City Council

The Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Hackensack was held at City Hall, 65 Central Avenue, Hackensack, New Jersey, on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at 8:11 p.m. Mayor John Labrosse called the meeting to order and the City Clerk Deborah Karlsson announced that the meeting was being held in accordance with the Sunshine Law, notice having been published according to law, with a copy on file in the City Clerk’s office, and a copy posted on the bulletin board in City Hall. Attendance Ms. Karlsson called the roll: Mayor Labrosse, Deputy Mayor Kathy Canestrino, Councilman Leo Battaglia, Councilman David Sims and Councilwoman Deborah Keeling-Geddis were present. City Manager Ted Ehrenburg and Attorney Steve Kleinman were in attendance. Flag Salute Proclamations- None Approval of Minutes – A motion to approve the C.O.W Meeting Minutes from January 10, 2017 was offered by Deputy Mayor Canestrino, seconded by Councilman Battaglia and approved by Mayor Labrosse, Deputy Mayor Canestrino, Councilman Battaglia, and Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis. Councilman Sims abstained as he was not present at the meeting. A motion to approve the Regular Meeting Minutes from January 10, 2017 was offered by Deputy Mayor Canestrino, seconded by Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis and approved by Mayor Labrosse, Deputy Mayor Canestrino, Councilman Battaglia, Councilman Sims and Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis. City Manager’s Report Crossing guards will be added to Beech Street and Prospect Avenue in the upcoming weeks. A traffic light for the location is going out to bid. Engineers are finalizing the details with our Project Manager. We are adding an additional crossing guard to Essex and Summit Avenue. February is Black History Month and the Mayor and Council will be honoring individuals with proclamations at the February Council meetings. Our Condo COOP Board is meeting on January 26, 2017 at 7PM. I will be attending that meeting to answer their questions and concerns. The Building Department has received their American flags and we are complete. 01/24/2017 1 Resolutions Council Intr Secon Abstai Recuse Member o d Yes No n Absent d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 16-17 INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 01-2017, AN ORDINANCE AMENDING PART II ENTITLED “GENERAL LEGISLATION,” CHAPTER 170 ENTITLED “VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC” OF THE CITY OF HACKENSACK MUNICIPAL CODE TO AMEND SECTION 49.2 ENTITLED “PARKING FOR THE HANDICAPPED” BE IT RESOLVED that the above ordinance, being Ordinance 01-2017 as introduced, does now pass on first reading and that said Ordinance shall be considered for final passage at a meeting to be held on February 14, 2017 at 8:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the matter can be reached at the regular meeting place of the City Council and at such time and place all persons interested be given an opportunity to be heard concerning said Ordinance and that the City Clerk be and she is hereby authorized and directed to publish said ordinance according to law with a notice of its introduction and passage on first reading and of the time and place when and where said ordinance will be further considered for final passage. CITY OF HACKENSACK ORDINANCE NO. 01-2017 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING PART II ENTITLED “GENERAL LEGISLATION,” CHAPTER 170 ENTITLED “VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC” OF THE CITY OF HACKENSACK MUNICIPAL CODE TO AMEND SECTION 49.2 ENTITLED “PARKING FOR THE HANDICAPPED” WHEREAS, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2, the governing body of a municipality may make, amend, repeal, and enforce such other ordinances, regulations, rules and by-laws not contrary to the laws of this state or of the United States, as it may deem necessary and proper for the good of government, order and protection of person and property, and for the preservation of the public health, safety and welfare of the municipality and its inhabitants, and as may be necessary to carry into effect the powers and duties conferred and imposed by this subtitle, or by any law; and WHEREAS, the City wishes to amend Chapter 170 entitled “Vehicles and Traffic,” Section 49.2 entitled “Parking for the Handicapped”; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds it in the City’s best interest to make this change. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HACKENSACK, as follows: 01/24/2017 2 SECTION 1. Chapter 170 entitled, “Vehicles and Traffic” is amended as to Section 49.2 entitled “Parking for the handicapped” is amended such that The City of Hackensack Municipal Code, Part II entitled “General Legislation,” states: §170-49.2. Parking for the handicapped. ... E. Designation of parking areas. In accordance with this chapter, the following three (3) locations shall provide parking for the physically handicapped: Parking Lot or Street Side Location/Number of Handicapped Parking Spaces 244 First Street East One space - From a point 66 feet south of the south/east curb line apex of First Street and High Street to a point 22 feet south thereof Section 2: This Ordinance shall take effect upon passage, adoption, and publication in the manner prescribed by law. Introduced: January 24, 2017 Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 17-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING TRANSFER OF 2016 BUDGET APPROPRIATIONS WHEREAS, various Year 2016 bills have been presented for payment this year, which bills were not covered by Year 2016 Budget Appropriations; and WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 40A:4-58 provides that amounts in excess of appropriations over and above the amounts deemed to be necessary to fulfill the purpose of such appropriations may be transferred to appropriations deemed to be insufficient during the last two months of the year and the first three months of the reserve year. 01/24/2017 3  NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Hackensack that the transfers in the amount of $34,000.00 be made between the Year 2016 Budget Appropriations as follows: FROM DEPARTMENT 6-01-27-330-331-200 Health Dept. - O/E $ 13,000.00 6-01-28-370-370-200 Recreation – O/E $ 15,000.00 6-01-30-420-420-200 Celebrations Public Events – O/E $ 6,000.00 Total $34,000.00 TO DEPARTMENT 6-01-20-145-145-200 Tax Collection - O/E $ 3,000.00 6-01-22-200-202-200 Community Development – O/E $ 2,000.00 6-01-25-240-240-200 Police - O/E $ 5,000.00 6-01-25-240-242-200 Traffic Control – O/E $ 12,000.00 6-01-26-130-130-200 Public Buildings / Grounds – O/E $ 7,000.00 6-01-31-440-440-200 Telephone $ 1,000.00 6-01-26-300-302-200 Street Cleaning – O/E $ 4,000.00 Total $34,000.00 Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X X Keeling- Geddis X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 18-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING CANCELLATION AND CORRECTED TAX BILL TO BE ISSUED FOR BLOCK 19, LOT 17 402 WILLIAMS AVENUE WHEREAS, a property located in the City of Hackensack, located at 402 Williams Avenue, Block 19, Lot 17 received one tax bill for this property in 2016 in the amount of $21,811.75; and WHEREAS, this property 402 Williams Avenue was designated a duplex when a master deed was filed on January 15, 2016, making this property an official duplex; and WHEREAS, two separate tax bills should have been generated upon this occurrence for 2016. Splitting the tax bill into two separate tax bills for 2016 and 2017, designated units, Block 19, Lot 17, Qual, C000A and C000B; and WHEREAS, the tax bill for Block 19, Lot 17 will be cancelled via this resolution and two corrected bills will be sent as stated below. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that this resolution will generate the corrected tax bill as follows and be issued to the correct owner as well as authorize the Tax Collector to refund $10,905.88 to Rashad Anderson for his overpayment in 2016. 01/24/2017 4  C000A – Owner: Rashad Anderson 2016 - $10,905.88 2017 - $5,453.00 C000B – Owner: Juan C. Padron 2016 - $10,905.87 2017 - $5,453.00 Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X X Keeling- Geddis X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 19-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING TAX REFUNDS BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Hackensack that the proper officers be and are hereby authorized to make the following refunds for the reasons stated: AMOUNT BLOCK LOT NAME YEAR REASON $2,401.06 105.01 11 Michael A Vespasiano 2009 SBJ Attorney Trust For 139 Rt 17 S LLC 331 Main St Chatham, NJ 07928 $2,523.55 105.01 11 Michael A Vespasiano 2010 SBJ Attorney Trust For 139 Rt 17 S LLC 331 Main St Chatham, NJ 07928 $6,149.88 105.01 11 Michael A Vespasiano 2011 SBJ Attorney Trust For 139 Rt 17 S LLC 331 Main St Chatham, NJ 07928 $6,449.98 105.01 11 Michael A Vespasiano 2012 SBJ Attorney Trust For 139 Rt 17 S LLC 331 Main St Chatham, NJ 07928 $9,921.23 105.01 11 Michael A Vespasiano 2013 SBJ Attorney Trust For 139 Rt 17 S LLC 331 Main St 01/24/2017 5  Chatham, NJ 07928 $10,245.05 105.01 11 Michael A Vespasiano 2014 SBJ Attorney Trust For 139 Rt 17 S LLC 331 Main St Chatham, NJ 07928 $10,794.00 105.01 11 Michael A Vespasiano 2015 SBJ Attorney Trust For 139 Rt 17 S LLC 331 Main St Chatham, NJ 07928 $17,957.45 105.01 11 Michael A Vespasiano 2016 SBJ Attorney Trust For 139 Rt 17 S LLC 331 Main St Chatham, NJ 07928 Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 20-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING TAX APPEAL ATTORNEY TO SETTLE THE CASES ON THE ATTACHED LIST DATED JANUARY 24, 2017 THAT WERE SCHEDULED FOR TRIAL OR SETTLEMENT WHEREAS, the names on the attached list are owners of real estate of the Block and Lots specified on said list; and WHEREAS, the owners set forth on the list have filed tax appeals challenging the assessments for the above referenced tax years as more specifically set forth on said list; and WHEREAS, each Block and Lots listed therein was/were assessed at the amount stated therein for the noted tax years; and WHEREAS, the owners are seeking a reduction in the total assessments for said Block and Lots for the respective years; and WHEREAS, the City’s Tax Appeal Attorney, Matthew J. O’Donnell, Esq. has completed discovery/inquiry with respect to these matters and has consulted with the City Tax Assessor, Arthur Carlson, CTA and the City’s Appraiser, Robert McNerney, MAI and has conducted extensive negotiations with counsel for the taxpayer; and WHEREAS, the parties have agreed that prejudgment interest shall be waived as a condition of any and all settlements; and WHEREAS, the City’s Tax Appeal Attorney, Matthew J. O’Donnell, Esq., the City’s Appraiser, Robert McNerney, MAI, and the City’s Tax Assessor, Arthur Carlson, CTA are in agreement with the terms of said settlements and believe that it would be in the best interest of the City to settle said cases in accordance with the terms as stated on the attached list; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Governing Body of the City of Hackensack agrees to authorize the City’s Tax Appeal Attorney, Matthew J. O’Donnell, Esq. to execute a Stipulation of Settlement on behalf of the City of Hackensack with respect to the cases 01/24/2017 6 on the attached list pending in the Tax Court of New Jersey for the tax years and at the new assessments stated on said list; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this Resolution are to be provided to the City Clerk, City Tax Assessor and the City Tax Appeal Attorney, Matthew J. O’Donnell, Esq. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 21-17 RESOLUTION SELECTING AND CONDITIONALLY DESIGNATING REDEVELOPER FOR THE LOT C REDEVELOPMENT PLAN AREA (BLOCK 308.01, LOT 3) WHEREAS, the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law, N.J.S.A. 40A:12-1, et seq., as amended and supplemented (“LRHL”), provides a process for municipalities to participate in the redevelopment and improvement of areas in need of redevelopment with a designated private Redeveloper; and WHEREAS, the governing body serves as an instrumentality and agency of the City of Hackensack (“the City”) pursuant to the LRHL for the purpose of implementing redevelopment plans and carrying out redevelopment projects within the City (“Redevelopment Agency”); and WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 40A:12A-8 authorizes the City to enter into contracts or agreements for the planning, construction or undertaking of any development project or redevelopment work in an area in need of redevelopment; and WHEREAS, on April 10, 2013, the governing body of the City authorized and requested that Lot C be the subject of a preliminary investigation to determine whether it meets the statutory criteria as an area in need of redevelopment; and WHEREAS, on June 12, 2013, the City’s Planning Board recommended that Lot C be designated as an area in need of redevelopment; and WHEREAS, on June 26, 2013, the City’s governing body designated Lot C as an area in need of redevelopment; and WHEREAS, in January 2014, the governing body adopted a Redevelopment Plan for Lot C that was amended and adopted by ordinance on March 18, 2014, forming the Lot C Redevelopment Plan Area; and WHEREAS, over the course to two years, the City conducted significant due diligence on the Lot C Redevelopment Plan Area and resolved various title and tidal claim issues relating to the property to prepare it for redevelopment; and WHEREAS, on June 28, 2016, pursuant to Resolution 255-16, the City Council authorized the issuance of a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) in accordance with the LRHL for the purpose of seeking qualified redevelopers to redevelop the Lot C Redevelopment Plan Area into a vibrant mixed use residential community with the continued provision of public parking on site; and WHEREAS, on August 15, 2016, the City issued its Request for Proposals for the Lot C Redevelopment Plan Area and conducted an informational briefing for interested parties on September 29, 2016; and 01/24/2017 7  WHEREAS, on November 18, 2016, four submissions were received and evaluated by the City, three of the respondents were short listed and requested to be interviewed and provide presentations on their submissions; and WHEREAS, after completing a detailed review and analysis of all the submissions and receiving answers to the questions presented through the interview process, the City has determined that the submission from the joint venture of Hornrock Properties and Russo Development (“Hornrock-Russo”) is most the most qualified and advantageous to the City; and WHEREAS, Hornrock-Russo is highly qualified, financially capable and has proposed a gross offer of $11,694,800 with a parking development credit of $3,577,500 being applied for a net offer of $8,117,300, plus a parking revenue sharing arrangement, to be designated as the Redeveloper of the Lot C Redevelopment Plan Area contingent upon receipt of a thirty year PILOT agreement; and WHEREAS, Hornrock-Russo’s proposed $86,500,000 project is anticipated to consist of approximately 338 total residential units (33 studios, 155 single bedroom, and 150 two bedroom units) with related amenities including public plazas, community gardens and 4,000 square feet of retail space; and WHEREAS, Hornrock-Russo’s project is anticipated to provide 200 public parking spaces to address the parking requirements in conformance with the Lot C Redevelopment Plan; and WHEREAS, the City wishes to select and conditionally designate Hornrock- Russo as the designated Redeveloper of the Lot C Redevelopment Plan Area and enter into exclusive negotiations with Hornrock-Russo for the entry of Redevelopment and Finance Agreements. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the governing body of the City of Hackensack in the County of Bergen, State of New Jersey that it hereby selects Hornrock-Russo as the conditionally designated redeveloper (“the Conditional Redeveloper”) of the Lot C Redevelopment Plan Area subject to the following terms and conditions: 1. TERM OF DESIGNATION. Upon the adoption of this Resolution, the Conditional Redeveloper shall hereby be entitled to enter exclusive negotiations with the City to advance the redevelopment of the Lot C Redevelopment Plan Area for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of adoption of this Resolution for all purposes under the law. 2. EXTENSIONS OF DESIGNATION. This conditional designation may be extended for a period of sixty (60) days at the discretion of the City Manager if it is determined that the Redeveloper is proceeding in good faith with the City towards commencing the redevelopment of the Lot C Redevelopment Plan Area. Any further extensions may only be granted by formal action of the governing body. 3. NON-CONDITIONAL DESIGNATION. A non-conditional redevelopment designation may be granted by resolution of the City’s governing body upon adoption of a Redevelopment Agreement, which would supersede this conditional redevelopment designation. 4. NEGOTIATIONS. The City Manager, Redevelopment Counsel and Redevelopment Planner are hereby authorized and directed to negotiate Redevelopment, Finance and other necessary Agreements, if any, with the Conditional Redeveloper as may be necessary to commence the redevelopment of the Lot C Redevelopment Plan Area. 5. ESCROW. An escrow of $55,000 has already been posted by the Conditional Redeveloper to cover the City’s redevelopment- 01/24/2017 8  related professional costs associated with this project pursuant to the terms of the RFP. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Resolution shall become effective immediately pursuant to law. Council Intr Secon Abstai Abse Recuse Member o d Yes No n nt d Battaglia X X Deputy Mayor Canestrin o X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 22-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING PAYMENT OF BILLS BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Hackensack that the bills in the following accounts be and are hereby ordered paid: Current Fund $ 1,667,167.56 Grants 1,645.00 Payroll 2,376,147.68 Public Parking System 300.43 Capital 280,324.98 Escrow -0- Trust Account 489,822.66 Total Expenditures 4,815,408.31 Interfunds/Transfers $ 278,377.77 *A motion was made to vote separately on Bill’s List item for Vision Media Marketing, Inc. dated 1/17/17 “17-00217: Production of Holiday Mailing” for the amount of $10,750.00 Council Intr Secon N Abstai Abse Recuse Member o d Yes o n nt d Battaglia X X Deputy Mayor Canestri no X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X Mayor Labrosse X 01/24/2017 9 Motion to vote separately on Bill’s List item for Vision Media Marketing, Inc. dated 1/17/17 “17-00217: Production of Holiday Mailing” for the amount of $10,750.00 Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X X Keeling- Geddis X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 23-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING RAFFLE LICENSES BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Hackensack that the following organizations be granted permission to conduct a Raffle in accordance with the applications on file in the office of the City Clerk: RA #2129 Tomorrows Children’s Fund RA #2130 Hackensack Riverkeeper, Inc. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 24-17 01/24/2017 10  RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF HACKENSACK AND THE BOROUGH OF MAYWOOD FOR MUTUAL AID FIRE SERVICES WHEREAS, the City of Hackensack and the Borough of Maywood have entered into an agreement for mutual aid fire assistance; and WHEREAS, the Fire Chief for the City of Hackensack has recommended that said agreement be renewed for the years 2017 and 2018; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack, County of Bergen, New Jersey that the Mayor is hereby authorized to execute and that the City Clerk is authorized to attest to a renewal agreement on behalf of the City of Hackensack for the years 2017 and 2018 effective January 1, 2017; and BE IT FUTHER RESOLVED, that the City Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of the within resolution to the Clerk, Borough of Maywood. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 25-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING REFUNDS FOR HACKENSACK RECREATION DEPARTMENT BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Hackensack that the proper officers be and are hereby authorized to make the following refunds for the reason stated: $80.00: Hackensack Youth Indoor Track & Field Refund to: Patricia Troya 365 Beech Street, Apt 5 Hackensack, NJ 07601 01/24/2017 11  Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 26-17 RESOLUTION APPROVING THE SUBMISSION OF A 2017 NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – SAFE STREETS TO TRANSIT GRANT APPLICATION AND EXECUTION OF A GRANT AGREEMENT FOR THE DOWNTOWN PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT WHEREAS, the City of Hackensack wishes to apply for and obtain funding through the New Jersey Department of Transportation – Safe Streets to Transit grant program for the completion of the Downtown Pedestrian Safety Improvements Project. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Hackensack do hereby authorize the submission of such a grant application, for the said project, titled SST-2017-Downtown Pedestrian Safety Improvem-00041. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon the receipt of a grant award the Mayor and City Clerk are hereby authorized to sign the grant agreement and that their signatures constitute acceptance of the terms and conditions of the grant agreement. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 27-17 RESOLUTION APPROVING THE SUBMISSION OF A 2017 NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – TRANSIT VILLAGE GRANT APPLICATION AND EXECUTION OF A GRANT AGREEMENT FOR THE DOWNTOWN PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT 01/24/2017 12  WHEREAS, the City of Hackensack wishes to apply for and obtain funding through the New Jersey Department of Transportation – Transit Village grant program for the completion of the Downtown Pedestrian Safety Improvements Project. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Hackensack do hereby authorize the submission of such a grant application, for the said project, titled TV-2017-Downtown Pedestrian Safety Improveme-00019. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon the receipt of a grant award the Mayor and City Clerk are hereby authorized to sign the grant agreement and that their signatures constitute acceptance of the terms and conditions of the grant agreement. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 28-17 RESOLUTION APPROVING THE SUBMISSION OF A 2017 NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – MUNICIPAL AID GRANT APPLICATION AND EXECUTION OF A GRANT AGREEMENT FOR THE MAIN STREET STREETSCAPE – PHASE II (ADDITIONAL FUNDING) PROJECT WHEREAS, the City of Hackensack wishes to apply for and obtain funding through the New Jersey Department of Transportation – Municipal Aid grant program for the completion of the Main Street Streetscape – Phase II (Additional Funding) Project. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Hackensack do hereby authorize the submission of such a grant application, for the said project, titled MA-2017-Main Street Streetscape – Phase II (-00450. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon the receipt of a grant award the Mayor and City Clerk are hereby authorized to sign the grant agreement and that their signatures constitute acceptance of the terms and conditions of the grant agreement. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Excuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X 01/24/2017 13  CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 29-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE 2018 H.A.P.A.D.A GRANT WHEREAS, the Hackensack Municipal Alliance to Prevent Alcohol and Drug Abuse (H.A.P.A.D.A) has proposed a 2018 grant in the amount of $30, 557.00, qualifying for funding under the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse; and WHEREAS, funding will implement relevant ATOD (Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs) to benefit the community; and WHEREAS, the City of Hackensack developed a comprehensive plan to provide matching funds equivalent to $3,819.00 in cash and $11,459.00 in-in-kind expenses in addition to the designated D.E.D.R. grant award of $15,279.00 by the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse; and WHEREAS, the City of Hackensack will act as the fiscal agent for the Hackensack Municipal Drug Alliance; and NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack do hereby affirm endorsement of the aforesaid Letter of Agreement authorizing Mayor John Labrosse to sign the letter of Agreement jointly with the Municipal Alliance Chairperson and the C.F.O. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this Resolution be forwarded to Alliance Coordinator, Bergen County Office of Alcohol and Drug Dependency, to accompany the 2014-2019 Hackensack Municipal Alliance Plan filed with Bergen County. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 30-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES – 2017 BIENNIAL INSPECTION CERTIFICATION 01/24/2017 14  WHEREAS, the City of Hackensack requires engineering services for the 2017 Biennial Inspection Certification for Johnson Park and Foschini Park; and WHEREAS, the City solicited a Request for Proposal regarding said services from Arcadis, U.S., Boswell McClave Engineering and T&M Associates; and WHEREAS, it was determined that the proposal from Arcadis, U.S. was most advantageous to the City based on cost, experience and specific knowledge of this particular project. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack, County of Bergen, as follows: 1. Arcadis, U.S. of 17-17 Route 208 North, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 is hereby awarded a contract in the amount not to exceed $3,500 for the Biennial Inspection Certification, in accordance with the proposal attached thereof. 2. A Certification of Funds has been prepared and authorized by the Chief Financial Officer for the said contract assuring that there is a sufficient appropriation to fund the purchases authorized in this resolution as an express and mandatory condition of the award of this contract. 3. The Mayor and City Clerk are hereby authorized to sign the contract documents necessary to effectuate the award of this contract. The City Attorney shall review any and all contractual documents prepared in furtherance of this award. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 31-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR ENGINEERING SURVEYING SERVICES – MINOR SUBDIVISION WHEREAS, the City of Hackensack requires engineering services for a survey of a Minor Subdivision at Block 500, Lot 97; and WHEREAS, the City solicited a Request for Proposal regarding said services from Boswell McClave Engineering; and WHEREAS, it was determined that the proposal from Boswell McClave Engineering was most advantageous to the City based on cost, experience and specific knowledge of this particular project. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack, County of Bergen, as follows: 01/24/2017 15  1. Boswell McClave Engineering of 330 Phillips Ave. South Hackensack, NJ 07606 is hereby awarded a contract in the amount not to exceed $8,500 for a survey of a Minor Subdivision at Block 500, Lot 97, in accordance with the proposal attached thereof. 2. A Certification of Funds has been prepared and authorized by the Chief Financial Officer for the said contract assuring that there is a sufficient appropriation to fund the purchases authorized in this resolution as an express and mandatory condition of the award of this contract. 3. The Mayor and City Clerk are hereby authorized to sign the contract documents necessary to effectuate the award of this contract. The City Attorney shall review any and all contractual documents prepared in furtherance of this award. Public Comment A motion to open the meeting to the public was offered by Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis and seconded by Councilman Sims. Mayor Labrosse asked if City Planner Fran Reiner would make some comments about the Lot C project. Fran Reiner – The city started this process back in 2012 and 2013 by doing an investigation study to determine if the Lot C area met the criteria for an area in need of redevelopment. In January of 2014 the City adopted the redevelopment plan for Lot C which is 544 parking space surface lot between the Ice House and Foschini Park. As part of redevelopment law, the city could have just designated a redeveloper outright. Instead, the process the city went through was to go out for an RFP, request for proposals. They did that in September of 2016. Initially we had an informational meeting in September where about fifteen different entities came. November 18, 2016 was the actual submission date. We had four development groups that submitted proposals. The committee met a couple times to discuss the proposals and shortlisted to three highly qualified developers. On December 21st, 2016 we had an interview with each one of the three development groups. From there, Hornrock Russo was chosen conditionally as the designated developer. As a part of the RFP, the city has 90 days to negotiate the terms of the redevelopment agreement. We have an understanding of what has been offered in terms of the financial offer and what is being proposed in terms of the concept plans. I am going to ask Albert to place those online tomorrow for the public to be able to see. The benefits are numerous for the city. We have the ability to take a property that has been underutilized for the better part of 40 years and has generated almost no revenue, to put this property onto the tax rolls and develop a world class project in terms of residential and retail space. At the same time, we have the provision of requiring 200 parking spaces be available at all given times to the public. This was an important piece of the process to make sure that Ice House and Bowler City are supported and able to be successful into the future. Ice House had historically been renting 110 parking spaces from the city. In speaking with the owners dating back to 2012, they indicated they may need some additional spaces so we put in for 200. That allows for downtown office workers in daytime hours to continue to use those spaces and on evenings and weekends to be able to have those spaces for Bowler City and Ice House. We are talking approximately 330 residential units. It will be built in two phases and the buildings will be approximately six stories. The details will be worked on in the next 90 days. More than 60% of the units will be one-bedroom and less than 40% will be two-bedroom. The plan has a gateway public park so when you are coming from Bogota over the bridge, you will see a public space in front of the building with some retail on 01/24/2017 16 the first floor that would be supportive of Foschini Park usage in the summer and Ice House usage all year round. The first building will be in that location and there is about a 200 foot gap between the buildings which includes some parking for the lobby areas of the two buildings and then there will be a large public open space. There will be a community kitchen for a professional chef to come in and cook for different groups. They also have community gardens designed on the north side. The next phase will be a four story residential over two stories of parking. All three developers and proposals were excellent. We believe this will be a very successful project from a financial standpoint but also from a livability standpoint in supporting the downtown businesses. Kathleen Salvo – Hackensack – It sounds like good use, but I am concerned about the parking and the integrity of the soil. This was at one point part of the river. Has anyone done any testing on the soil? Can we put piles in? Were the samples taken at high tide? Fran Reiner responded – An environmental assessment was done as a part of the process as well as a geotechnical report. The developer understands that it would have to be built on piles. The geotechnical report was completed by Mid-Atlantic Engineering who does this all over the state and they complied all of the data. Ms. Salvo – This is how we have the problem at Main and Mercer where they keep putting pile after pile because that was once part of the river. They have more piles there than to build the Empire State Building. I am concerned that this doesn’t happen to this other location. I hope it can support what you say it can. Chris Coli – Hackensack – I know we are selling off a 500 space parking lot. I have heard about multiple sharing of that lot but never once did I hear baseball of Hackensack and other organizations that use the park on weekends that are now going to have to fight tooth and nail for the 200 spots. Then again we can take Johnson Park and build a new 110 spot parking lot. Why don’t we sell that off as unusable land and put up a nice building there? How many parking spaces are we going to put in Lot C? I remember when they built Riverside Square and they lost the piles. They disappeared. I was here when they dug the fittings for the park down there. At high tide, they had to have pumps to pump the water out. They had issues putting the concrete into the ground. I know you did a study and I see we are putting a lot of apartments there but how many new spots of parking will you put in? Or are the residents at night going to be parking in those 200 spots? We don’t have enough parking spaces in this town. Why don’t we sell off the parks since they are all a waste of time and build more buildings? Just sell all the parks. Mayor Labrosse – We are not selling the park. We are selling an impervious parking lot. The only issue we will have with that park will be July 4. I think you may have been misled. There are more than 200 spots in this. 200 spots are totally separate and designated just for the city, not part of the apartment complex parking. Fran Reiner – You can’t build a building on Johnson Park as it is a Green Acres site. There are 544 existing parking spaces in the lot. The purposed development would include just fewer than 600 spots and that does not include the spots we want to put on Midtown Bridge Approach. We have also spoken to the County about potentially having parking on the East Salem side. In total you will have over 600 spaces, and 200 of those will be dedicated public parking spaces used by people other than the residents of the development. The configuration is four stories of residential over two stories of parking. The first level of parking would be dedicated public parking. The second levels would be accessed only by the residents. We 01/24/2017 17 made sure to protect the existing usage of Bowler City, Ice House, and Foschini Park. There is also a 700 spot County parking garage that wasn’t there a year ago so I think we will have to coordinate during events such as on July 4th or other large events. Rich Cerbo – Spring Valley Avenue – Hackensack – I asked to increase the five minutes we are allowed to speak years ago and no one ever responded. Five minutes is not enough when you have a few things to say. Consider it. I want to address the city attorney, why are negotiations not in public especially contracts? Mark Twain said that loyalty to the nation always, but loyalty to government only when it deserves it. We want to make sure we are working with you and want to be loyal to you but when you deserve it. You said the best developer around was going to do the project when you come in from River Edge but you left it at that. Who is it? What about Main and Mercer? They were pile driving everything in the summer and now there is nothing going on. Is there a stoppage of that project? I don’t know if the Holt Street M&M Building project is congruent with that neighborhood? It’s a contained neighborhood. I think the M&M Building is enough there and the project is a little too much. Where are people going to park? I think you should think it through and it is also a lot of taxpayer money. Same thing on Johnson Avenue, I don’t think it is necessary. You don’t need a dome; play out on the open field. Like I said, I would like to know about Main and Mercer. Are other projects subject to slow downs or stoppage? Are we just hearing the good side of all this development? The biggest one stopped and we don’t know when it will continue. How do you base the size of a project when it comes to abatements? If something is entitled to a 30-year abatement does that mean it is large enough and others aren’t? We don’t understand that. I think the 10-year abatements were the best policy. Fran Reiner – Construction has stopped at Main and Mercer. What occurred was the developer of 150-170 was driving piles and I have been told they are about 90% complete. The driving of the piles caused a shift in the northern wall closest to 150-170 to move. The state, the building department, and the structural engineers for both 150-170 and the adjacent property all met on site and determined that the building was unsafe and essentially the attorneys of both buildings are working through the legal system to try to come up with a resolution to fix that wall and vertical construction can start. The city is in communication with both those attorneys and they believe there will be a resolution forthcoming shortly and construction will continue. City Attorney Kleinman– With respect to contract negotiations, the Open Public Meetings Act excludes any pending or anticipated contract negotiations from public discussion. It is just a common sense thing. If you were looking to buy a house, you wouldn’t want the seller to know it was your first choice or how much you were willing to pay for the house. You need to be able to discuss in private contract matters because otherwise the other side would have an advantage if they knew what you were thinking. Fran Reiner – As for abatements, the city does have a policy in place regarding the duration of abatements but more importantly the city has hired Brian Nelson as redevelopment attorney who is well versed in PILOTS across the state and they have had Phoenix Advisors which is a financial company who reviews all potential PILOTs. PILOTs are only given when financially necessary for the project to move forward. That is based on rent rates and revenue. The city will do its own assessment of a potential project and review the projected rent rates and then based on if a 10 year, 15 year, or 30 year PILOT is necessary. As more gets developed, the need for the PILOTs becomes less and less. Regarding the overriding policy, the city has a policy if you are developing a property which has over 300 units or $45 million in capital investment, you would be able to at least look at a PILOT. One thing people don’t always know is that a developer who chooses to be involved in 01/24/2017 18 a PILOT is capped at a 12% profit. If they didn’t do a PILOT there would be no cap. All PILOTs are vetted through Brian Nelson. Mayor Labrosse – The better the developer does and the owner of the building does, the better the city does. Rents go up and the city gets more money. Chris Coli – Hackensack – I live on the corner of Beech and Prospect. You are now going to put a stop light there. The traffic moves already slowly there and when you put a light there you are going to fill up the area between Prospect and Summit and I will never be able to turn onto that street. What will happen is people will block the intersection and traffic will not move at all. I live there and I do not know how I am going to get out on to Beech Street in the morning when the school kids are out. Also, the Hackensack hospital is going to build a new building and that’s another tax free building and they are building another emergency room tower. The noise there and traffic from the existing hospital is beyond belief between their ambulances, out of town ambulances, our fire trucks, police cars, and every municipal ambulance practices all the different siren sounds as they turn down the street. We have the busses and the planes and I guess we are going to have another heliport. It doesn’t even mention a parking lot for this building but it’s an in and out so they will park wherever they want as long as it isn’t all day parking. Now I see another developer is going to take Colonial moving company and he is going to convert that. Right now it is an office building and it has no parking of its own. He is going to put in thirty loft style apartments. I guess as long as it is transient people who don’t have cars that can you taxis, we won’t put a parking lot there either. We aren’t building parking lots. It seems like since I was here we don’t care about required parking even for Foschini Park is going to have retail stores and where are they going to park? I was talking to an old restaurant in town and he only does take out now because there is not enough parking. He opened up another branch in Teaneck and why? There is plenty of free parking. I see more vacant places on Main Street than I have ever seen in the forty years I’ve been here. I remember when Main Street would close down for pedestrian traffic on Friday and Saturday so people could shop. I don’t know how the two-way is going to work because the Main Street stores never wanted a two-way. That’s all I have. Mayor Labrosse – Any building going up in the city has to meet parking requirements by state statute as part of the rehabilitation plan. We are a designated transit village which part of that promotion is to make the city more pedestrian friendly. We want people to walk more. We don’t want you to drive two blocks to go to the store. I disagree with the vacant stores. You can ask anyone who is involved with Main Street and they’ll tell you it is picking up. There are buildings going up. It’s becoming more vibrant. I won’t speak much on the hospital but again they would not be able to build without certain parking requirements. As far as I know, I haven’t heard anything on the hospital buying new property for this project. Deputy Mayor – As far as the arrangement with the hospital, one of the good things that have come out of this is that we are not taking a rateable away from the city. They are building this tower and there will be a connection to crossover the street so they won’t be removing any additional property from the tax rolls to accomplish this. We are fortunate in our city to have a medical center of the caliber of the Hackensack University Medical Center and I think many of our residents know this and appreciate this. For them to maintain their standard of excellence, they have requirements and things that need to be upgraded and we have worked with them to come up with a plan that isn’t going to impact the tax structure and potentially will bring some revenue into the city as far as air-rights for another crossover. We do not have an agreement or arrangement with them yet. This is preliminary but the Medical Center and the city are true partners. 01/24/2017 19 Mayor Labrosse – Prospect and Beech, there will be timing issues that will have to be addressed as is anytime you put in a traffic signal. This intersection has had so many accidents. I have seen at least five or six accidents myself there. It also will control traffic on Prospect from Passaic all the way to Essex Street somewhat. I think it’s important and a plus for the city as far as safety goes. Kathleen Salvo – Hudson Street – Hackensack – A lot of people here tonight are here because of the M&M application again just to show our concern. If the application for the expansion of the M&M Building would be requested by an individual or a company other than the City of Hackensack Council, it would have to go in front of the zoning board for site plan approval at which time the property owners within 200 feet would be notified and public notice would be put in the newspaper as to the place and time of public hearing. The public would be heard and we were never heard. We were never given the opportunity for input, negative or positive for the expansion. No input by the Recreation Board, a qualified group who you have appointed. Who did this project? This application would require a number of variances – 100% land coverage; it is like putting an elephant on a postage stamp. Insignificant parking is an understatement; 400 seats and only 50 parking spaces. Where are they going to park? The zoning codes exist to preserve and protect neighborhoods. This is a residential one and residential two neighborhood. It has two churches and the school, a recreation center built for the immediate neighborhood not for hundreds of people. It was meant for the kids in the neighborhood. We had two murders in that neighborhood and we cleaned it up. We need it to be quiet at night and not go to bed knowing there will be hundreds of people coming for a tournament. After the murders, we developed our First Ward block watch. What can we do to make the neighborhood safe? We need to keep outsiders out. It is the spectators who come that are going to start the problems. People need sleep at night. We cannot handle the expansion of this building. You had mentioned that nothing has been done to that building for years. It is better to remodel than to expand. All we need is a new gym floor and maybe an air conditioner. That grass needs to be maintained. I take care of that building nightly. I make sure all the lights are on. Reconsider. It does not belong there. Father John Salvas – St. Francis Church – 50 Lodi Street – Hackensack – I want to express my gratitude that you are willing to invest in our ward. You are mindful of us and I appreciate that. We have had a wonderful opportunity to work closely with the Hackensack School Board to rent our school facility when it closed three years ago. The children with special needs are cared for there and we are happy about that. We also have a wonderful relationship with the M&M Building. They borrow from us throughout the year – tables and chairs for events. This evening they used our gym for basketball practice and from time to time we are able to benefit from being their neighbor by being able to park in that lot especially for mass on Sunday. Masses are packed; there is no way we would be able to park on the streets or find anywhere near the space we need to stay open. I would like perhaps some input from the parish as to how the parking will be worked into the plan. Should the project go forward? Maybe you can meet with our parish counsel and so we can continue our relationship with the city regarding all those things. I know also the senior citizens embark and disembark in that parking lot too when they go on their trips. We have had a good relationship and I would like to continue that if it’s possible. Paul Incalcaterra – Hackensack – I share the same sentiment as the people who have come here from my neighborhood. We don’t want to take anything away from the children but we are very concerned about the parking. It is a mess during the day because of the school but it’s a good thing. If you put something there and expand it and things go on at night, it’s a neighborhood with a lot of two family homes. Parking for us is difficult. Many of the people 01/24/2017 20 from the two family homes park at the M&M Building at night. Please give the community some input as to what can be done or give us a fair shake on doing something for the future. Please involve us. The second part is you already know about. I had a bad evening Saturday night with the building on Saturday night. I was never notified. Who is ever in charge of the cultural events is not doing what he should and you know his name. I try to be a good neighbor. Mr. Sims let me know last year if it was going to be a little loud. I tried to be a good neighbor and the city has been responsive. In a few months we will have a new cultural arts center which I am thrilled about. It was once a library and now the noise factor is really difficult. Please take a look at the schedule or any events that go in there from now until when it is going to happen. I spoke with Mr. Ehrenberg and we are going to have a meeting. He was more understanding than anyone I have dealt with in the city. He seems to be empathetic as opposed to others who are apathetic. Please before any events, and I did get the schedule from the individual who should have given it to be earlier, and there are numerous musicals here. Remember what happens when someone pulls into your driveway and blasts music because that is what I get. Over 55 decibels is the law but we want to be considerate. If you are going to have a jazz thing or an event once in a while, then let me know. You can’t have events every day or every week. This schedule shows events during the week. I know the value of my property is not what it used to be. If I go to sell it and they say you have something going on next door, that’s not the value anymore. Please take into consideration before any more events happen. Mayor Labrosse – We are going to make sure he is aware of anything that is going on. Bob Marini – Hackensack – I would like to reiterate what Kathleen said. Usually when something happens you get a certified letter but we did not get notified about this expansion. Why were we not notified? Also, about the parking situation. Fran Reiner – Municipal property or county property that are doing projects are not required to notify the public as a zoning board application would require. We are actively working on a solution to parking. When we get to the point where we can meet with the community to talk about solutions, we will. No one else wished to speak. A motion to close the meeting to the public was offered by Deputy Mayor Canestrino and seconded by Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis. Council Comments Councilman Battaglia – We really need a sports facility for the kids. That particular building is going to have more parking spaces. We are working on it, however we have to do it whether it be a double deck or whatever, they will be there. Related to the article the other day, eventually our police officers will have body cameras. I think that is good news. We got a grant and we will buy some cameras. The other thing is I had a conversation with the City Manager about the parking around the city’s schools. Sometimes we have to double park and the kids are passing between cars which is dangerous. Some people don’t like how we are handling the issue but we have to protect the kids. Thank you for coming. Deputy Mayor Canestrino – We talked a lot about the redevelopment plan for Lot C and I just want to add that part of our plan has always been to control spending and increase revenue by bringing more money into the city. That is the only way we will be able to stabilize taxes. Being able to take a city owned parking lot and convert it into something that is aesthetically pleasing 01/24/2017 21 and brings revenue into the city, is a wonderful thing for the city and the residents. Everything that goes through the redevelopment committee, application board, the planning board, everything has parking requirements. There are residential parking requirements and retail requirements. The planning board must approve the parking requirements for the developments. The city on top of that is working with the community to make sure we have additional parking for the city, for example the additional 200 parking spots for Lot C. There is a parking garage that is going to be used for 210 Main Street. Moore Street will have 50 parking spots for that development. Each and every one of them we discuss if there is potential to bring more parking in. We have a public parking garage at the Atlantic Street garage near Main Street which never used to be open for public use. You have the convenience of parking in a garage and walk a block to get where you want. This is a good thing. We have a place for residents to enjoy with a reasonable quota for parking. Parking is being addressed. I understand there are parking issues in the First Ward and the plans for the M&M Building include us looking for supplemental parking. We have a number of things we are looking into and talking to folks about and unfortunately we cannot give away all the details right now. I promise you we are looking into providing additional parking within that area and we will share it with you as soon as we can. Have a good night everyone! Councilman Sims – Kudos to the redevelopment committee for finally getting this job done. On Thursday, February 23, 2017 we are having a Black History Month feast for the first time at the Rec Center. Tickets can be picked up at the M&M Building. Hackensack Jr. Basketball had its first weekend of basketball without any snow interruptions. We got a grant from the Attorney General for police body cams. Thank you for coming and get home safe! Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis – This past Martin Luther King Day we attended a lovely service at Mt. Olive Baptist Church and after that we had our first youth summit at the Cultural Arts Building. About fifteen students came and talked with us which we were pleased with since it was their day off. They talked about the town and about our job as politicians and you would be surprised to know that a lot of the youth are interested in politics. I don’t know if it is a result of the last national election but they really want to get involved. They want to start a youth advisory board and do some interning with local politicians. Tomorrow at the Cultural Arts Building we are going to have our first LGBQT info session. We had no idea of the Board of Education’s policy about transgender kids using the bathrooms but it all seems to be piggybacking off of that courageous decision. We are partnering with some organizations including the county and a church in Cresskill with an openly gay pastor. It should be an interesting evening tomorrow. Friday night we are having a movie night. It is going to be a documentary called the Thirteenth which focuses on the disproportionate amount of blacks and Latinos in the prison system. We are building up into Black History Month. Saturday there is an open mic night without drumsticks; it will be acoustic. Thank you all for coming out. See you at the next meeting! Mayor Labrosse – Martin Luther King day was last week and I was at the event at Mount Olive. It was a wonderful event and I love going there. I especially enjoyed the evening with the young people. They took a couple hours of their night to hang out with some council people. It was refreshing and fun to be with them. We all had a good time with that. They showed an interest in a youth advisory board. As for the M&M Building, we want nothing more than to keep our relationship with the church and our intention is not to take away parking for church on Sundays. Our intent is to get the youth and the seniors a better facility and at the same time we are looking at more parking and better parking in that situation. If the plan that we are looking at goes through, it will be better than ever and enhance the area. I don’t mean this in a negative way, but we have five wards and we can’t have kids 01/24/2017 22 staying in their ward. Any kid can go to Carver Park. You can’t say you’re from uptown and you can’t come to our building. That is exactly what we don’t want. I’m not going to shut out kids from one part of town to another part of town. We have a new President of the United States and it’s our job as citizens, whether you like him or not, we should support our government and hope these people make the right decisions for us. That is why we have elections. I want to thank everybody for coming tonight. There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 9:35 p.m. Approved by Mayor and Council on February 14, 2017. _____________________________________ Mayor John P. Labrosse, Jr. ______________________________________ Deputy Mayor Kathleen Canestrino ______________________________________ Councilman Leonardo Battaglia ______________________________________ Councilman David Sims ______________________________________ Councilwoman Deborah Keeling- Geddis Deborah Karlsson, City Clerk 01/24/2017 23 01/24/2017 24