City Commission

306 Special Meeting Via Teleconference September 8, 2020 5: 30 p.m. The Board of Commissioners met in a SPECIAL MEETING via teleconference due to COVID- 19 Pandemic with Mayor Santiago presiding. Members present on conference call included Commissioner Pepitone, Vice Mayor Parent, Commissioner Udalovas and Commissioner Cooper. City Solicitor, Brock Russell, Administrator, Regina Burke and Manager of Parks and Grounds, Samantha a Cruz. Teleconference was open to the public as required by law. Attendance of all attendees was taken by City Clerk upon entering the call. Public attendees in the order which they joined the teleconference was as follows: Tamara Isajiw, Bill Davis, Phil VanEmbden, and Lauren VanEmbden. Mayor Santiago led the salute to the Flag. City Clerk made the statement required by the Open Public Meetings Act of 1975: This meeting is being conducted in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act of 1975, was advertised, posted and made available to the public as required by Statute. The Municipal Clerk is directed to include a statement in the minutes of this meeting." City Clerk to Review Changes to the Agenda Mayor Santiago asked if there were any changes to the agenda. Ms. Hitchner stated there were no changes to the agenda this evening. Public Comment on Agenda Items Only Mayor Santiago stated that this is the time for any Public Comment on Agenda Items Only if anyone wishes to be heard. City Clerk, Jeanne Hitchner called the names of residents in order of attendance that was taken at the beginning of the meeting. Bill Davis voiced his concern over there being no agenda packet for the agenda available and doesn' t know what' s going on. City Clerk clarified there are no action items ont his evening' s agenda which was called to have an open discussion with all five Commissioners about a proposal from the Levoy Theatre to have a conert series on High Street. She stated in order to do this we had to legally advertise in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act. Mr. Davis thanked City Clerk for the clarification and had no further comments. Seeing no one else come forward, Mayor Santiago closed the Public Portion on Agenda Items Only. Discussion of Concert Series Event Commissioner Cooper thanked everyone for participating in the discussion. He stated that he was approached about a month ago to have this concert series in conjunction with the Levoy Theatre, the City of Millville and the local businesses. He explained this was thought out to reach the residents and businesses and bring goodwill to the City. He stated it would be a block party for all ages, with a nice family event early and then party and concert for adults in the evening. He noted that he understands everyone has concerns, but is confident in his department and hopes everyone will hear them out and have an open mind to have this event. He stressed this will show our local businesses that we are here to help them. Phil VanEmbden, Executive Director of the Levoy Theatre thanked the Commission for allowing him to present the idea this evening. He stated the theatre had been doing very well and unfortunately, the indoor theatre cannon run due to the COVID- 19 situation. He explained that there are so many states and countries that have shifted to outdoor events. He expressed his desire to put on events on September 19, September 26, and October 13 which are all on Saturdays with raindates on the following Sundays of the listed dates. Mr. VanEmbden described the event stating it will take place on High Street which will be closed off with the sidewalks open. He stated there would be tables in the street and they would invite the businesses on High Street to set up their tables to sell goods in the first and second block so everyone can participate and benefit from the event even if their store is not in that portion of High Street. He emphasized that the community is very dynamic and some people are anxious to be social and get out while others are not and would not participate in such an event, and stated that it is fine. He gave  307 an example of New York City having daily and nightly food service and the results are very productive. He stressed this will have a positive reflection on the City of Millville. Lauren VanEmbden thanked everyone for entertaining the idea. She stated in June, Governor Murphy announced that it is permissible to have summer camp. She stated this was a success because it is outdoors and as long as you maintain a safe distance you are more safe. She stressed that merchants are suffering and need help from the City. Ms. VanEmbden stated this would be a whole day event with an educational component. She pointed out it is also a free event. She provided details about the layout of the event with logistics specified. She also gave the schedule of events planned for the kids. She asked whether Millville is ready for something like this. She stated, if not that it' s alright and they just wanted to give it a try. a Commissioner Udalovas stated she spoke with the Administrator, City Clerk, Planner and Recreation Director as to the feasibility of this type of event. She stated she would like to discuss a few items about the things that need sto be addressed. She stated that 14 businesses have applied for grants for COVID relief designed for small businesses. She stated there is currently no funding available for the remainder of the year through the grant and additional grant funding may be made available next year. Commissioner Udalovas then asked City Clerk to elaborate on the requirements that pertain to alcohol being served at this event. City Clerk responded that each bar would be able to apply for an extension of premises permit through ABC. She stated that the protocol prescribed by the Governor was to share with equal portions the right-of-ways so there were no unfair proportions provided to bars and restaurants to have tables and chairs set up outdoors once approaval was granted to extend their licensed footprint. She stressed the Division of ABC really puts the burden on the licensee to demonstrate how the alcohol will be contained and controlled in each setting. Mr. Russell chimed in that the guidelines with insurance requirements would need to be addressed also, as the City must be named as an additionally insured on the certificate of liability. Commissioner Udalovas questioned the timeframe for all of these issues to be resolved so it fits into the parameters of the event and also whether the City can promote social distancing and face coverings since we would not be able to enforce these things on a Public Safety level. At this time Commissioner Udalovas asked the thoughts and opinions of the other Commissioners. Commissioner Pepitone made a comment that he feels the grant funding for small businesses would have been better used for an event like this to benefit all the businesses, not just the fourteen who applied for relief. He also stated he feels the event will have a positive impact on the community by bringing people out for a fun day in their community. He stressed the Commissioners should be making this a priority and just handle it. Ms. Burke pointed out that the Commissioners would be able to use Second Generation UEZ Funds, but advised that it' s not a revolving loan, so the funds used would not be replaced next year. Commissioner Cooper reiterated that there has already been so much planning behind the scenes for this event and we are not reinventing the wheel. He stated other places are very successful at this. He stated we got elected to handle this and serve our residents and it' s all hands on deck. Ms. VanEmbden stated her vision of this is going to be more of a stream of people over the course of the day and feels they will be more spaced out. She stated she feels this would be giving people the opportunity to be strolling through the fresh air and enjoying a breath of normalcy which the community is craving. Commissioner Pepitone added that putting on an event like this allows those who are comfortable to participate, but stated you' ll never make everyone comfortable. Mayor Santiago thanked Phil and Lauren VanEmbden for being on the call about this. He stated he feels that there is a pandemic right now and after having a conversation with the County Board of Health, they requested to be included in the conversations on such an event moving forward. He stressed that the event seemed to have too many loose ends to be able to proceed at this point those outstanding things would need to be addressed. He also pointed out that Chief Farabella and Chief Lippincott would need to be included in these conversations also to ensure we are covering all bases. He said this was a great meeting with lots of great ideas that he would like to circle back and talk about at a later time.  308 Vice Mayor Parent asked if the dates requested could be pushed back to have all the items addressed. Lauren VanEmbden stated they have been planning the event since July and were hoping to cling to some of the warmth of summer, but they would be willing to push it back if they needed to. Commissioner Udalovas stated there is no action item on the agenda this evening and with the lack of general liability insurance, lag in providing the information to the City' s personnel, and the Commissioner' s lack of executive powers to authorize such an event, it may need to be pushed way back O even after the last proposed October 31 date. Public Comment Mayor Santiago stated that this is the time for any Public Comment portion of the meeting if anyone wishes to be heard. He asked for comments to be limited to approximately 5 minutes. City Clerk, Jeanne Hitchner called the names of residents in order of attendance that was taken at the beginning of the meeting. Tamara Isajiw stated she really respects Commissioner Udalovas for her honesty and candor for her poiting out this timeline and her request for City Officials to be involved. She was most concerned about the cost to the City that this event would be. She quoted Commissioner Pepitone' s comment " I don' t know where the money will come from," and stated this was of great concern to her. She stated she really appreciates Commissioner Udalovas for doing her due diligence. Vice Mayor Parent wanted to address Tamara' s concerns because he stated he also needs to know the costs and figures. He emphasized his department is working on the 2021 budget and this will not be easy. Bill Davis expressed concern over the short notice to hold such an event, stating that nobody will even know it' s happening if you don' t give enough time to advertise it. Seeing nobody else come forth, Mayor Santiago deemed the public comments portion closed. 0 Adjournment There being no further comments the meeting was adjourned on a motion by Commissioner Udalovas and seconded by Commissioner Cooper subject to the call of the chair. All were in favor. None were opposed. Respectfully submitted, 4tk— e M. Hitchner, FMC y Clerk C 11 I I