Council Minutes from 6/11/2003

REGULAR MEETING OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE� BOROUGH OF KENILWORTH HELD ON WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 11, 2003. MAYOR MICHAEL TRIPODI PRESIDED.

ROLL CALL

Roll Call at 8:00 P.M. showed the following Council Members present:� Gregg David, Kathi Fiamingo, Alan Jankunas, and Robert Taylor.� Council Members Carmela Colosimo and Ed

Galasso were absent.

Mayor Tripodi read the requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act.

The Salute to the Flag was led by Mayor Tripodi.

MINUTES

It was moved by Fiamingo, seconded by Jankunas and carried, that the minutes of the Work Session Meeting of May 27^th and the Regular Meeting of May 28, 2003 be dispensed with and approved as submitted.� (Copies furnished each Council Member prior to the meeting.)

SPECIAL PRESENTATION � KENILWORTH RECREATION WRESTLING TEAM

Mayor Tripodi said that he was very proud to have the Kenilworth Recreation Wrestling team

here this evening, especially since he was a wrestler as was Councilman Taylor. He called forward the head coaches, Joe Lospinoso and George Boyden to present to them the following resolution which he read into the minutes:

RESOLUTION NO. 7

Introduced by Taylor who also moved its adoption.

Resolution appears on the following page.� (Commending the Kenilworth Recreation Wrestling

�� Team on their successful season)

Seconded by Jankunas and on roll call unanimously carried.

George Boyden and Joe Lospinoso thanked the Mayor and Council and asked to be remembered at budget time.

COMMUNICATIONS AND PETITIONS

Letter from Comcast notifying of addition of programming to Digital Plus Service.
Letter from Luz Klein, 245 North 9^th Street, complaining about the noise (gun shots) from the Union Police Department Gun Range behind the Home Depot on Route 22.
Notice of Tort Claims (2) received on 6/6/03 from the Estates of William Streiter, Jr. and

Ashley M. Streiter who died as a result of a motor vehicle accident on the Garden State Parkway in the Kenilworth/Cranford area.

REPORTS

Police Department Report for the month of May, 2003.
Borough Clerk�s Report for the month of May, 2003.

It was moved by Taylor, seconded by Fiamingo and carried, that the above communications be received and filed and any money amounts indicated be spread over the minutes.

REPORT OF COMMITTEES

MAYOR�S REPORT

Mayor Tripodi said permission has been received by the Board of Education to go ahead with the fireworks celebration on Sunday, June 29, 2003 from 7 pm to 10 pm at the school complex on the Boulevard and North 14^th Street.� He also announced that the street fair is scheduled for October 12, 2003 with a rain date of October 19^th.� Mayor Tripodi said he will be attending the Chamber of Commerce meeting tomorrow at the Kenilworth Inn.� In regards to the railroad, he said that the County reversed their position on the project and approved it.� He assured the residents that the governing body is united in their stand and will be proceeding to fight this action and will keep everyone advised on any developments.

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE

Councilwoman Fiamingo said she had nothing to report.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

Councilman Jankunas said that the street sweeper has been down for several weeks and after discussing this problem at the work session meeting, they have decided to repair it and will be sending it out tomorrow.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

In Councilman Galasso�s absence, Mayor Tripodi announced that we will be having a second reading on the police promotion ordinance which had been worked on over the past year and a half.� He said that the detective bureau has water problems due to all of the rain we have been getting and the Council voted last night to rectify the problem with the capital budget.

REPORT OF COMMITTEES (CONT.)

DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING, ZONING AND ORDINANCES

Councilman David said he had nothing to report.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION AND WELFARE

Councilman Taylor said he had nothing to report.

BILLS

Consolidated Bill List appears on the following pages.

CONSENT AGENDA

Resolutions No. 1 �6 listed below are on the Consent Agenda and will be enacted by one motion in the form listed below.� All items will be recorded individually in full in the minutes.

Council Member Jankunas moved that all items under Consent Agenda be approved, seconded by Council Member Fiamingo.� Upon roll call the vote was unanimous.

RESOLUTION NO. 1

Be It Hereby Resolved:� That all bills be paid when properly audited and funds are available.

RESOLUTION NO. 2

Be It Hereby Resolved:� That the attached list of Retirees be reimbursed for their payments for Medicare coverage from January 1, 2003 to June 30, 2003 inclusive, in accordance with

Chapter 231, P.L. 1970 State of New Jersey.

RESOLUTION NO. 3

Be It Hereby Resolved:� Whereas, the following property was issued a permit, and fees were received by the Building Department;

�� Whereas, it has been determined that the work will not be done.

�� Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved� that the Treasurer be and is hereby authorized to draw a warrant to refund the following:

�� Amount of $38.00 refunded to contractor:

�� Deegan Roofing Company

�� 61 Terrill Road

�� Plainfield, NJ� 07062

�� For property located at� 220 North 23^rd Street

�� Kenilworth, NJ�

�� Block 44, Lot 6� Permit #02-0483

CONSENT AGENDA (CONT.)

RESOLUTION NO. 4

Resolution appears on the following page.� (Resolution requesting approval from the U.C. Board

�� of Chosen Freeholders to hang banners across the

�� Boulevard and also for a Road Closing for the

�� Octoberfest)

RESOLUTION NO. 5

Resolution appears on the following page.� (Awarding bid for �Drainage Improvements at

�� DiMario Park� to the low bidder, Jo-Med

�� Contracting Company - $31,291.78)

RESOLUTION NO. 6

Resolution appears on the following page.� (Awarding bid for �Restroom Renovations in

�� Recreation Building� to the low bidder, C.M.

�� General Contactors - $23,400.00)

Proposed Ordinance No. 2003-7 was read for a second reading as follows (copy appears in the

�� minutes of May 14, 2003)

�� 2003-07

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 39, SECTION 39.12c (1-5) OF THE CODE OF THE BOROUGH OF KENILWORTH � POLICE PROMOTIONS

Mayor Tripodi explained that after consultations with the Police Chief, the PBA and the Governing Body, the promotion ordinance has been revised and establishes eligibility for the promotions, the examination process and the Chief�s recommendations,� things that the Chief will consider when making the recommendations, disclosure of test scores, and evaluations for newly promoted police officers.

Mayor Tripodi opened the meeting to the public for any questions or comments on proposed Ordinance No. 2003-07.

No one desiring to be heard, Mayor Tripodi closed the meeting to the public.

RESOLUTION NO. 8

Introduced by Jankunas who also moved its adoption.�

Be It Hereby Resolved:� That Proposed Ordinance No. 2003-07, be and the same is hereby passed on second and final reading and ordered published according to law.

Seconded by Fiamingo and on roll call unanimously carried.

GENERAL BUSINESS

Mayor Tripodi announced that he signed the plans for the new traffic light renovations and this project is proceeding as planned.

Councilman Taylor said he was glad to have the wrestling team here tonight, as he was in that position a number of years ago and it was a very good experience.� He said he is sure he still has his resolution at home and he was also glad to see a large number of children involved and their excitement to be here.� Councilman Taylor said he also wanted recognize the police ordinance saying that it was the first major change that he has been involved in during his tenure as a Council Member.� He said it was good to see the �give and take� from the council along with the input by the Chief to put together this ordinance which he feels has satisfied everybody.

MEETING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Fred Soos, Epping Drive, asked Mayor Tripodi if there was a date for the traffic light renovations?

Mayor Tripodi said it should be this year and deferred to Chief Dowd who, from the audience, said it should be late summer.

Mr. Soos asked if the Union County Police put a shooting range in the back of Home Depot that we were not aware of?

Councilwoman Fiamingo said that it has been there all along and was part of the deal that Union had made with Home Depot.� They just cleaned it up.

Councilman Jankunas said that he had heard that they were planning on putting a dome or a cap on it, however, it turned out that they were unable to afford it.

Joanne Dillon, Faitoute Avenue, came to report as a representative of the Union County Transportation Advisory Board.� She said although she will give the minutes to Borough Clerk Hedy Lipke, she said they will be revised as there is a problem with the person who types them because he writes his opinion and not the facts. She said there was a presentation by the NJ DOT pertaining to the issue of traffic safety on highways and transit programs.� She also had a copy of the Transportation Project Status Report.� A resolution was passed by the Freeholders to conduct

a study to improve the traffic congestion and safety concerns on Route 22, specifically through Union and Springfield.� Mrs. Dillon said that the big issue was the fact that the Freeholders passed a resolution last Thursday to go ahead with the reactivation of the rail line.� She said no one knew that they were going to do this and if she and Carol Westervelt were not in attendance they would have never known.� Mrs. Dillon said she would like to take her hat off to Borough Clerk Hedy Lipke, because the �morning of� she phoned Hedy and between the two of them they were faxing, e-mailing, etc. and in less than 24 hours they were able to get a terrific showing of our Mayor, other Mayors, our Attorney, people of the steering committee and other interested Union County residents.� She said she is floored by the way this was done, arbitrarily without

consulting the involved municipalities especially when the contract specifically says �public

MEETING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC (CONT.)

input�.� She said she was glad that the Mayor had asked her and Carol to serve on the Transportation Advisory Board because she feels that being there has been a tremendous help.

Chief William Dowd said he would like to commend the Mayor and Council for the police promotion ordinance.� He said it was very much appreciated.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to come before the Council, it was moved by David, seconded by Jankunas and carried, that the meeting be adjourned to the call of the chair.

8:25 P.M.

�� Respectfully submitted,

�� Hedy Lipke

�� Borough Clerk

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