HARVEY CEDARS, NJ June
20, 2006
The
regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Borough of Harvey Cedars,
NJ was called to order by Mayor Oldham at 4:30pm who stated to the best of his
knowledge all requirements of the State Sunshine Law had been met. Commissioners Gerkens and Garofalo and Board
Attorney John Cerefice were present.
The
Mayor asked all to rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Motion to approve the minutes of the
previous meeting, June 2, 2006, was made by
Commissioner
Garofalo, seconded by Commissioner Gerkens.
The Mayor read the following
ordinance by title and number and stated that proof of publication is on hand and the
ordinance has been posted.
(Add Long Beach Township
to Joint Environmental Commission)
Motion
to open public discussion: Commissioner Garofalo
Second:
Commissioner Gerkens
There
were no public comments.
Motion
to close public discussion: Commissioner Garofalo
Second:
Commissioner Gerkens
Motion
to adopt: Commissioner Gerkens
Second:
Commissioner Garofalo
A
copy of the full ordinance as adopted is filed in the ordinance book.
The Mayor read the following
resolution by title only and asked for a motion to adopt.
A
copy of the resolution is attached hereto and made a part hereof.
Motion to adopt: Commissioner Gerkens
Second: Commissioner Garofalo
The Mayor read the following
resolution by title only and asked for a motion to adopt.
AUTHORIZING CHANGE ORDER #1 TO THE CONTRACT WITH
2005 ROAD RECONSTRUCTION/IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
A
copy of the resolution is attached hereto and made a part hereof.
Motion to adopt: Commissioner Gerkens
Second: Commissioner Garofalo
Vote: Ayes – unanimous
The Mayor read the following
resolution by title only and asked for a motion to adopt.
A
copy of the resolution is attached hereto and made a part hereof.
Motion to adopt: Commissioner Gerkens
Second: Commissioner Garofalo
Vote: Ayes – unanimous
The Mayor read the following
resolution by title only and asked for a motion to adopt.
RENEWAL OF PLENARY RETAIL DISTRIBUTION LICENSE TO
HILLCO CORP., INC. FOR THE YEAR 2006-2007
(Neptune Liquors)
A
copy of the resolution is attached hereto and made a part hereof.
The Mayor asked if there
were any objections on the part of the public to the granting of this
license. No objections were made.
Motion to adopt: Commissioner Gerkens
Second: Commissioner Garofalo
Vote: Ayes – unanimous
The Mayor read the following
resolution by title only and asked for a motion to adopt.
AWARD CONTRACTS FOR POLICE DEPARTMENT COMPUTER EQUIPMENT
A
copy of the resolution is attached hereto and made a part hereof.
Motion to adopt: Commissioner Garofalo
Second: Commissioner Gerkens
The Mayor read the following
resolution by title only and asked for a motion to adopt.
A
copy of the resolution is attached hereto and made a part hereof.
Motion
to approve the bills for payment was made by Commissioner Garofalo, seconded by Commissioner
Gerkens.
PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR –
Pam Liss, 7101 Long Beach Blvd., inquired about the
status of the playground equipment at Sunset Park. Commissioner Gerkens said that the public works department would
complete the installation of the new equipment shortly. Ms. Liss also asked about the installation
of “Keep off the Dune” signage, the status of the dune fence, and if she could
erect a “Keep of Dunes” sign.
Commissioner Gerkens said that the public works department was working
on the erection of snow fence and signs throughout the beach area but would
provide her with a sign if she felt it necessary to erect it immediately. Wendy Mae Chambers, 13 East 75th
Street, noted that some altercations have erupted between oceanfront homeowners
and the people who were traversing the dune area. The Commissioners recommended that the police be called to remove
anyone from the public who refused to stay off the dune areas.
Ms. Chambers asked that the Commissioners reconsider
becoming involved in the tree issues that some property owners were
experiencing with their neighbors.
Mayor Oldham recommended that the taxpayers association work out a
proposal of what could be enacted that would work for the entire
community. He cautioned that anything
enacted by the governing body would have to apply to all locations throughout
the borough including East/West and North/South streets. He recommended that they take a look at plot
plans and keep in mind how current zoning ordinances apply. He asked that they report back to the
Commissioners with their findings.
Ms. Chambers asked for more crosswalk signage in all
directions. Commissioner Garofalo noted
that it would be difficult to employ the use of crosswalks and crosswalk
signage because Harvey Cedars has four lanes of traffic moving at a rate of 35
miles per hour and any signage and crosswalk areas would probably create a more
dangerous situation and not alleviate the problem.
Ms. Chambers asked the governing body to consider
making the Friday meetings from September through May evening meetings
commencing at 8:00PM. The Commissioners
indicated that they would consider it for next year.
The issue of litter, specifically cigarette butts
was discussed and Commissioner Gerkens said that the issue could be addressed
in the next highlights mailing.
Ms. Chambers reported that she attended a joint taxpayer’s
association meeting and that the regional school tax was a topic discussed at
length. She inquired if the
Commissioners had any knowledge on how the budget reduction was arrived at by
the various governing bodies. Commissioner Garofalo gave a brief explanation of
the process. He indicated that neither
the governing bodies nor Southern Regional wanted the State Department of
Education to mediate and make the final budget determinations. The result was the compromise with the
regional school budget being reduced by $500,000.00. Also discussed was the study sponsored by Beach Haven and Long
Beach Township regarding the funding of the Southern Regional district by
island municipalities.
Ms. Chambers inquired about the status of the deeds
of easement and if the DEP had clarified the bathroom facilities issue. Borough Solicitor, John Cerefice said that
there had been no movement on this issue.
Discussion ensued regarding the remaining twenty-three properties that
still had not provided the Borough with easements. Mr. Cerefice recommended that the taxpayers association allow the
Commissioners to contact the remaining individuals and address the issues
specific to each of those property owners.
Discussion continued regarding where the project is, and specifically
the situation in Surf City where the project is scheduled to commence this
fall. Mayor Oldham indicated that when
the island municipalities started their campaign to get a
replenishment/nourishment project for the island, funding was the only foreseen
obstacle to accomplishing their goal.
No one ever considered that the property owners benefiting from the
project would be the bigger hurdles.
Discussion continued centering on the option of eminent domain. Ms.
Chambers asked about Green Acre funding should the option of eminent domain
become a necessary tactic for attaining easements from some property
owners. Mr. Cerefice said that even if
there was funding available for this sort of project, he was not in favor of
eminent domain since it is exceedingly expensive and would create too many
non-conforming properties. Inquires
were made as to the timetable of events associated with the project. Mr. Cerefice indicated that the
replenishment project as a whole is in constant flux; with different details
changing hourly and that no timetable could be predicted by anyone
present. He assured the taxpayers
association that the Borough would obtain one hundred percent of the easements.
He reported that he, the Army Corps, the DEP, and Borough Engineer were all
working together and coordinating efforts to keep the project moving
forward.
Motion to adjourn: Commissioner Garofalo
Second:
Commissioner Gerkens
Meeting adjourned at 5:30pm.
_______________________________
____________________________
Jonathan
Oldham, Mayor
____________________________
Judith
Gerkens, Commissioner
____________________________
Michael
Garofalo, Commissioner