
Agree w/ introduce nuisance ord tonight.
Reidy – lst mtg mayor asked where are we in analysis of depositing city’s money. First time in history of ap finance officer put together inform form and asked for rates and related svcs info from the banks in area. Use of credit cards was one item.
Christine Paulin – acting CFO – 4 bnks got request 1.125 to qtr percent variable in rates. Feder’l gov giving only 1.25 at moment. City wanted new svc for community, use credit cards for certain svcs for the city/ asked what fees, etc. wd be involved. One had cap on what wd chg if over in a month/ one said wd waive fees. These fees do not include using the property tax fees/ just beach badges, pkg, court fees now. Use either or both of 2 banks that wd give us cap.
Mayor: I know there’s a utility that chg u to pay online, outrages me and I don’t use it. Paid $5 to use it. Should we lv it up to resident to decide pay fee or not.
Reidy: mst time if use ccd they chg you a fee $5 or … If you’re paying $1k …. What you’re recommending tonight let us get into the credit card bizness then we’ll see…not saying no to that. This took a while to work thru come back w/ thee recommendations. It’s like dealing with CIA to ask bank what they’re going to charge for ccd transactions. Varies large or small amounts/ fees up to a certain am’t for x transactions/ Some vague, we’ll let you know when you get there. We’re going to be rigorous in examing the infom.
Mayor: Like the little kid w/ the pony…
Reidy: Yes (laughter)
Mayor: if use for fees, w/ it be ready for beach office on bdwk
CP: W/ go back to 2 who gave proposal and w/ let you know by next council mtg.
James Famularo, Asst City Mgr: update on boxing facility – Gannon was lowest bidder to construct vibrant physical center/ if not for elevator wd’ve been completed by Dec 09. Elevator del’d from Midwest, which was also hit by snowstorms/ tk time to get up and running/ behind about 4 wks/ w/ hv installed next week/ second phase is put proper equip’t in fac. Cost so far $260,000 – city contributed $170k, Interfaith Neighbors put $90k in/ $14k remaining w/ use to buy equipment. John Loffredo did ask about the boxing facility’s appearance/ it’s Bishop blue and black right now. We got donation from cameo bar of equipment/ Kevin Johnson fought heavyweight championship on HBO and he’s offered to sign it for us and visit the kids. Grand Opening prob w/ be End o f month or first wk in April for grand opening, which w/ be small bcz mst eq’t won’t be in there then
Rev Sony, Marilyn Schlossbach (co-owner of Langosta Lounge and soon to open new restaurant with a papal theme in old Mattison Park), Mark Steiner, who owns Agency NJ,
…, were in Haiti last week- here to giv update
First off wnt to thank everyone here to allow me to be ambassordor of sorts of everyone back home/ “lifechanging experience” different perspective on community, wld live in and way do bizness in my community”
We had a conve here about cd we mill our trees and send to Haiti/ bldg has no restrictions on concrete/ rebld lkg at wd be steal and wood/ problems there so overwhelming/ seeing from sony’s eyes 40 yrs ago when he was a child, hills green, abundance…
Before quake they were starving, had nothing/ how do we go forward? Keep people donating/ very resilient people, kind and welcoming, see them get dressed from work or church from a tent or car/ these are wkg people living in tent camps, everyone struggling/ our job we’ll show film that we shot/ what it feels like to be in port au prince/ all they wnt to do is getingot their uniforms and go to school and learn English/ they see a great future in obama/ how to keep this going, overwhelming feeling not pull us down/ visited orphanage they hope to rebld. Hope people w/ go there one day to help/ thank council allowing me to be a voice for this community. (no applause)
SH: organized a day, this Saturday, for 2010 Census kickoff , 2 – 4 Thurgood Marshall – dance academy, drummers from Asbury Tower,
DEP been withholding a lot of grant money/ we put app in and got $450k grant/ one of projects put in got ok on install nj dep appr’d, treatment device at end of Comstock st., huge pipe that flows into Deal Lake by HS, this will keep solids from flowing into lake.
JL: took tour w/ engineer by lake today…
Eve Silver, Community Liaison - Memorial for Haiti Saturday – events all day, noon movie at Showroom, all day events at Paramount (followed by Oscar Shorts). Memorial is jt effort of AP and Neptune at 6 pm/ mark stiener and Marilyn at 5 PM will explain about their trip to Haiti. Sense of purpose and …movie at paramount at 12/ www.cityofasburypark.com click shore4Haiti
Wkshop adjourned/
Public session
James Henry: asked status of Kevin Sanders
Reidy says Councilman Sanders had operation, both knees replaced. Very rough time, mvg him to rehab sections.
James Henry – Wishes Sanders well.
Vernice McGriff – compliment snow people. This is area where don’t get snow, at some pt we did coordinate, got people put all cars on one side and switch bk and forth/ think need put some rules out in writing, snow plow going here so move cars there/
Bruno – reverse 911
Reidy – thanks w/ pass that on
Resident from Cookman Ave – noise/ nuisance ordinance…hope it w/ let all live harmoniously downtown/ also know sammet wants to change ord to allow drinking establishments on upper floors/ not fair to people who’ve invested already, and dev who continue to invest in condos/ hasn’t been enforced very well/ shouldn’t hv left/ signif prsentation shdn’t hv lft before public comment.
Reidy – not his style wdn’t hav left knowing… this is a conversation we’ve been having for past cpl yrs. Entertainment music, all that plays in the city. Wasn’t a knee jerk reaction, oh they wnt to put this in (entertainment on upper flrs – prob refers to Upstage new owner ) it brought an opp to examine this/
Resident – six mos ago Don said it wasn’t a good idea (put entertainment on upper flrs)
Rita Marano – spec officer giving tkts in middle of snowstorm, shd exercise some discretion/ he said you, Reidy, ordered it.
Mayor – anything else bef respond?
Reidy – I get that it sounds crazy. Here’s why did it: first snowstorm chaotic out there, not enforcement to mk easy for plows to get thru strs. Etc. reviewed w/ principals. Unfortunately, police dpt’s tool is to enforce the law/ if snow covered or alternate side/ w/ second storm, we used rverse 911, pls get car off streets…when did enforce it better results / streets clr/ part is an education process need to mv cars, comply w/ law or get summons/
Rita: One day he ticketed every car and street sweeper didn’t even come.
Bruno – you missed his pt for plows to come by
Rita: but plow didn’t come by
Patrick Durkin – stars redev area, updated picture, rough in, sheet rock in plc now/ house mkg great projecress, tues getting sided. But interesting news on Av A affordable hsg alliance broke ground on all of their 4 houses/ construction underway on our partners as well / we using local plumbers, buying windows siding from siding depot ap, min of 20% of local labor and mat’ls/ we do not hire any laborers on these jobs who wk for interfaith neighbors/ there’s a misperception sometimes what the skills are needed. Typically they’re on the job less than one week. We’ve gotten bids from local contractors, still need a list from city on who local contractors are.
Joe Woermer – third av, trees nice bit of democracy in town/ often public underestimate the work of the council on projects, think it was good comuni and wkg together for plan w/ trees. To SH fantastic news on storm system.
Denise Richardson - Ridge Av – complaint thurgood marshall, wire hanging from pole, called DPW, someone pulled up and later two others but weren’t there for the wire/ called 5 times/ asked employee to call on his phone to DPW. Someone from school told her he called 3 wks to complain/ the wire he felt was electrical. Called Giberson he said it’s been snowing for 3 wks/ she disputed that. He agreed it could be electrical. Wd tk care of in next cpl of days. She wasn’t satisfied. She threatened to go to mayor, giberson sasy tell him I said hello. Gave Terry a call and went to see him. He was out. Seemed to me an I don’t care attitude, serious and he just blew me off. I volunteer from my heart and w/ do anything you gentlemen ask me to do/ to pay someone to wk in your city w/ an attitude like that you hav a problem.
Reidy: I’ve already apologized to Ms R. I w/ follow up.
Chief Keddy says wasn’t electrical.
Reidy – doesn’t matter we didn’t know that. When call city shd be a response.
Resident & Cookman Merchant – CBD w/ be wonderful improvement. It’s been a very bad season for us downtown. Terrible idea to tear up cookman in july and august, such a prime season for making money for merchants. Proposal other resident mentioned/ wonder if we cd hold mtg w/ downtown merchants and residents w/ don sammet. Jst hope doesn’t mean there’s going to be… (cdn’t hear)
Mayor – are some hard facts require we follow timeline but everyone trying to lessen impact.
Jerrry Scarano – heavy rain and snow/ maybe when do title transfer for houses code cd ensure wkg pumps for houses. Sump pumps inspection, cheaper in long run. NJMonthly, March issue, List of Best Places to Live AP is 561 out of 566, we shd find out why ap did so bad and how we can respond. How we went from 538 last yr to 561, someone needs to explain/ city needs to do something. Hurts real estate values. (No response from council)
End of public session –
App’d minutes last mtg
Payroll – $1,314,371. 37
Bill resolution $848, 548.11 for two weeks
All approved –
Reappointments – deal lake comm.. SH reappointed, all yes
Wesley Lake, dir of pub wks or designate/James Henry, trish lesinski, etc. all yes
Ltr from J Henry, since appt’d planning bd resigning from taxi comm.. w/ lv when filled
Reappoint Donald Moliver to do city appraisals /fees up to $45k approved
Resolution as per Don Sammet – directed planning bd to take action according to state statute (#)
Ordinance – transfer of Av A lots, all yes
Ordinance – introduction of revised nuisance ordinance concerning noise, yes
Public hrg regulation of licenses alcohol control Mamosa Act, says Mayor, all in favor aye. Allows alcohol to be sold at 10 AM on Sundays
Decision on Bids for Reval carried forward – bids rec’d on 1/14/10
Proclamation read by JLoffredo equality for persons w/ developmental and intellectual disabilities / honoring the Arc of Monmouth County
Meeting Adjourned --
Corrections, Clarifications, Additions always welcome. AsburyRadio@aol.com or enter a comment.
At the first Council Meeting of March, the council and audience heard a first hand report on the Haitian Earthquake from recently returned Marilyn Schlossbach and Mark Steiner. A memorial is planned for Sunday (See more below).
City council Meeting – 3/3/10 –
City Considers Taking Payments via Credit Cards
Boxing Ring Costs $260,000 to Build
Noise/Nuisance Ordinance Introduced
Present: all except Kevin Sanders
Sue Henderson, Deputy Mayor John Loffredo, Mayor Ed Johnson, James Bruno
Donald Sammet, dir of redevelopment and planning for city is looking into creating an historic preservation ordinance to be part of the zoning ordinance. Ex of how historic elements have impacted developers is Sachman Enterprises credits for restoring the Steinbach building.
Garrett Giberson, “public maintenance Superintendent” – Central Business District (CBD) Tree Planting Discussion:
Handout for council – 7 pt criteria / low maintenance, clean, no fruit – 8 of old Bradford pear trees hv come down since july – by nature not city. One fell during 4th of july parade. 18 ft trees…quite a few have, he refers to handout to council. Audience doesn’t have copy. Beautiful trees no doubt but brittle and limbs falling. 2 pub hrgs in march of ’03, reviews that year and mtgs. Plan review chamber of commerce. Decision then was to remove trees and Bradford pears not to be recommended for replanting. Sept 09 concept dev by hyer and gruel, at time engineer asked for comments. He used Trees for NJ Streets as ref. It’s been a rigorous process from 02 till the present.
Mayor Johnson: spkg to people in town mst upsetting is not so much saving trees at end of their life, but the sense of beauty, the hard part medicine to swallow.
GG: Be done in 315 days, blk by blk approach
Mayor – can save any?
GG – some of smaller, other species of pear trees that don’t hv weaknesses of Bradford, younger trees root system may be stronger
Bruno: is there a tree sanctuary somewhere?
GG – don’t think so
Mayor – understand first phase is Lake Av and work into CBD. Is it possible to phase, one of concerns businesses have also in summer lack of shade, is it pos to begin process to ensure trees stay up in summer. Hate to see a summer town w/ no trees. Ask people to come down…
City manager Reidy: may be possible trees planted blk by blk after construction on the bloks completed.
Mayor: don’t want us to end up 2 yrs for now, replace trees and hv no funding. We were going to hv to chrge the businesses, but now it’s going to be the stimulus money, we’re not going to assess the prop owners $25k each. Want to do it now while we hv the funding.
Bruno: Do we hv the funding now?
Reidy: ref to Obama money…(cdn’t hear)
GG – state planted 30 on top of other plantings, 100 in VFW area.
SH: know your concern. Can people plant their own? Sustainability to recycle and reuse.
GG – probably not going to get a contractor to save trees for replanting. Should be recycling though, firewood.
Mayor: or mulch
GG – we actually have two sites for distributing mulch for free
City atty, Fred Raffetto – noise ordinance – our ordinances are unenforceable, office prepared sound ordinance, which introduced pending now. Members of biz commun seeking to promote redev efforts, mixed use dev residences in close prox to entertainment biznesses. Danger put biz out of biz. Nuisance code provides more discretion to municp officers. Agreement was to pursue a nuisance code. Ord before you this evening was reviewed by noise subcommittee. Would repeal rules re noise ordina/ code, police and health can enforce and citizen can file complaint in munic crt/ w/ not supplant rights of individuals to lodge complaints with county health. First route for rep of city to use nuisance code. Hopefully nuisance code can balance interests… Can be introduced tonight or
Reidy: audience members who vol on noise comm.. thanked them. Think sev’l issues that were resolved by citizens coming to table together.
Agree w/ introduce nuisance ord tonight.
Reidy – lst mtg mayor asked where are we in analysis of depositing city’s money. First time in history of ap finance officer put together inform form and asked for rates and related svcs info from the banks in area. Use of credit cards was one item.
Christine Paulin – acting CFO – 4 bnks got request 1.125 to qtr percent variable in rates. Feder’l gov giving only 1.25 at moment. City wanted new svc for community, use credit cards for certain svcs for the city/ asked what fees, etc. wd be involved. One had cap on what wd chg if over in a month/ one said wd waive fees. These fees do not include using the property tax fees/ just beach badges, pkg, court fees now. Use either or both of 2 banks that wd give us cap.
Mayor: I know there’s a utility that chg u to pay online, outrages me and I don’t use it. Paid $5 to use it. Should we lv it up to resident to decide pay fee or not.
Reidy: mst time if use ccd they chg you a fee $5 or … If you’re paying $1k …. What you’re recommending tonight let us get into the credit card bizness then we’ll see…not saying no to that. This took a while to work thru come back w/ thee recommendations. It’s like dealing with CIA to ask bank what they’re going to charge for ccd transactions. Varies large or small amounts/ fees up to a certain am’t for x transactions/ Some vague, we’ll let you know when you get there. We’re going to be rigorous in examing the infom.
Mayor: Like the little kid w/ the pony…
Reidy: Yes (laughter)
Mayor: if use for fees, w/ it be ready for beach office on bdwk
CP: W/ go back to 2 who gave proposal and w/ let you know by next council mtg.
James Famularo, Asst City Mgr: update on boxing facility – Gannon was lowest bidder to construct vibrant physical center/ if not for elevator wd’ve been completed by Dec 09. Elevator del’d from Midwest, which was also hit by snowstorms/ tk time to get up and running/ behind about 4 wks/ w/ hv installed next week/ second phase is put proper equip’t in fac. Cost so far $260,000 – city contributed $170k, Interfaith Neighbors put $90k in/ $14k remaining w/ use to buy equipment. John Loffredo did ask about the boxing facility’s appearance/ it’s Bishop blue and black right now. We got donation from cameo bar of equipment/ Kevin Johnson fought heavyweight championship on HBO and he’s offered to sign it for us and visit the kids. Grand Opening prob w/ be End o f month or first wk in April for grand opening, which w/ be small bcz mst eq’t won’t be in there then
Rev Sony, Marilyn Schlossbach (co-owner of Langosta Lounge and soon to open new restaurant with a papal theme in old Mattison Park), Mark Steiner, who owns Agency NJ,
…, were in Haiti last week- here to giv update
First off wnt to thank everyone here to allow me to be ambassordor of sorts of everyone back home/ “lifechanging experience” different perspective on community, wld live in and way do bizness in my community”
We had a conve here about cd we mill our trees and send to Haiti/ bldg has no restrictions on concrete/ rebld lkg at wd be steal and wood/ problems there so overwhelming/ seeing from sony’s eyes 40 yrs ago when he was a child, hills green, abundance…
Before quake they were starving, had nothing/ how do we go forward? Keep people donating/ very resilient people, kind and welcoming, see them get dressed from work or church from a tent or car/ these are wkg people living in tent camps, everyone struggling/ our job we’ll show film that we shot/ what it feels like to be in port au prince/ all they wnt to do is getingot their uniforms and go to school and learn English/ they see a great future in obama/ how to keep this going, overwhelming feeling not pull us down/ visited orphanage they hope to rebld. Hope people w/ go there one day to help/ thank council allowing me to be a voice for this community. (no applause)
SH: organized a day, this Saturday, for 2010 Census kickoff , 2 – 4 Thurgood Marshall – dance academy, drummers from Asbury Tower,
DEP been withholding a lot of grant money/ we put app in and got $450k grant/ one of projects put in got ok on install nj dep appr’d, treatment device at end of Comstock st., huge pipe that flows into Deal Lake by HS, this will keep solids from flowing into lake.
JL: took tour w/ engineer by lake today…
Eve Silver, Community Liaison - Memorial for Haiti Saturday – events all day, noon movie at Showroom, all day events at Paramount (followed by Oscar Shorts). Memorial is jt effort of AP and Neptune at 6 pm/ mark stiener and Marilyn at 5 PM will explain about their trip to Haiti. Sense of purpose and …movie at paramount at 12/ www.cityofasburypark.com click shore4Haiti
Wkshop adjourned/
Public session
James Henry: asked status of Kevin Sanders
Reidy says Councilman Sanders had operation, both knees replaced. Very rough time, mvg him to rehab sections.
James Henry – Wishes Sanders well.
Vernice McGriff – compliment snow people. This is area where don’t get snow, at some pt we did coordinate, got people put all cars on one side and switch bk and forth/ think need put some rules out in writing, snow plow going here so move cars there/
Bruno – reverse 911
Reidy – thanks w/ pass that on
Resident from Cookman Ave – noise/ nuisance ordinance…hope it w/ let all live harmoniously downtown/ also know sammet wants to change ord to allow drinking establishments on upper floors/ not fair to people who’ve invested already, and dev who continue to invest in condos/ hasn’t been enforced very well/ shouldn’t hv left/ signif prsentation shdn’t hv lft before public comment.
Reidy – not his style wdn’t hav left knowing… this is a conversation we’ve been having for past cpl yrs. Entertainment music, all that plays in the city. Wasn’t a knee jerk reaction, oh they wnt to put this in (entertainment on upper flrs – prob refers to Upstage new owner ) it brought an opp to examine this/
Resident – six mos ago Don said it wasn’t a good idea (put entertainment on upper flrs)
Rita Marano – spec officer giving tkts in middle of snowstorm, shd exercise some discretion/ he said you, Reidy, ordered it.
Mayor – anything else bef respond?
Reidy – I get that it sounds crazy. Here’s why did it: first snowstorm chaotic out there, not enforcement to mk easy for plows to get thru strs. Etc. reviewed w/ principals. Unfortunately, police dpt’s tool is to enforce the law/ if snow covered or alternate side/ w/ second storm, we used rverse 911, pls get car off streets…when did enforce it better results / streets clr/ part is an education process need to mv cars, comply w/ law or get summons/
Rita: One day he ticketed every car and street sweeper didn’t even come.
Bruno – you missed his pt for plows to come by
Rita: but plow didn’t come by
Patrick Durkin – stars redev area, updated picture, rough in, sheet rock in plc now/ house mkg great projecress, tues getting sided. But interesting news on Av A affordable hsg alliance broke ground on all of their 4 houses/ construction underway on our partners as well / we using local plumbers, buying windows siding from siding depot ap, min of 20% of local labor and mat’ls/ we do not hire any laborers on these jobs who wk for interfaith neighbors/ there’s a misperception sometimes what the skills are needed. Typically they’re on the job less than one week. We’ve gotten bids from local contractors, still need a list from city on who local contractors are.
Joe Woermer – third av, trees nice bit of democracy in town/ often public underestimate the work of the council on projects, think it was good comuni and wkg together for plan w/ trees. To SH fantastic news on storm system.
Denise Richardson - Ridge Av – complaint thurgood marshall, wire hanging from pole, called DPW, someone pulled up and later two others but weren’t there for the wire/ called 5 times/ asked employee to call on his phone to DPW. Someone from school told her he called 3 wks to complain/ the wire he felt was electrical. Called Giberson he said it’s been snowing for 3 wks/ she disputed that. He agreed it could be electrical. Wd tk care of in next cpl of days. She wasn’t satisfied. She threatened to go to mayor, giberson sasy tell him I said hello. Gave Terry a call and went to see him. He was out. Seemed to me an I don’t care attitude, serious and he just blew me off. I volunteer from my heart and w/ do anything you gentlemen ask me to do/ to pay someone to wk in your city w/ an attitude like that you hav a problem.
Reidy: I’ve already apologized to Ms R. I w/ follow up.
Chief Keddy says wasn’t electrical.
Reidy – doesn’t matter we didn’t know that. When call city shd be a response.
Resident & Cookman Merchant – CBD w/ be wonderful improvement. It’s been a very bad season for us downtown. Terrible idea to tear up cookman in july and august, such a prime season for making money for merchants. Proposal other resident mentioned/ wonder if we cd hold mtg w/ downtown merchants and residents w/ don sammet. Jst hope doesn’t mean there’s going to be… (cdn’t hear)
Mayor – are some hard facts require we follow timeline but everyone trying to lessen impact.
Jerrry Scarano – heavy rain and snow/ maybe when do title transfer for houses code cd ensure wkg pumps for houses. Sump pumps inspection, cheaper in long run. NJMonthly, March issue, List of Best Places to Live AP is 561 out of 566, we shd find out why ap did so bad and how we can respond. How we went from 538 last yr to 561, someone needs to explain/ city needs to do something. Hurts real estate values. (No response from council)
End of public session –
App’d minutes last mtg
Payroll – $1,314,371. 37
Bill resolution $848, 548.11 for two weeks
All approved –
Reappointments – deal lake comm.. SH reappointed, all yes
Wesley Lake, dir of pub wks or designate/James Henry, trish lesinski, etc. all yes
Ltr from J Henry, since appt’d planning bd resigning from taxi comm.. w/ lv when filled
Reappoint Donald Moliver to do city appraisals /fees up to $45k approved
Resolution as per Don Sammet – directed planning bd to take action according to state statute (#)
Ordinance – transfer of Av A lots, all yes
Ordinance – introduction of revised nuisance ordinance concerning noise, yes
Public hrg regulation of licenses alcohol control Mamosa Act, says Mayor, all in favor aye. Allows alcohol to be sold at 10 AM on Sundays
Decision on Bids for Reval carried forward – bids rec’d on 1/14/10
Proclamation read by JLoffredo equality for persons w/ developmental and intellectual disabilities / honoring the Arc of Monmouth County
Meeting Adjourned --
Corrections, Clarifications, Additions always welcome. AsburyRadio@aol.com or enter a comment.
Monday, November 16, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Reporter's Notebook-Council Oct. 21, 2009
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Reporters’ Notes of AP City Council Meeting of Oct. 21, 2009
Surveillance Camera Contractor Chosen - Drug Areas w/ be Covered
Noise Ordinance Scrapped for Nuisance Ordinance
Sackman Requests Parking Req’t Cut Back for 500 Cookman Project
Avenue A Lots- Dispute Continues
Don Sammet Carter Sackman’s request to rehab buildings on Cookman, call it 550, but it’s actually sev’l buildings, Add 5th flr,
Future of Lake Av issue w/ parking req’ts for (Sackman’s) rehabbed buildings, which will mean 31 new residential units.
The planned pkg deck was for new residential units, no pkg deck no accommodations for new residents… refers to his memo of last week. Sackman and partner aware of Sammet’s concerns:
Now Carter speaks, Sackman Enterprises:
Don did good job explaining. This project will revitalize the Cookman core, acknowledges there are some problematic characteristics.
Sackman has vested interest seeing it come back, since he runs Steinbach building across the street. Working w/ ltd am’t of parking avail for the site. By revitalizing 500 w/ create a desire to revitalize Lake View area. So need closer lk at reducing the 1.5 pkg spots/ per unit req’t/ reduce to 1.0. Wd ask for project to be presented to planning bd.
David Weiner (with Sackman) – submitted list asking for q’s
Terry Reidy –
Very excited about dev of Carter’s block/ very enthusiastic about it. Amendment (reduce pkg spot req’t) shd be forwarded to pbd for review.
Only the governing body can adopt the amendment.
Sammet has layed out very clearly concerns, pls be sure to include his concerns when sending to PBd.
Council will pass resolution to pass amendment to planning bd.
Chambers are filled with protestors supporting Eva Horvath’s bid to include 3 lots in West Side, Ave. A site in her quest to develop affordable housing there. Note: Mayor Ed Johnson points out, during the public portion, that the neighbors who hope to move into the housing will be initially section 8 renters, until such time that they can save up a deposit and obtain mortgage financing.
Bids for Revaluation – Fred Raffetto – city atty
AP ordered by state div of taxation to conduct reval of all properties, was to be for 2008. Mon Cty bd of taxation and state heard city’s request for extension, granted. Tax maps hv to be updated. Map update in progress, they w/incorporate brand new block and lot numbers. Proj. 65% complete now. Can’t enter into contract w/ reval grp until maps completed. Put out to bid effective for 2010 – 3 bidders, certified…(he names all three) impossible to carry out for 2010. City reps determined best interests of city revise bids for tax yr 2011, wd encourage more competitive bidding – were 8 other bidders interested who cd not mk the 2010 deadline. Undertaking best efforts to hv done by 2011.
Irony of all of this says Reidy, if complied w/ orig reval order in 2008, we’d be in such deep trouble now. W recession in plc now those values would be so inflated. Homeowners wd be filing appeals since value of homes wd be less than assessments. He dealt with this issue in Montclair. All those successful appeals wd have to be blt into the budget for refunds to residents.
Our properties w/ better reflect the revals with later reval.
RGA – waiting for them.
Noise ordinance committee report –
Reidy: city has introduced a noise ordinance – any adopted mst be in strict compliance w/ state guidelines. In july council intro’d noise ord in compliance w/ state. Last 5 mos spent analyzing valuing impact of ordinance/ mst recently formed subcommittee, kinmon, bruno, loffredo, officers who use the decibel meter. Compared to entertainment areas in other muni’s. Long Branch adopted noise ord and then unadopted it. Overly restrictive in terms of businesses. Instead adopted a nuisance ordinance. Kinmon contributed that.
Council wanted to know what does 50 or 70 decibels sound like? Did measures.
Held mtg of subcommittee, s/be lkg at nuisance instead of noise. He interviewed businesses, residents Thurs oct 15th, opp for them to talk among each other.
Productive meeting – open exch of ideas, commitment to wk together…giv process 30 days to review, more monitoring, then design ord reflects commitment, which all brings us to this mtg tonight.
J Loffredo – surprising what the meters showed.,
Reidy – residents asked they hv input into whatever ord considered. We hv an ord tonight I recommend we carry it, since we don’t have alternative ready. Mtg is nov 12th, next mtg of council nov 16th. That’s the soonest I’d recommend we do it. Have benefit of this 30 day period. Some commitment on part of businesses to wk w/ residents.
Tom Gilmour – Commerce Dir for the city. 2 resolutions:
UEZ changes, converting processes to computer in DCA now. Bd recommends increase funding $15k in mktg fund, façade increased by $10,000. May take awhile to get funding approval from SAG program.
Mayor: city stands to get grant admin. Budget appr’d in july/ no new funds.
Polar Bear plunge Sons of Ireland.
Charging $100 a wk for ads on city’s signs
Launched new web site this afternoon – w/ be ads taken on the site.
Old marquee will come down, pieces Madison Marquette wanted they’d taken from it.
Scavenger event spec events com hasn’t looked at yet.
RGA is here: Stocky man in maroon shirt w/ RGA logo takes seat at table with Reidy, Raffetto and Chief Kinmon – City bid on surv. Cameras. First time was issue w/ how specs were drafted. Redid bid. Robert Spray from RGA is second consultant city hired to prepare bid. Previous one was fired by city.
Chief: cpl yrs now in making, made mistakes, learned quite a bit. Recommend tonight that bid be awarded and move forward
Spray: they wrote bid and took I bids. Owner can’t be here this evening/ 2003 estab. / all emp hv hands on exper., he has 16 yrs exper in industry, wk’d for large integrator. Done large casinos. Mich casino. Malls consulted for.
Spray: started w/ lowest bidder’s proposal – nj business systems, missing lot of eq’t, didn’t supply lot of paperwork req’d. seems as if possibly bid this based on prev RFP not this one. Ex. 8 wireless camera installations instead of 9. Missing 2 cameras for Police Station, etc.
Next lowest bidder the AVRIO Group - no alternatives or deviations, all req’ts present, checked w/ city of Pittsburgh. Also supplying a yr free maintenance. So they recommend AVRIO be awarded contract.
Reidy -- 15 companies bid on the contract. Lowest $215,000, AVRIO Group of Easton, Md. $233k/ highest bid was $601,000. Award is on low end of the spectrum.
Mayor – scope of work include trans ctr and rest of city?
Chief – yes, as well as cell blk area things like that.
Mayor: asking about middle school, can we tie into that system?
Chief – not sure
Mayor: bangs and prospect has a camera we’d like to tie into.
Spray: system we’ve specked out and being proposed “extremely expandable”… can feed them thru the wireless system.
Bruno: where monitors set up at?
Chief – at police station dispatcher
Bruno: Hypothetically, if we decide to go to a 911 system w/ they tkover, or wd we hv someone here do it?
Chief – if we cd record, we cd go bk and review. But for r/time for officers on street, something we’re thinking about/ meantime mks sense to hv in dispatch center. We do hv watch commanders respons be in stations at all times. They’d be in watch commanders quarters though.
Bruno – thought it’d be more of a preventative if watched live.
Just like cameras in center now
Mayor: sometimes just presence is a deterrent
Bruno – then why not put up dummys
Reidy – valid pt. way set up now monitors w/ be in dispatch ctr. Time it changes we’d be obligated to say this is how monitoring of cameras will wk.
Bruno – don’t want collecting dustr
Reidy – that w/ not happen
Bruno – if we wnt to that system w/ they wk to report drug deal going down or wait til t’w to see the video tape?
Commit people everyday to watch?
Reidy – right now hv staff dedicated for that now.
Henderson – images can be put on sev’l screens.
Bruno – re. possibility of our going to 911/ we’d hv to pay people to watch these monitors anyway.
Chief – there wd be an add’l duty. No conversations w/ sheriffs dept about transferring cameras to freehold and hvg them monitor for us/ prob wd discuss that in future. We w/ not decrease cov’g, w/ find a way to mk it wk successfully.
Mayor: as part of this plan like to see us move forward w/ Bd of Ed, and to provide for going to county system, for how we’d maintain security of system.
Reidy – award for tonight is for installation, etc. doesn’t include hooking into the schools. But we’re hearing is flex. Enuf to accommodate that.
Spray: lot of cities dozens of cameras, can steer camera at something that’s happening, and go back and review tapes when something happens.
Interfaith, UEZ, sev’l grants and Madison Marquette
During the break Asbury Radio spoke to city officials and Spray, who said initial system will include 35 cameras, which includes 12 new cameras. So the new vendor will be networking existing cameras and new ones. There are two separate systems right now. Cameras will be placed in crime areas on the West Side as well as elsewhere in the city, say police.
Sue Henderson – attended landing of Columbus, lessons from Lou, grt photo of john lying in boat, and the bag pipes at ceremony for fallen firefighters.
Raffetto – not be tkg action on any matters covered in executive session.
3 – 4 minute break follows
PUBLIC SESSION – three mins., one time at mic
Hazel Samuels – 1706 Park Ave – employee of the city - ongoing efforts to fight led poisoning. Understand the effects of childhood poisoning, effects can be irreversible. Neurological effects, IQ loss. We hv to fight this terrible situation in our community our numbers are off the charts. Saturday is lead safety festival at the Middle School. Children 1 – 6 are admitted for pony rides, face painting and pumpkin paintings, breakfast w/ be included, as well as lunch. Each child w/ go home w/ pail of fruit – not candy. Parents urged to come and learn about how to eliminate hazards. Please tell those you know w/ children. 10 AM at Middle School.
Carmen Johnson, 32 Avenue A – fighting for Miss Ava to keep those lots for affordable housing. Have sister living with who is disabled. Her proposal w/ give a lot of women like myself a chance to have their own.
Crystal Atkinson – springwood ave – behind springwood there are 6 townhouses, where she lives. This morning when I got up they were cutting all the shrubs on city-owned property behind the complex. No privacy. Your backyard is all open. They cut shrubs so low all you see is people. Is there some way they can stop and maybe replant them? Just to have a little bit of privacy.
Bruno: maybe they cd make it 6ft hi.
Reidy – we’ll follow up first thing t’w morning.
Stacy Williams – 114 Borden Av – to address miss ava’s opinion. Seen her plans. She’s affording us opp as res of west side, ability to own our own homes thru section 8. Three lots as opposed to 18 city has. Give us a chance to say this is mine. Right now we’re like desolate soldiers. Sure there’s lot of things that can be tweaked in her proposal, help her…She’s (Ava) been on Ave A since 1995. She was in Bicentennial Debates, kicked their butts. If your honor cd be a mediator, sit down between the two.
Don Johnson – Ave. A
First meeting I came to you gave her 3 lots, now taken back. Didn’t other people have more time.
Mayor – clarify
Reidy – gov body took 3 lots out of the mix so ms. Horvath cd submit proposal to dev affordable hsg on those lots.
Were part of orig part of overall plan.
Subcommittee gave report last mtg about what’s happened over last 10 mos. Recommended 3 lots be put back into the mix. She was given oppor over the 10 mos.
Dorothy Moore – lives in rooming house, stays w/ sister, she’s very sick. She’s been trying to get section 8 since 95. not getting no help of no kind. Don’t hv even $20 once rent is paid. In favor of Horvath plan.
Linda Bradley – here to spk for community and ms ava. Lives in Bradley sales.? Need more affordable housing.
Everton Barham – Ave A – here to support Mrs. Ava’s cause. All have confidence in her. Her cause w/ benefit us all. Yes she can!
Katherine Plumber – Don’t quite to say no. in favor of Horvath.
Shaqoi Robinson, - born and raised on Ave A, bought house in 62, sold house five yrs ago. Remember day, I was about 14 yrs old, my grandmother was pillar of community, Mother Wells, she didn’t have any problems w/ Ms. Ava. Nobody wd spk to her. What’s this white lady coming here for drugs…? But we’re not pointing at her anymore. We want her there
Keith johnson – Sewell Ave – I’m a licensed chef. David Jones is his grandfather (Bruno notes that he knows him). If I die my kids got something. That’s the chance you should give her.
Theretha Jones –
Questions re. process
Mayor: yr ago originally approached w/ plan. Those lots were held in limbo to let Ms. Horvath come up w/ plan over 10 months. Lots put into pool. Subcommittee reported…
Jones – I was employed by city of ap when Horvath bought properties. No dev for 30 yrs been vacant. Is Interfaith Neighbors monopolizing dev in this area? I could name some other developers sitting here where things aren’t improving. I’m concerned about the West Side.
Mayor – things I’m hrg tonight mk me wnt to push for a quality plan…I’m not lkg at personalities, aft 40 yrs of failed starts, lies and corruption and empty fields. I want to see something happen, want to mk sure a yr from now we’re not sitting here going bk and forth at this mic, but in your living rooms on Ave A. To know it’s not falling apart, you’ll be proud to own and able to sell.
LZ Walker, Jr. – Ave A resident of 40 yrs – members of family live there now. Giving three lots to interfaith and other orgs you’re not going to see any of us there. We know other houses they’ve blt. They don’t come from here, from other areas very few. Give us affordable housing.
Tina - Avenue A – give her another chance to bld on those lots
Carl Brown – DeWitt Ave – living in hotel, can’t afford rent on DeWitt. Pls help her out.
Cerise Gerillo – noise ordinance – city of ap already has nuisance code on bks. Hasn’t been used for noise complaints. Has noise ord on bks for some time pls enforce. Wd also like to invite mayor and council to noise meeting. None showed up. Loffredo says he was in his office.
Sharon Gilbert – Ridge ave, Neptune – Jst want to show support for Horvath. Say Yes we can.
Rev john Bradley, Ministerial Alliance – I love to hear the voices of the people. Don’t know Miss Eva. Respect Interfaith’s track record. I support whatever is best for people of the community. I believe u hv at heart the community. Some of council I don’t see in the community, some wdn’t come on west side. Mr Bruno I know you’re out there, you’re always out there. Turn lights on your car, but I know you’re out there. We need something done on west side thnk if ms eva has a good plan, say let’s see if we can incorporate it into the plan.
George Thomas – family on Ave A – beautiful lady, give her a chance.
Tori Butler – grew up on Ave A – give lady a chance.
Ava Horvath – Avenue A – do you work for interfaith neighbors on part time basis? Richards says no. Mayor objects to pt of order.
Please before u give away these lots, plan for 10 yrs, if u give away u’ll be ruining the chance of building anything on the 4 lts adjacent. You’ll hv 3 big houses no one here can afford, as opposed to 7 homes section 8 recipients can buy. I tried to submit 3 grant applications, tha’t s why last grant applic submitted directly to you. Interfaith she says laughed at them when they asked to be part of the effort and for them to help her. Interfaith has 18 lots you gave them last month. They haven’t blt a thing. We need these 3 lots in order to make our project happen. Give us hearing, postpone this decision. We haven’t had that in the 10 mos.
James bellenger – avenue A – you’ve hrd from these people …wd enable 8 affordable houses be blt, under $100,000 each lkg for oppor to own a house.
Mayor – reprimanded Ava for talking out of turn.
Bellenger – many on section 8, portions of which can be set aside to allow them to buy a home, only way they can dod it.
Mayor – if you’re on section 8 u can set aside then have to get financing for the home. How long wd it take them to set aside enuf..
Bellenger - 4 – maybe 5 yrs/ varies w/ rates. Pls take a hard look this.
John Sally – Asbury ave – just giv her a chance. These affordable homes, know what it’s like to be homeless.
Hazel darling – prospect ave – been here 42 yrs graduated with mr. sanders, just giv ms eva a chance.
Charles perry – w/ all the building going on can Asbury residents get some…
Mayor – building for Springwood av, Samuels has put together workshops on first time homebuyers, and jobs for potential buyers, residents to be business owners in the new businesses to be in the new buildings. So we’re going to be wkg in next weeks to get contractors from area
Jay scott – Asbury ave – pushing and pushing and no where to go. Hard to pay rent and eat and live. So shd giv this lady a chance help these people, min. wage jobs are struggling.
Wells – Neptune city – give eva a chance.
Elaine Morris – born and raised in ap, lives in farmingdale now, jst met eva/ she talks like knows what she’s doing, give her a chance.
Ed Simon – locksmith 3rd and Main – heated debate tonight. I hv before council tonight first scavenger hunt, search for key to city of Asbury park. Spec events mtg Tuesday, wnt kids come out to main st. hv trolley system go up and down main st. throwing candy. w/ come up w/ plan for how w/ stop on main st. , in touch w/ the Berkeley and Madison Marquette. Trolley as candy distribution center. Ask for all your support.
Mayor- mk sure you include businesses on North Main street as well.
Simon – trying to close that gap, wnt all involved
Marano – 8th ave – what’s big problem passing a noise ordinance tonight, what’s the real reason yu won’t pass this noise ord.
Mayor – committee was here in this room, asked rather take our time and get it right rather than fast and wrong. Rita if you knew. Calls ban fireworks, ice cream trucks and train whistles.
Marano – why not enforce state ordinance.
Bruno – we were talking outside and it’s like 60 decibels.
Mayor – we are not going to hv a volley of screaming, if you’d like to talk at the microphone, but we’re not going to hav a screaming match.
Marano – the state gives me $30,000 to live in my house. If we didn’t get state aid it would cost me how much to live in my home.
Bruno – it’s the problems we have in these towns, we’re a city not suburbia.
Woman in the crowd defended Rita and called Bruno “disrespectful”.
Jerry Scarano – Long Branch - Borden st. houses w/out house numbers. One of most important office in city hall is tax assessor, which has been missing an assistant for months and months. Sort of disgrace when city of ap has no one in tax assessors office when call up. Saw Larry (Fishman) in eminent domain film 350 units would come online every year.
Reidy – everyone take out pens and paper – “I agree with Jerry Scarano” it’s oct 21. I agree on the tax assessor’s office been without assistant for awhile. So why? Going bk and forth w/ assessor on qualifications, cd we move someone internally, job posted last week. Expect to be filled in next two weeks.
Henderson, Loffredo, Johnson, Bruno present –
Council man Sanders not present
Approval of minutes from past meetings –
Bill resolution – 732,281.10 including money to bd of ed – appr’d
Liquor license for tap room – approved for another location/// ?
Polar bear plunge appr’d
Sustainability committee – that council is approving appts to it.
Open space grant re. springwood park – all yes
Masonry pillars to remain in right away – all yes
Oct. 25 – 31 lead poison prevention week
Grant $114,974. for 2010, mental health grant
Temp sen ctr Philips seaview rental agreement 2010 1,400/ mo.
Reidy - Expect break grond on new senior ctr, past ord last mtg to fund $3Mn toward one flr of building, for senior center which city w/ own, which will also include 8 units of affordable housing open to non-seniors as well. Funding piece from city is now in plc. Total is under $9 million.
In conversations w/ interfaith neighbors lkg for jobs for AP residents is part of their mission statement/ bids to go out 2010 and ground breaking as soon as ground is warm enuf, March?
Discretionary aid for road improvements – all yes.
Video surveillance system – all yes.
Resolution sackman project goes to PB w/ Don Sammet’s comments.
Authorize resubmission of bids – all yes
UEZ Рmktg program increase it by $15k, fa̤ade improvement program increase by $10k.
Ordinances for intro – dec 16th hraring – transfer prop dewitt av to coastal habitat for humanity, avenue a transfer lots to housing alliance inc// all yes!
Denise Richardson – Ridge – nice so many people turned out to get something done on ave a. But she’s had a chance. If you all come down hereto your council mtg you’d know things are starting to change. No reason we shd stop what’s happening now. If u knew the truth you wdn’t be pushing against what city trying to get done. Just reach out to me or any of members and you’ll see things are getting done. So many things getting done on west side never been done before. Speak up here on regular basis way you’re spkg up tonight. Need to be here at every city council mtg and speak up for your rights. I’m here to mk sure things continue to move on the West Side.
Reporters’ Notes of AP City Council Meeting of Oct. 21, 2009
Surveillance Camera Contractor Chosen - Drug Areas w/ be Covered
Noise Ordinance Scrapped for Nuisance Ordinance
Sackman Requests Parking Req’t Cut Back for 500 Cookman Project
Avenue A Lots- Dispute Continues
Don Sammet Carter Sackman’s request to rehab buildings on Cookman, call it 550, but it’s actually sev’l buildings, Add 5th flr,
Future of Lake Av issue w/ parking req’ts for (Sackman’s) rehabbed buildings, which will mean 31 new residential units.
The planned pkg deck was for new residential units, no pkg deck no accommodations for new residents… refers to his memo of last week. Sackman and partner aware of Sammet’s concerns:
Now Carter speaks, Sackman Enterprises:
Don did good job explaining. This project will revitalize the Cookman core, acknowledges there are some problematic characteristics.
Sackman has vested interest seeing it come back, since he runs Steinbach building across the street. Working w/ ltd am’t of parking avail for the site. By revitalizing 500 w/ create a desire to revitalize Lake View area. So need closer lk at reducing the 1.5 pkg spots/ per unit req’t/ reduce to 1.0. Wd ask for project to be presented to planning bd.
David Weiner (with Sackman) – submitted list asking for q’s
Terry Reidy –
Very excited about dev of Carter’s block/ very enthusiastic about it. Amendment (reduce pkg spot req’t) shd be forwarded to pbd for review.
Only the governing body can adopt the amendment.
Sammet has layed out very clearly concerns, pls be sure to include his concerns when sending to PBd.
Council will pass resolution to pass amendment to planning bd.
Chambers are filled with protestors supporting Eva Horvath’s bid to include 3 lots in West Side, Ave. A site in her quest to develop affordable housing there. Note: Mayor Ed Johnson points out, during the public portion, that the neighbors who hope to move into the housing will be initially section 8 renters, until such time that they can save up a deposit and obtain mortgage financing.
Bids for Revaluation – Fred Raffetto – city atty
AP ordered by state div of taxation to conduct reval of all properties, was to be for 2008. Mon Cty bd of taxation and state heard city’s request for extension, granted. Tax maps hv to be updated. Map update in progress, they w/incorporate brand new block and lot numbers. Proj. 65% complete now. Can’t enter into contract w/ reval grp until maps completed. Put out to bid effective for 2010 – 3 bidders, certified…(he names all three) impossible to carry out for 2010. City reps determined best interests of city revise bids for tax yr 2011, wd encourage more competitive bidding – were 8 other bidders interested who cd not mk the 2010 deadline. Undertaking best efforts to hv done by 2011.
Irony of all of this says Reidy, if complied w/ orig reval order in 2008, we’d be in such deep trouble now. W recession in plc now those values would be so inflated. Homeowners wd be filing appeals since value of homes wd be less than assessments. He dealt with this issue in Montclair. All those successful appeals wd have to be blt into the budget for refunds to residents.
Our properties w/ better reflect the revals with later reval.
RGA – waiting for them.
Noise ordinance committee report –
Reidy: city has introduced a noise ordinance – any adopted mst be in strict compliance w/ state guidelines. In july council intro’d noise ord in compliance w/ state. Last 5 mos spent analyzing valuing impact of ordinance/ mst recently formed subcommittee, kinmon, bruno, loffredo, officers who use the decibel meter. Compared to entertainment areas in other muni’s. Long Branch adopted noise ord and then unadopted it. Overly restrictive in terms of businesses. Instead adopted a nuisance ordinance. Kinmon contributed that.
Council wanted to know what does 50 or 70 decibels sound like? Did measures.
Held mtg of subcommittee, s/be lkg at nuisance instead of noise. He interviewed businesses, residents Thurs oct 15th, opp for them to talk among each other.
Productive meeting – open exch of ideas, commitment to wk together…giv process 30 days to review, more monitoring, then design ord reflects commitment, which all brings us to this mtg tonight.
J Loffredo – surprising what the meters showed.,
Reidy – residents asked they hv input into whatever ord considered. We hv an ord tonight I recommend we carry it, since we don’t have alternative ready. Mtg is nov 12th, next mtg of council nov 16th. That’s the soonest I’d recommend we do it. Have benefit of this 30 day period. Some commitment on part of businesses to wk w/ residents.
Tom Gilmour – Commerce Dir for the city. 2 resolutions:
UEZ changes, converting processes to computer in DCA now. Bd recommends increase funding $15k in mktg fund, façade increased by $10,000. May take awhile to get funding approval from SAG program.
Mayor: city stands to get grant admin. Budget appr’d in july/ no new funds.
Polar Bear plunge Sons of Ireland.
Charging $100 a wk for ads on city’s signs
Launched new web site this afternoon – w/ be ads taken on the site.
Old marquee will come down, pieces Madison Marquette wanted they’d taken from it.
Scavenger event spec events com hasn’t looked at yet.
RGA is here: Stocky man in maroon shirt w/ RGA logo takes seat at table with Reidy, Raffetto and Chief Kinmon – City bid on surv. Cameras. First time was issue w/ how specs were drafted. Redid bid. Robert Spray from RGA is second consultant city hired to prepare bid. Previous one was fired by city.
Chief: cpl yrs now in making, made mistakes, learned quite a bit. Recommend tonight that bid be awarded and move forward
Spray: they wrote bid and took I bids. Owner can’t be here this evening/ 2003 estab. / all emp hv hands on exper., he has 16 yrs exper in industry, wk’d for large integrator. Done large casinos. Mich casino. Malls consulted for.
Spray: started w/ lowest bidder’s proposal – nj business systems, missing lot of eq’t, didn’t supply lot of paperwork req’d. seems as if possibly bid this based on prev RFP not this one. Ex. 8 wireless camera installations instead of 9. Missing 2 cameras for Police Station, etc.
Next lowest bidder the AVRIO Group - no alternatives or deviations, all req’ts present, checked w/ city of Pittsburgh. Also supplying a yr free maintenance. So they recommend AVRIO be awarded contract.
Reidy -- 15 companies bid on the contract. Lowest $215,000, AVRIO Group of Easton, Md. $233k/ highest bid was $601,000. Award is on low end of the spectrum.
Mayor – scope of work include trans ctr and rest of city?
Chief – yes, as well as cell blk area things like that.
Mayor: asking about middle school, can we tie into that system?
Chief – not sure
Mayor: bangs and prospect has a camera we’d like to tie into.
Spray: system we’ve specked out and being proposed “extremely expandable”… can feed them thru the wireless system.
Bruno: where monitors set up at?
Chief – at police station dispatcher
Bruno: Hypothetically, if we decide to go to a 911 system w/ they tkover, or wd we hv someone here do it?
Chief – if we cd record, we cd go bk and review. But for r/time for officers on street, something we’re thinking about/ meantime mks sense to hv in dispatch center. We do hv watch commanders respons be in stations at all times. They’d be in watch commanders quarters though.
Bruno – thought it’d be more of a preventative if watched live.
Just like cameras in center now
Mayor: sometimes just presence is a deterrent
Bruno – then why not put up dummys
Reidy – valid pt. way set up now monitors w/ be in dispatch ctr. Time it changes we’d be obligated to say this is how monitoring of cameras will wk.
Bruno – don’t want collecting dustr
Reidy – that w/ not happen
Bruno – if we wnt to that system w/ they wk to report drug deal going down or wait til t’w to see the video tape?
Commit people everyday to watch?
Reidy – right now hv staff dedicated for that now.
Henderson – images can be put on sev’l screens.
Bruno – re. possibility of our going to 911/ we’d hv to pay people to watch these monitors anyway.
Chief – there wd be an add’l duty. No conversations w/ sheriffs dept about transferring cameras to freehold and hvg them monitor for us/ prob wd discuss that in future. We w/ not decrease cov’g, w/ find a way to mk it wk successfully.
Mayor: as part of this plan like to see us move forward w/ Bd of Ed, and to provide for going to county system, for how we’d maintain security of system.
Reidy – award for tonight is for installation, etc. doesn’t include hooking into the schools. But we’re hearing is flex. Enuf to accommodate that.
Spray: lot of cities dozens of cameras, can steer camera at something that’s happening, and go back and review tapes when something happens.
Interfaith, UEZ, sev’l grants and Madison Marquette
During the break Asbury Radio spoke to city officials and Spray, who said initial system will include 35 cameras, which includes 12 new cameras. So the new vendor will be networking existing cameras and new ones. There are two separate systems right now. Cameras will be placed in crime areas on the West Side as well as elsewhere in the city, say police.
Sue Henderson – attended landing of Columbus, lessons from Lou, grt photo of john lying in boat, and the bag pipes at ceremony for fallen firefighters.
Raffetto – not be tkg action on any matters covered in executive session.
3 – 4 minute break follows
PUBLIC SESSION – three mins., one time at mic
Hazel Samuels – 1706 Park Ave – employee of the city - ongoing efforts to fight led poisoning. Understand the effects of childhood poisoning, effects can be irreversible. Neurological effects, IQ loss. We hv to fight this terrible situation in our community our numbers are off the charts. Saturday is lead safety festival at the Middle School. Children 1 – 6 are admitted for pony rides, face painting and pumpkin paintings, breakfast w/ be included, as well as lunch. Each child w/ go home w/ pail of fruit – not candy. Parents urged to come and learn about how to eliminate hazards. Please tell those you know w/ children. 10 AM at Middle School.
Carmen Johnson, 32 Avenue A – fighting for Miss Ava to keep those lots for affordable housing. Have sister living with who is disabled. Her proposal w/ give a lot of women like myself a chance to have their own.
Crystal Atkinson – springwood ave – behind springwood there are 6 townhouses, where she lives. This morning when I got up they were cutting all the shrubs on city-owned property behind the complex. No privacy. Your backyard is all open. They cut shrubs so low all you see is people. Is there some way they can stop and maybe replant them? Just to have a little bit of privacy.
Bruno: maybe they cd make it 6ft hi.
Reidy – we’ll follow up first thing t’w morning.
Stacy Williams – 114 Borden Av – to address miss ava’s opinion. Seen her plans. She’s affording us opp as res of west side, ability to own our own homes thru section 8. Three lots as opposed to 18 city has. Give us a chance to say this is mine. Right now we’re like desolate soldiers. Sure there’s lot of things that can be tweaked in her proposal, help her…She’s (Ava) been on Ave A since 1995. She was in Bicentennial Debates, kicked their butts. If your honor cd be a mediator, sit down between the two.
Don Johnson – Ave. A
First meeting I came to you gave her 3 lots, now taken back. Didn’t other people have more time.
Mayor – clarify
Reidy – gov body took 3 lots out of the mix so ms. Horvath cd submit proposal to dev affordable hsg on those lots.
Were part of orig part of overall plan.
Subcommittee gave report last mtg about what’s happened over last 10 mos. Recommended 3 lots be put back into the mix. She was given oppor over the 10 mos.
Dorothy Moore – lives in rooming house, stays w/ sister, she’s very sick. She’s been trying to get section 8 since 95. not getting no help of no kind. Don’t hv even $20 once rent is paid. In favor of Horvath plan.
Linda Bradley – here to spk for community and ms ava. Lives in Bradley sales.? Need more affordable housing.
Everton Barham – Ave A – here to support Mrs. Ava’s cause. All have confidence in her. Her cause w/ benefit us all. Yes she can!
Katherine Plumber – Don’t quite to say no. in favor of Horvath.
Shaqoi Robinson, - born and raised on Ave A, bought house in 62, sold house five yrs ago. Remember day, I was about 14 yrs old, my grandmother was pillar of community, Mother Wells, she didn’t have any problems w/ Ms. Ava. Nobody wd spk to her. What’s this white lady coming here for drugs…? But we’re not pointing at her anymore. We want her there
Keith johnson – Sewell Ave – I’m a licensed chef. David Jones is his grandfather (Bruno notes that he knows him). If I die my kids got something. That’s the chance you should give her.
Theretha Jones –
Questions re. process
Mayor: yr ago originally approached w/ plan. Those lots were held in limbo to let Ms. Horvath come up w/ plan over 10 months. Lots put into pool. Subcommittee reported…
Jones – I was employed by city of ap when Horvath bought properties. No dev for 30 yrs been vacant. Is Interfaith Neighbors monopolizing dev in this area? I could name some other developers sitting here where things aren’t improving. I’m concerned about the West Side.
Mayor – things I’m hrg tonight mk me wnt to push for a quality plan…I’m not lkg at personalities, aft 40 yrs of failed starts, lies and corruption and empty fields. I want to see something happen, want to mk sure a yr from now we’re not sitting here going bk and forth at this mic, but in your living rooms on Ave A. To know it’s not falling apart, you’ll be proud to own and able to sell.
LZ Walker, Jr. – Ave A resident of 40 yrs – members of family live there now. Giving three lots to interfaith and other orgs you’re not going to see any of us there. We know other houses they’ve blt. They don’t come from here, from other areas very few. Give us affordable housing.
Tina - Avenue A – give her another chance to bld on those lots
Carl Brown – DeWitt Ave – living in hotel, can’t afford rent on DeWitt. Pls help her out.
Cerise Gerillo – noise ordinance – city of ap already has nuisance code on bks. Hasn’t been used for noise complaints. Has noise ord on bks for some time pls enforce. Wd also like to invite mayor and council to noise meeting. None showed up. Loffredo says he was in his office.
Sharon Gilbert – Ridge ave, Neptune – Jst want to show support for Horvath. Say Yes we can.
Rev john Bradley, Ministerial Alliance – I love to hear the voices of the people. Don’t know Miss Eva. Respect Interfaith’s track record. I support whatever is best for people of the community. I believe u hv at heart the community. Some of council I don’t see in the community, some wdn’t come on west side. Mr Bruno I know you’re out there, you’re always out there. Turn lights on your car, but I know you’re out there. We need something done on west side thnk if ms eva has a good plan, say let’s see if we can incorporate it into the plan.
George Thomas – family on Ave A – beautiful lady, give her a chance.
Tori Butler – grew up on Ave A – give lady a chance.
Ava Horvath – Avenue A – do you work for interfaith neighbors on part time basis? Richards says no. Mayor objects to pt of order.
Please before u give away these lots, plan for 10 yrs, if u give away u’ll be ruining the chance of building anything on the 4 lts adjacent. You’ll hv 3 big houses no one here can afford, as opposed to 7 homes section 8 recipients can buy. I tried to submit 3 grant applications, tha’t s why last grant applic submitted directly to you. Interfaith she says laughed at them when they asked to be part of the effort and for them to help her. Interfaith has 18 lots you gave them last month. They haven’t blt a thing. We need these 3 lots in order to make our project happen. Give us hearing, postpone this decision. We haven’t had that in the 10 mos.
James bellenger – avenue A – you’ve hrd from these people …wd enable 8 affordable houses be blt, under $100,000 each lkg for oppor to own a house.
Mayor – reprimanded Ava for talking out of turn.
Bellenger – many on section 8, portions of which can be set aside to allow them to buy a home, only way they can dod it.
Mayor – if you’re on section 8 u can set aside then have to get financing for the home. How long wd it take them to set aside enuf..
Bellenger - 4 – maybe 5 yrs/ varies w/ rates. Pls take a hard look this.
John Sally – Asbury ave – just giv her a chance. These affordable homes, know what it’s like to be homeless.
Hazel darling – prospect ave – been here 42 yrs graduated with mr. sanders, just giv ms eva a chance.
Charles perry – w/ all the building going on can Asbury residents get some…
Mayor – building for Springwood av, Samuels has put together workshops on first time homebuyers, and jobs for potential buyers, residents to be business owners in the new businesses to be in the new buildings. So we’re going to be wkg in next weeks to get contractors from area
Jay scott – Asbury ave – pushing and pushing and no where to go. Hard to pay rent and eat and live. So shd giv this lady a chance help these people, min. wage jobs are struggling.
Wells – Neptune city – give eva a chance.
Elaine Morris – born and raised in ap, lives in farmingdale now, jst met eva/ she talks like knows what she’s doing, give her a chance.
Ed Simon – locksmith 3rd and Main – heated debate tonight. I hv before council tonight first scavenger hunt, search for key to city of Asbury park. Spec events mtg Tuesday, wnt kids come out to main st. hv trolley system go up and down main st. throwing candy. w/ come up w/ plan for how w/ stop on main st. , in touch w/ the Berkeley and Madison Marquette. Trolley as candy distribution center. Ask for all your support.
Mayor- mk sure you include businesses on North Main street as well.
Simon – trying to close that gap, wnt all involved
Marano – 8th ave – what’s big problem passing a noise ordinance tonight, what’s the real reason yu won’t pass this noise ord.
Mayor – committee was here in this room, asked rather take our time and get it right rather than fast and wrong. Rita if you knew. Calls ban fireworks, ice cream trucks and train whistles.
Marano – why not enforce state ordinance.
Bruno – we were talking outside and it’s like 60 decibels.
Mayor – we are not going to hv a volley of screaming, if you’d like to talk at the microphone, but we’re not going to hav a screaming match.
Marano – the state gives me $30,000 to live in my house. If we didn’t get state aid it would cost me how much to live in my home.
Bruno – it’s the problems we have in these towns, we’re a city not suburbia.
Woman in the crowd defended Rita and called Bruno “disrespectful”.
Jerry Scarano – Long Branch - Borden st. houses w/out house numbers. One of most important office in city hall is tax assessor, which has been missing an assistant for months and months. Sort of disgrace when city of ap has no one in tax assessors office when call up. Saw Larry (Fishman) in eminent domain film 350 units would come online every year.
Reidy – everyone take out pens and paper – “I agree with Jerry Scarano” it’s oct 21. I agree on the tax assessor’s office been without assistant for awhile. So why? Going bk and forth w/ assessor on qualifications, cd we move someone internally, job posted last week. Expect to be filled in next two weeks.
Henderson, Loffredo, Johnson, Bruno present –
Council man Sanders not present
Approval of minutes from past meetings –
Bill resolution – 732,281.10 including money to bd of ed – appr’d
Liquor license for tap room – approved for another location/// ?
Polar bear plunge appr’d
Sustainability committee – that council is approving appts to it.
Open space grant re. springwood park – all yes
Masonry pillars to remain in right away – all yes
Oct. 25 – 31 lead poison prevention week
Grant $114,974. for 2010, mental health grant
Temp sen ctr Philips seaview rental agreement 2010 1,400/ mo.
Reidy - Expect break grond on new senior ctr, past ord last mtg to fund $3Mn toward one flr of building, for senior center which city w/ own, which will also include 8 units of affordable housing open to non-seniors as well. Funding piece from city is now in plc. Total is under $9 million.
In conversations w/ interfaith neighbors lkg for jobs for AP residents is part of their mission statement/ bids to go out 2010 and ground breaking as soon as ground is warm enuf, March?
Discretionary aid for road improvements – all yes.
Video surveillance system – all yes.
Resolution sackman project goes to PB w/ Don Sammet’s comments.
Authorize resubmission of bids – all yes
UEZ Рmktg program increase it by $15k, fa̤ade improvement program increase by $10k.
Ordinances for intro – dec 16th hraring – transfer prop dewitt av to coastal habitat for humanity, avenue a transfer lots to housing alliance inc// all yes!
Denise Richardson – Ridge – nice so many people turned out to get something done on ave a. But she’s had a chance. If you all come down hereto your council mtg you’d know things are starting to change. No reason we shd stop what’s happening now. If u knew the truth you wdn’t be pushing against what city trying to get done. Just reach out to me or any of members and you’ll see things are getting done. So many things getting done on west side never been done before. Speak up here on regular basis way you’re spkg up tonight. Need to be here at every city council mtg and speak up for your rights. I’m here to mk sure things continue to move on the West Side.
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