* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. READY. [00:00:01] THAT'S THE BIG PROBLEM RIGHT NOW. GOOD EVENING. THIS MEETING OF THE ESSEX COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS IS HEREBY CALL TO ORDER. THIS MEETING IS BEING LIVE STREAMED IN ADDITION TO TAKING PLACE IN PERSON. MADAM DEPUTY CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. COMMISSIONER GILL HERE. COMMISSIONER LUCIANO. HERE. COMMISSIONER MERCADO. HERE. COMMISSIONER MURRAY THOMAS. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER RICHARDSON. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER SEABOLD. HERE. COMMISSIONER SERMONS ABSENT. COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT COOPER ABSENT. COMMISSIONER PRESIDENT HERE. PLEASE STAND FOR THE SALUTE OF THE FLAG. I'M GONNA ASK COMMISSIONER LUCIANO TO LEAD US IN A SALUTE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG. FLAG THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. AS FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND HONOR OF THOSE WE LOST SINCE WE LAST CAME TOGETHER, IN PARTICULAR, PLEASE KEEP YOUR THOUGHTS. UH, UH, ONE OF MY NEIGHBORS, BILL BERBA, WHO PASSED AWAY THIS WEEK, LIVED A FULL GOOD LIFE, A WONDERFUL PERSON, AND THEY'LL BE MISSED. THANK YOU. I HAVE BEFORE ME CERTIFICATION FOR THE DEPUTY CLERK THAT THIS MEETING IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT. AND BEFORE WE START, I JUST WANT TO WISH ALL A HAPPY CONSTITUTION DATE. 238 YEARS AGO, FOUNDING FATHERS CAME TOGETHER AND PUT TOGETHER AN AMAZING DOCUMENT, WHICH HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME WITH A ENOUGH ELASTICITY. I HAD THE HONOR IN MY EARLY MUSEUM CAREER TO WORK AT THE HOME OF RUFUS KING. IT WAS ONE OF THE, NOT JUST A SIGNER, BUT ONE OF THE FRAMERS OF THE CONSTITUTION. HE HELPED TO WRITE THIS DOCUMENT. AND, UH, HIS HOUSE IS NOW A MUSEUM IN JAMAICA, QUEENS. AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE ALL TO VISIT AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION AND HIS IMPACT. ALSO, UH, WOULD LIKE TO, UH, REMIND ALL THAT OUR VERY OLD NEW JERSEY BORN PRESIDENT GROVER CLEVELAND, WHO WAS BORN IN CALWELL, NEW JERSEY, WE'LL BE CELEBRATING, UH, HIS, UH, THE DEDICATION AND AN OPEN HOUSE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY IN CALWELL, NEW JERSEY ON THIS SATURDAY AT 1:00 PM THAT'S IN CALWELL, NEW JERSEY. SO OUR, UH, MY TWO PERSONAL HEROES. SO THANK YOU FOR INDULGING ME FOR THAT FOR A MOMENT, WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO THE, UH, APPROVAL OF TRANSCRIPTS MATTER. DEPUTY CLARK, ARE THERE ANY TRANSCRIPTS TO BE APPROVED? NO. MR. PRESIDENT, THERE ARE NOT. OKAY. ARE THERE ANY TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION? NO. MR. PRESIDENT. OKAY. SO LET'S MOVE ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, TONIGHT'S MEETING IS A COMBINED CONFERENCE BOARD MEETING, AND WE WILL VOTE ON EVERY ITEM ON THE AGENDA. SO THERE'S ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WHO WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS ONLY. PLEASE COME TO THE MICROPHONE. STATE EVENING AND AFFILIATION FOR THE RECORD. YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK. THERE WILL BE MORE TIME LATER THIS EVENING FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND ANY OTHER ITEMS. SO I PLEASE ASK YOU TO THIS TIME TO LIMIT YOUR COMMENTS TO AGENDA ITEMS ONLY. GOOD EVENING. YES, GOOD EVENING. UH, MY NAME'S TERRY SEUSS. I'M WITH EYES ON ICE AND ETHICAL CULTURE SOCIETY IN, UH, MAPLEWOOD. UM, THERE IS AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT, I BELIEVE IT'S NUMBER 25, AND IT SPEAKS TO CRIMINAL ALIEN ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. AND I WAS WONDERING IF SOMEONE COULD EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT THAT MONEY WOULD BE USED FOR, IF AND IF IT IS USED IN ANY WAY TO HELP FUNNEL PEOPLE FROM THE PRISON INTO ICE CUSTODY. THANK YOU. WE'LL, WHEN WE REVIEW IT, WE'LL DISCUSS IT IN MORE DETAIL. OKAY. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WISHING TO SPEAK AT THIS TIME? MADAM DEPUTY CLERK WILL LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT THERE'S NO ONE ELSE WISHING TO SPEAK AT THIS TIME. SO LET'S MOVE ON TO ORDINANCE AND RESOLUTIONS ON INTRODUCTION AND FIRST READING. DO WE HAVE ANY? NO, WE DO NOT. OKAY. LET'S MOVE ON TO ORDINANCE, UH, ORDINANCE ON SECOND READING IN PUBLIC HEARING FOR LISTING PURPOSES ONLY. DO WE HAVE ANY? YES, MR. PRESIDENT? WE HAVE TWO. ALL RIGHT. MADAM DEPUTY CLARK, UH, LET'S MOVE ON TO, UH, CAN YOU LIST ORDINANCE, UH, O DASH 2025 DASH 0 0 0 1 3 AND ORDINANCE ZERO DASH 2025 DASH 0 0 0 1 4 FOR PUBLIC HEARING AT OUR OCTOBER 8TH MEETING? YES. THANK YOU, MADAM DEPUTY CLARK, DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER ORDINANCE AND RESOLUTIONS FOR SECOND READING IN PUBLIC HEARING? NO, WE DO NOT. THANK YOU. OKAY, LET'S MOVE ON. UH, TWO RESOLUTIONS ONE THROUGH SIX, WHICH ARE, UH, ONE, FOUR, AND FIVE. I'VE BEEN WITHDRAWN BY THE ADMINISTRATION. THEY ARE ADVISED OF CONSENT APPOINTMENTS TO THE ESSEX COUNTY HEALTH SERVICE, UH, SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD. THEY'LL BE READ TO THE RECORD AT A LATER TIME. MR. JACKSON? UH, GOOD EVENING, MR. PRESIDENT, [00:05:01] MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, UH, OUR FIRST NOMINATIONS TO THE ESSEX COUNTY HEALTH SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD. MR. CRAIG MAYNER. GOOD EVENING. MR. MAYNER, PLEASE JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION FOR THE RECORD. LET, UH, HIM AND ADJUST MICHAEL FOR THE A LITTLE TALLER. UH, GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS CRAIG MAYER AND I'M WITH UNITED COMMUNITY CORPORATION. JUST TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHAT YOU HOPE TO, UH, GET OUT OF SERVING ON THE BOARD. YEAH, SURE. SO I'VE BEEN WORKING AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR UNITED COMMUNITY CORPORATION FOR 11 YEARS THIS YEAR. UM, UNITED COMMUNITY CORPORATION IS THE OLDEST, UH, COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY. UH, SOME SAY IN THE, UH, IN THE, IN THE COUNTRY, UH, DEFINITELY IN THE STATE. UH, 61 YEARS THIS YEAR IS OUR ANNIVERSARY. UM, UCC. OUR MISSION IS TO TAKE PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING POVERTY, TAKE THEM FROM A, A PLACE OF DEPENDENCY TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY. AND WE TRY TO DO THAT IN A NUMBER OF WAYS. BUT MORE SPECIFICALLY FOR, UM, WHY I, I BELIEVE THAT I'M HERE TODAY TO TALK IS WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH A, UH, WITH THE HOMELESS POPULATION. THOSE WHO ARE EITHER FACING HOMELESSNESS OR CURRENTLY IN HOMELESS SITUATIONS, OR, UM, BATTERED WOMEN WHO ARE SEEKING, UH, SOME SAFETY OUTSIDE OF THE, UH, THE, THE, THE, THE ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY IN, UH, HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENT. UM, MY WORK FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS, UM, HAS BEEN HARD TO ADMIT, RIGHT? IT, IT DOES, IT, IT STINGS A LITTLE BIT, BUT, UM, IT'S TRUE. UH, THE LAST 30 YEARS HAVE BEEN IN THIS FIELD OF TAKING PEOPLE FROM WHERE THEY, THEY FIND THEMSELVES, UNFORTUNATELY, AND TRYING TO HELP THEM WITH THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO GET THEM THEMSELVES OUT OF THE WHOLE, OR THE, THE DESPAIR THAT THEY'RE IN. SO, UM, PRIOR TO UCCI WAS AT, I WAS IN HOBOKEN WORKING WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY FOLKS THERE. AND BEFORE THAT I WAS WORKING IN NEW YORK CITY, AT THE NEW YORK CITY MISSION SOCIETY, WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH, UM, UNHOUSED YOUTH. UM, AND SO, UH, I BROUGHT THAT, UH, AT LEAST I HOPE I BROUGHT SOME VALUE TO THAT, UM, TO THE AGENCY I'M WORKING AT NOW. I'M SURE YOU DID. MR. MAYNER. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. MAYNER? COMMISSIONER MURRAY THOMAS, YOU, MR. PRESIDENT? NOT A QUESTION, BUT JUST, UM, AN AFFIRMATION. MR. MAY? I KNOW YOUR WORK IS CERTAINLY THROUGH THE UCC FOR SEVERAL YEARS. I, I THINK PRIMARILY FIRST THROUGH MY, MY WORK AT THE OPPORTUNITY YOUTH NETWORK, WHO YES, HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF MY HEART AS A FORMER EMPLOYEE THERE. BUT JUST AS A RESIDENT OF THAT AREA, I LIVE MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE BLOCKS FROM WEST SIDE PARK. I SEE HOW UCC AND, UM, JUST SO MANY OF THE AREAS THAT, UH, YOUR ORGANIZATION HAS TOUCHED, HAS TRANSFORMED THAT NEIGHBORHOOD IN SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE'S LIVES. SO THIS SEEMS LIKE A VERY FITTING MATCH. AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK AND THE WORK OF FOLKS IN YOUR ORGANIZATION TO DO, TO CONSTANTLY TRANSFORM OUR COMMUNITIES. YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? MR. MAYER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE. WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING HERE. AND I TOO, UH, FEEL WITH YOU. THE 1990S WASN'T 20 YEARS AGO. IT WAS, IT'S HARD. IT'S HARD. BUT THANK YOU EVERYONE. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. LEMME RECOGNIZE COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT COOPER HAS JOINED THE MEETING. MR. JACKSON? WE'RE NUMBER THREE. YES. OUR OUR NEXT, UH, NOMINATION IS BRENDA WRIGHT PORTER. GOOD EVENING. PLEASE JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF. MY NAME IS BRENDA WRIGHT PORTER. AND, UM, WELL, LET'S START WITH THE BEGINNING. I'M ESSEX COUNTY, BORN AND RAISED. I'VE WORKED IN ESS COUNTY FOR ABOUT 40 YEARS UNTIL MY RECENT RETIREMENT. I, UH, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY NURSING SCHOOL GRADUATE, AND I HAVE SERVED TWO TERMS AS THE ESS COUNTY SCHOOL NURSES ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT ONE TERM AS THE NEW JERSEY STATE SCHOOL NURSES ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT. I WAS A COVID HEALTH NURSE WAY BACK WHEN WE STARTED IN WEEK WAKE PARK, AND I STILL AM. I JUST LEFT THE VACCINE SITE. I NEED TO GET BACK THERE. AND, UM, WHAT ELSE CAN I TELL YOU? UM, I'VE BEEN A SCHOOL NURSE. I'VE WORKED AT EAST ORANGE GENERAL HOSPITAL, AND I'M REALLY HONORED TO SERVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I THINK YOU SAID IT ALL WHEN YOU SAID NURSE, BUT I COULD BE BIASED 'CAUSE I'M THE SON OF A NURSE AND BROTHER TOO. A NURSE. YOU HAVE A, A BROTHER THAT'S A NURSE. MY SISTER IS, AND MY MOTHER WAS, AND MY MOTHER-IN-LAW WAS AS WELL. OH, OKAY. YOU LEFT YOUR CAPE AT HOME THOUGH, THE GIRL? I DID. I HAVE, I DO HAVE MY MASTER'S IN, UM, HEALTH EDUCATION, SO THAT MIGHT HELP A LITTLE COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, MADAM. WE APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE, CONTINUE TO DO YOUR GOOD WORK. THANK YOU MR. JACKSON. MOVING ON TO, UH, YES. OUR OUR NEXT NOMINEE, UM, IS, UH, MR. ANTONIO DAVID ANTONIO, WHO'S BEEN BEFORE THIS BOARD ONCE [00:10:01] OR TWICE. ONCE OR TWICE WE MAY RECOGNIZE THIS. GOOD EVENING, MR. ANTONIO. UH, GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS DAVID ANTONIO. I AM A LONG TIME PRESIDENT OF THE CITY OF NEWARK. I OBTAINED MY UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE DEGREES FROM RUTGERS UNIVERSITY. I SPENT SIX YEARS WORKING FOR THE CITY OF NEWARK, AND I SPENT THE LAST 19 WORKING RIGHT HERE FOR THE COUNTY OF ASSETS AND PUBLIC WORKS. I AM INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH THE OPERATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT, ALL THE ASPECTS FROM PLANNING, ENGINEERING, AND FIELD FIELD IMPLEMENTATION. UH, I'M CURRENTLY THE CHAIR OF THE RA COMMITTEE OF THE NORTH JERSEY TRANSPORTATION PLANNING COMMITTEE. I AM ALSO THE CHAIR, NOT CHAIR, I'M SORRY, THE SECRETARY OF DESES COUNTY PLANNING BOARD. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO BRINGING ANY LEVEL OF EXPERTISE I CAN TO THIS NEW BOARD. I'M VERY EXCITED. LIKE I SAID, I'M A NEWARK FIRST AND FOREMOST, UH, AND I'M A COUNTY PRESIDENT, AND I WANT TO SEE THE BEST FOR ALL OF US HERE IN THIS COUNTY. THANK YOU MR. ANTONIO. NO STRANGER TO US. YOU'RE ONE OF OUR STELLAR EMPLOYEES. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UH, MR. ANTONIO'S NO STRANGER TO US. I KNOW. WE ALL THINK VERY HIGHLY OF HIM, SO THANK YOU, MR. ATTORNEY. WE'LL, WE'LL GRILL YOU LATER ON ON YOUR OTHER AGENDA. . ALL RIGHT. UH, SO WE HAD, UH, DO I HAVE SOMEONE TO MOVE? MOTION IT. TWO. IT'S TWO, THREE AND SIX BECAUSE ONE, FOUR AND FIVE HAVE BEEN WITHDRAWN. IT'S BEEN MOVED BY I WANNA SAY SOMETHING. COMMISSIONER, UH, SIEBEL, GO AHEAD. I, I JUST WANNA SAY SOMETHING ABOUT ALL THREE. WE'RE VERY, VERY FORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE THREE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO SERVE AND HELP ESSEX COUNTY. AND THEY WILL BRING SO MUCH. AND WE'RE VERY, VERY HAPPY THAT YOU'RE WILLING TO SERVE. AND WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO MOVE IT, IT WAS MOVED BY VICE PRESIDENT COOPER KING. BUT YOU CAN SECOND IF IT'S OKAY. I, I DEFER. YOU CAN MOVE. ALL RIGHT. MOVED BY SIEBEL SECOND BY COOPER ROYAL COURT. MAD DEPUTY CLERK IN TWO, THREE AND SIX. COMMISSIONER GILL. YES. THANK YOU. COOPER COMMISSIONER LUCIANO? YES. COMMISSIONER MERCADO? YES. YES. COMMISSIONER MURRAY THOMAS. YES. YES. COMMISSIONER RICHARDSON. ABSENT COMM. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER SIEBEL? YES. COMMISSIONER. COMMISSIONER. VICE PRESIDENT COOPER. YES. COMMISSIONER, PRESIDENT POIS. YES. SO MOVED. THANK YOU. AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. NOW, IF YOU CAN GO HOME, YOU CAN GO HOME. THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO LEAVE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIT AROUND FOR THE REST OF THE MEETING EXCEPT FOR MR. ANTONIO. HE'S GONNA STICK AROUND AND GET GROWTH LATER ON. ALRIGHT, LET'S MOVE ON TO RESOLUTION SEVEN AND EIGHT, WHICH ARE FROM, UH, 2025 COUNTY BUDGET, INSERTION OF ITEMS OF REVENUE, AND A RESOLUTION FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT. WE'LL READ INTO THE RECORD AT A LATER TIME. MR. JACKSON? UH, THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT, DIRECTOR HARLOW WILL HANDLE THESE ITEMS. GOOD EVENING, DIRECTOR. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. MAYA HARLOW, DIRECTOR OF OFFICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT HEALTH OFFICER ESQUE COUNTY. UH, THE FIRST ONE IS, UH, THE BUDGET INSERTION FOR, UH, RENTING REVENUE FROM NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, DEP FOR OUR COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ACT. UH, WE HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO SECURE THIS GRANT FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS. UH, THIS GRANT IS AN INSERTION INTO OUR BUDGET TO HELP US MITIGATE, UH, ALL OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, OBLIGATIONS THAT WE HAVE THAT WE'RE SUBCONTRACTOR TO DEPP. THAT INCLUDES, UH, ODOR, NOISE, RAISED AIR, AND PESTICIDE IN OUR RESPONSE TO ANY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AS WELL. THANK YOU. MS. SHABAZ, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO. MR. PRESIDENT. MR. MCINERNEY, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO QUESTIONS, COMMANDERS, ANY QUESTIONS? I MOVE. MOTION. SECOND. MOVE BY COOPER SECOND BY MERCADO WILL CALL MATTER ON DEPUTY COURT. COMMISSIONER GILL? YES. COMMISSIONER LUCIANO? YES. COMMISSIONER MERCADO? YES. COMMISSIONER MURRAY THOMAS. YES. COMMISSIONER RICHARDSON. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER BOL? YES. COMMISSIONER SERMONS. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT COOPER? YES. COMMISSIONER PRESIDENT POIS? YES. SO MOVED. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND BREAK. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND REHAB. OFFICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT. UH, A SHARED SERVICE AGREEMENT ENDING ON SEPTEMBER 30TH IN THE AMOUNT OF 54,500. UH, THIS IS, UH, BECAUSE, UH, THE CONTRACT IS ENDING BECAUSE THE COUNTY, UM, THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT IS TAKING OVER ALL ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES WITHIN, UH, AND, UH, THAT FUNDING IS GONNA COME DIRECTLY INTO THE COUNTY THAT WAS ONCE GIVEN TO A SUBCONTRACTOR. SOUNDS GOOD. MS. CHAVEZ, ANY QUESTIONS? NO QUESTIONS. MR. MR. MCINERNEY? NO QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONERS. SOMEONE TO MOVE IT. I'LL MOVE IT. MOVE BY SEA BOLT. SECOND. SECOND. BY MARY THOMAS. I'M SORRY SHE GOT HER HAND UP THERE. BOBBY, A LITTLE SLOW. TODAY. WE ARE THE BALL. SHE'S YOUNG. SHE'S A QUICK WELL CALL MADAM DEPUTY CLERK COMMISSIONER GUILD. YES. COMMISSIONER LUCIANO. YES. COMMISSIONER MERCADO? YES. COMMISSIONER MURRAY THOMAS. YES. COMMISSIONER RICHARDSON. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER SIEBOLD? YES. COMMISSIONER SERMONS. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER VICE PRESIDENT COOPER? YES. COMMISSIONER PRESIDENT EZ? YES. SO MOVED. THANK YOU, [00:15:01] DIRECTOR. LET'S MOVE ON TO RESOLUTIONS NINE THROUGH 18 AND ADD AND START OF 62, WHICH ARE FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS. AND THERE'LL BE READY TO THE RECORD AT A LATER TIME. GOOD EVENING, MR. ZAS. UH, GOOD EVENING. JOSHUA ZAS, ESA COUNTY PARKS NUMBER NINE IS A CONTRACT AWARD TO DIRECT WASTE SERVICES, LOWEST RESPONSIVE BIDDER TO PROVIDE THE COLLECTION DISPOSAL OF GARBAGE, GARBAGE AND RUBBISH THROUGHOUT THE ESA COUNTY PARK SYSTEM. 24 MONTH CONTRACT NOT TO EXCEED $983,535. UH, AS STATED, THIS IS THE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL OF ALL, UH, GARBAGE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PARK SYSTEM. THEY WOULD, UH, EMPTY THE DUMPSTERS AND THEN DISPOSE OF IT. NUMBER 10, A CONTRACT AWARD TO GREEN VALLEY LANDSCAPING, LOWEST RESPONSIVE BIDDER TO PROVIDE LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE AT THE SOUTH MOUNTAIN RECREATION COMPLEX FROM OCTOBER 1ST OF THIS YEAR THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2027. AND AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $507,400. UH, MORE SPECIFICALLY, THIS, UH, CONTRACT WILL BE $20,100 PER MONTH. UH, AGAIN, IT'S A 24 MONTH CONTRACT. SO OF THAT AMOUNT, UH, 482,400 IS FIXED. AND THEN THERE IS A $25,000 ALLOWANCE FOR, UH, ANY ADDITIONAL, UH, EXPENSES. NUMBER 11, A CONTRACT AWARD TO CLEARVIEW WASHING THE SOLE RESPONSIVE, RESPONSIVE BIDDER FOR THE ESA COUNTY PARK SYSTEM. HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING 12 MONTH CONTRACT NOT TO EXCEED $266,096. THIS IS FOR, UH, ANY KIND OF HOLIDAY LIGHTING, UM, OUTSIDE OF THE TURTLEBACK ZOO. THE TURTLEBACK ZOO WOULD HAVE ITS OWN SEPARATE PROGRAM, WHICH, UH, WE'LL BE BRINGING TO THE BOARD, UH, NEXT MONTH, I BELIEVE. UH, BUT THIS IS FOR ALL OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS, UM, CODY ARENA, WHAT HAVE YOU. WE DO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE COMPANY HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THE BOARD MAY HAVE. SURE. LET'S BRING 'EM UP. GOOD EVENING. JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION AND JUST TELL US ABOUT THE PROJECT THAT YOU WOULD BE DOING. SURE. MY NAME IS, UH, FRED HUTCH, JR. I'M THE PRESIDENT AND CO-FOUNDER OF CLEARVIEW WASHING. UH, WE'VE BEEN AROUND FOR 21 YEARS. WE'RE BASED OUTTA FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY, AND THE PROJECT ENTAILS DOING THE SITES FOR ALL THE TREES. UM, WE'RE REALLY, REALLY EXCITED TO DO THAT FOR YOU GUYS AND KNOCK IT OUTTA THE PARK. GREAT. THANK YOU. UH, THE COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE VENDOR? MR. BAZ? ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE VENDOR? NO, MR. PRESENT? OF COURSE. MR. TER. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I HAVE A QUESTION. JOSHUA'S HS. COUNTY PARK. ONE SECOND. I, SORRY. JOSH, COMMISSIONER SIEBEL. UH, JOSH, I HAVE A QUESTION. DID THIS COMPANY DO IT LAST YEAR OR ARE THEY NEW? UH, NO, THIS IS A NEW VENDOR FOR US. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FORMER VENDOR? UM, WE PUT IT OUT TO ADVERTISE AND THEY DIDN'T SUBMIT A PROPOSAL. I'M NOT REALLY SURE. ALRIGHT. THAT ANSWERS MY QUESTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. GO AHEAD, JOSH. UH, NUMBER 12, A CONTRACT AWARD TO LIVE BARN TO FURNISH, DELIVER AND MAINTAIN A LIVE VIDEO SUBSCRIPTION FEED, UH, EXERCISING THE 24 MONTH CONTRACT EXTENSION. UH, THIS IS A REVENUE CONTRACT FOR THE COUNTY. BASICALLY WHAT IT IS, IT'S OUT OF THE CODY ARENA. AND, UH, IT'S, UH, A COMPANY THAT LIVE STREAMS VARIOUS GAMES. SO IF YOUR, YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER'S IN A HOCKEY PROGRAM AND THEY PLAY A GAME, YOU CAN, UH, WATCH IT ON YOUR PHONE. IT'S A SUBSCRIPTION BASED SERVICE. UH, THE COMPANY PAY, UH, CHARGES 2395 PER MONTH, AND OF THAT, THE COUNTY WOULD RECEIVE, UH, 30% OF THAT. NUMBER 13, A CONTRACT AWARD TO ELITE TENNIS TO PROVIDE THE OPERATION OF THE TENNIS AND PICKLEBALL COURT COMPLEX AT BROOKDALE PARK. 24 MONTH CONTRACT, EXTENDING EXTENSION NOT TO EXCEED $64,608 81 CENTS. UH, THIS IS ALSO A REVENUE CONTRACT. THIS IS FOR THE OPERATION OF THE, UH, TENNIS COURTS OVER AT BROOKDALE PARK. NUMBER 14, AUTHORIZATIONS UCS COUNTY RECREATION, OPEN SPACE TRUST FUND TO FUND THE WEAK QUAKE PARK BASEBALL FIELD IMPROVEMENTS AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $1,625,000. UH, THIS IS THE FUNDING SOURCE FOR A PROJECT THAT'S COMING UP, UH, SHORTLY ON THE AGENDA. NUMBER 15, AUTHORIZATIONS USE. YES, RECREATIONS OPEN SPACE TRUST FUND TO FUND INDEPENDENCE PARK PLAYGROUND MAINTENANCE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $83,042. UH, THIS IS TO HELP FUND AN EXISTING CONTRACT THAT WE HAVE WITH WHIRL. UH, THEY DO ALL OUR PLAYGROUND MAINTENANCE AND SPECIFICALLY OVER AT INDEPENDENCE PARK. THIS IS TO REMOVE AND DISPOSE OF THE DAMAGED MERRY-GO-ROUND, REPLACE IT WITH THE NEW MERRY-GO-ROUND, UH, REPLACE THE SWING SETS. AND THEN THERE'S JUST SOME MISCELLANEOUS PANELS AND SPINNERS THAT ALSO NEED TO BE REPLACED. NUMBER 16 AUTHORIZATIONS, USE THE ESA COUNTY RECREATION OPEN SPACE TRUST FUND ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AND BUILDING FOR, AT THE BRANCH BROOK PARK IN A MOUNTAIN NOT TO EXCEED $148,986,000. UH, AND THIS IS A FUNDING SOURCE FOR, UH, ADDITIONAL ITEMS COMING UP. SPECIFICALLY, IT'S THE, UH, BASKETBALL COURTS AND BATHROOM BUILDING OVER ON, UH, CLIFTON AVENUE IN BRANCH BROOK. NUMBER 17, AUTHORIZATION 17 AND 18 ARE RELATED. UH, 17 IS THE FUNDING SOURCE FOR 1817 IS THE AUTHORIZATION TO USE THE OPEN SPACE TRUST FUND FOR THE [00:20:01] 220 20 25 RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PROGRAM. AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED A HUNDRED THOUSAND. AND THEN NUMBER 18 IS THE ACTUAL CONTRACT WITH RUTGERS FOR THAT, WE DO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM RUTGERS HERE, IF THE BOARD HAS ANY QUESTIONS. YEAH, LET'S HAVE 'EM COME ON UP, INTRODUCE THEMSELVES. WE'RE NOT GONNA, WE'RE NOT GONNA HOLD IT AGAINST YOU, YOUR RUTGERS, IN CASE ANY ONE OF US HAPPENED NOT TO GO TO RUTGERS. OH, NO, NO. PLEASE JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION. WE GOT ONE HERE. WHO IS WITH YOU? ARE YOU ? MARISSA STAFFING, AND I'M WITH RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION OF ESSEX COUNTY. I'M THE FOUR H COUNTY AGENT AND THE EXTENSION DEPARTMENT HEAD FOR OUR COUNTY. UM, AS OF JANUARY, I'VE BEEN AN AGENT, UM, FOR 15 YEARS, AND I HAVE HANDOUTS. OKAY. WE LOVE TO SAVE TREES, BUT I, I THINK IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO SHARE SINCE I'M RATHER NEW. UM, SURE. WE'LL HAVE ADAM HERE, HE CAN TAKE THEM FROM HERE. HE'LL DISTRIBUTE IT TO THE BOARD. HE'S COMING UP TO YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND JUST TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSE TO DO HERE. OKAY. SO I, UM, I'M HERE, I GUESS IN A WAY TO INTRODUCE RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION. YEP. UM, I KNOW THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN PRESENT VERY MUCH IN FRONT OF THE COMMISSIONERS, BUT WE'RE PART OF THE COUNTY. UM, IT'S PART OF THE SETUP WE HAVE, UM, FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS WITH THE SMITH LEVER ACT. SO ON MY HANDOUTS, AND I'LL JUST, I DON'T HAVE A PRESENTATION, BUT ON THESE HANDOUTS, IT DESCRIBES HOW EXTENSION FITS IN WITH OUR COUNTY GOVERNMENT, OUR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, UM, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE FUNDS TRICKLE DOWN THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY. SO WE ARE, UM, A DEPARTMENT OUT OF RUTGERS UNIVERSITY, BUT WE'RE A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY COUNTY GOVERNMENT. SO YOU ALL, UM, AND ALL THE COUNTY DEPARTMENTS. WERE BASED OUT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION. UM, AND, AND WE'VE BEEN HERE PRESENT IN ESSEX COUNTY SINCE THE EARLY 19 HUNDREDS ON RECORD. UM, UM, 19 19 19. SO WE'VE BEEN AROUND FOR QUITE, QUITE SOME TIME. AND IT'S A SHAME ON , I LEARNED THAT, UM, WE PRESENCE WITH THE COMMISSIONERS, UM, OR REPORTING. SO STARTING TODAY TO DO THAT BETTER FOR EXTENSION TO BUILD A BETTER RELATIONSHIP, UM, WITHIN ESSEX COUNTY. AT THIS POINT, WE'RE THE LEAST FUNDED, UM, EXTENSION OFFICE IN THE WHOLE STATE, BUT WE'RE SERVING MORE PEOPLE, RIGHT? WE'RE MORE DENSELY POPULATED HERE AND IN HUDSON COUNTY, UM, THAN ANY OTHER COUNTY. SO WE'RE TRYING TO WORK ON THAT SO WE CAN BETTER SERVE THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY. UM, AT THIS POINT, STARTING ON MONDAY, WE'RE A FULL EXTENSION OFFICE. SO AT THIS POINT WE HAVE ALL FOUR EXTENSION DEPARTMENTS. THAT INCLUDES DEPARTMENT OF FOUR, HG DEVELOPMENT, THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES, THE DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SCIENTISTS, CONSUMER SCIENCES, AND, UM, FNA. SO, UM, ON MY HANDOUTS, I ALSO PRINTED OFF, UM, A LITTLE, UM, QR CODE THAT BRINGS YOU TO OUR WEBSITE THAT LISTS SOME OF OUR PROGRAMS. AND THEN I PRINTED OFF OUR, UM, SPRING THROUGH JUNE REPORT JUST TO SHARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS WITH YOU, UM, TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT WE DO AT RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION. SO THE RCE TEAM REACHED, UM, 479 ESSEX COUNTY YOUTH YOUTH, UM, IN THE SPRING QUARTER AND 229 ADULTS, UM, DOING OUTREACH FOR 1,100 AND SHORT TERM PROGRAMS. SO THE FIRST NUMBERS WERE LONG TERM ENGAGEMENTS, WHICH WE CONSIDER SIX HOURS OR MORE. AND SHORT TERM IS, UM, UNDER AN HOUR. OUR TEAM ATTENDED 18 COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS IN ESSEX COUNTY AND PARTICIPATED IN 38 COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP MEETINGS. ESSEX COUNTY, UM, TEAM HAS ONBOARDED AND TRAINED 18 NEW FOUR H VOLUNTEERS, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDS AND MASTER GARDENERS. THE ESSEX COUNTY TEAM, UM, TOGETHER COLLECTIVELY WITH VOLUNTEERS DONATED OVER 1,965 HOURS OVER THREE MONTHS TEACHING YOUTH AND ADULTS AND SUPPORTING CLEANUP PROJECTS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN COUNTY PARKS AND SCHOOLS. UM, THE RCE TEAM IS ALSO VERY ACTIVE IN FUNDRAISING, UM, BECAUSE WE, UM, ARE THE LEASE FUND COUNTY, NOT JUST BY THE COUNTY, BUT BY RUTGERS. SO WE BROUGHT IN OVER $1,240,000 IN FUNDING, AND THAT'S THROUGH FEDERAL CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION GIFTS. AND OUR TEAM IS ACTIVELY MANAGING CURRENTLY, IN ADDITION TO THE FUNDS THAT GOT BROUGHT IN OVER $300 MILLION IN RESEARCH GRANTS. UM, AND COLLECTIVELY IN THE QUARTER WE LED 12 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PRESENTATIONS AT CONFERENCES AND EVENTS. SO THAT SHARES A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE'RE UP TO. I HAVE PICTURES HERE THAT HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE COMMUNITY WE'RE WORKING WITH. UM, AND THEN HERE, THE LAST HANDOUT IS, UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT DESCRIBING [00:25:01] THAT PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN EXTENSION AND THE FEDERAL AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS OUR PROGRAM CYCLE AND HOW WE'RE WORKING TO IDENTIFY THE NEEDS IN THE COMMUNITY. AND THEN, UM, DEVELOPING PROGRAMS, EVALUATING PROGRAMS, AND THEN REVISING THE CYCLE SO WE CAN FOCUS ON QUALITY PROGRAMMING HERE IN ESSEX COUNTY. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THE THOROUGH ALL OF YOU. I ACTUALLY AM A LITTLE FAMILIAR, 'CAUSE YEARS AGO I WORKED WITH CHRIS ABRUPT ON WATER AND FLOOD MITIGATION, UH, PROBABLY ABOUT A DOZEN YEARS AGO OR SO. AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS, UH, I WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE CALIBER OF THE PROGRAM AND WHAT THEY HAD TO OFFER. AND SINCE I'VE SEEN THEM IN, UH, DIFFERENT KINDS OF EVENTS, YOU KNOW, PROMOTING WHAT THEY DO. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, A MR. BOWES, ANY QUESTIONS? NO, MR. PRESIDENT, MR. MCINERNEY, ANY QUESTIONS? NO QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER MARY THOMAS. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION AND FOR THE WORK OF THE RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION. I'M CURIOUS ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, NEXT YEAR AS YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT FISCAL PROJECTIONS AND IN LIGHT OF, YOU KNOW, THE, SOME OF THE UNCERTAINTY WE'RE GETTING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, PARTICULARLY IN, IN SOME OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO YOUR WORK, UH, THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, ET CETERA, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE. UM, HOW ARE YOU GUYS KIND OF PREPARING, OR TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON WHAT THOSE FORECASTS MIGHT LOOK LIKE? NO, IT'S A HOT MESS TO BE HONEST. WE ARE EVERY DAY, EVERY WEEK. I REDO OUR BUDGETS EVERY SINGLE WEEK. WE HAVE, UM, WE'RE REALLY RIGHT NOW THAT $30 MILLION IS VERY MUCH FEDERAL FUNDING. YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GET FOUNDATION GIFTS, IT'S USUALLY 10 WITHIN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS. BUT OUR STAFF, SO, UM, HERE I LISTED ALL OF OUR STAFF, UM, MAJORITY OF OUR STAFF ARE FEDERALLY FUNDED THROUGH, UM, SHORT TERM GRANTS, USDA AND NSF. UM, RIGHT NOW, I CAN JUST SPEAK FROM ON BEHALF OF MY PROGRAM, THE 4G DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. WE HAVE A-U-S-D-A GRANT, TWO USDA GRANTS THAT ARE LISTED AS SUSPENDED, BUT WE'RE ENCOURAGED TO KEEP SPENDING. SO IT PUTS IT IN A VERY AWKWARD POSITION, RIGHT? THE UNIVERSITY IS LIKE, IT WILL COME BACK, KEEP SPENDING, BUT WE'RE LIKE, UH, THAT'S OUR, LIKE, FULL-TIME STAFF AND THAT'S THEIR LIVELIHOOD, RIGHT? SO PEOPLE ALSO ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR THEIR JOBS 'CAUSE THEY'RE NERVOUS. UM, WE NSF FUNDING COMPLETELY ON HOLD. UM, THE FUNDING THAT WE USUALLY APPLY FOR YEAR AFTER YEAR HAS BEEN, UM, DISSOLVED THE SAL FUNDING THAT WE DO FOR INFORMAL EDUCATION. SO THE FEDERAL, UM, THE WAY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT JUST, UM, CUTTING PROGRAMS, BUT PUTTING THE PROGRAM OFFICERS AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN THE SHADOWS. SO THEY CAN'T, YOU KNOW, I FEEL BAD FOR THEM. THEY CAN'T ANSWER WHAT'S HAPPENING AND IT PUTS EVERYONE IN A VERY UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION. LUCKILY, SOME OF OUR USDA FUNDING THAT HAS BEEN, UM, YOU KNOW, LISTED AS SPENDING, WE'VE HAD VERY GENEROUS, UM, COMMUNITY DONATIONS, ESPECIALLY FOR LIKE OUR MONTCLAIR COMMUNITY FARMS PROGRAM, UM, AND OUR MOBILE FARM STAND AND OUR, SOME OF OUR FOOD ACCESS PROGRAMS, FOUNDATIONS HAVE BEEN STEPPING UP AND SAYING LIKE, WE'LL BE A BANDAID FOR THIS YEAR UNTIL EVERYTHING GETS DISSOLVED. UM, AMERICORPS FUNDING, THEY CUT OUR AMERICORPS WITH A WEEK NOTICE. SO ALL THESE AMER I WAS IN AMERICORPS, I STARTED, WE GET PAID BELOW MINIMUM WAGE, AND THEY'VE CUT THEM WITH A WEEK NOTICE. AND THAT WAS ALL OF OUR FARM STAFF. YOU KNOW, THE ONES WHO ARE GROWING OUR HARVEST, THEY CUT THEM THE FIRST WEEK OF JUNE. SO THAT WAS A MESS, BUT THEN IT GOT REINSTATED TWO MONTHS LATER. I SAID, HIRE EVERYONE BACK. IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT. RIGHT? THEY WERE ONTO BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. IT'S BEEN, UM, A DISASTER AND IT'S, IT'S ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE. WE'VE NEVER FACED ANYTHING LIKE THIS. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT ANSWER AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING. I THINK IT'S EASY SOMETIMES FOR FOLKS TO THINK THAT THESE ARE JUST HEADLINES, BUT THESE ARE REAL LIVES THAT AFFECT REAL PEOPLE AND REAL FAMILIES AND REAL COMMUNITIES. AND SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU, YOU ALSO YOU GUYS ARE DOING. THANK YOU. AGREE, COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER SEA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL EXPLANATION. RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PROGRAM HAS WORKED WITH ESSEX COUNTY FOR SO MANY YEARS, AND THEY'VE DONE SUCH A WONDERFUL JOB. AND I'M REALLY HAPPY YOU'RE GOING TO CONTINUE. DON'T GO AWAY BECAUSE YOU DO A REALLY GREAT JOB HERE IN ESSEX COUNTY. SO THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT EXPLANATION. YEAH, THANK YOU. AND HONESTLY, SHAME ON US FOR NOT BEING MORE PRESENT. YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE'RE LIKE, WELL, WE'RE DOING GOOD WORK AND THE KIDS KNOW AND THE PEOPLE WE WORK WITH, SO THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH. AND I REALIZE IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS FEDERAL STUFF. LIKE WE NEED TO BETTER PROMOTE OURSELVES AND ADVOCATE FOR OURSELVES. AND WE HOPE TO GROW OUR PROGRAM, YOU KNOW, TO BETTER SERVE THE RESIDENTS. WE GET SO MANY PHONE CALLS AND SOMETIMES I JUST LIKE, HI. AND I'M LIKE, I DON'T HAVE PROGRAMS FOR ALL OF YOU PEOPLE. SO IT'S GOTTEN OVERWHELMING. SO WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD CAPACITY. THANK YOU. NOW THAT YOU KNOW HOW FRIENDLY WE ARE, YOU CAN COME BACK AND GIVE US SO UPDATES, . THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT, JOSH, DO YOU WANNA MOVE ON TO 62? IS THAT YOUR LAST ONE? UH, YES. JOSHUA IS EIGHT SUSA COUNTY PARKS. UH, NUMBER 62 IS, UH, AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE ENTERTAINMENT [00:30:01] SERVICES AT THE SOUTH MOUNTAIN RECREATION COMPLEX. LISA LU ENTERTAINMENT, SEPTEMBER 30TH OF THIS YEAR THROUGH JANUARY 31ST OF NEXT YEAR, AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $40,000. UH, THIS IS FOR, UH, VARIOUS EVENTS THAT ARE COMING UP OVER AT THE COMPLEX, INCLUDING SENIOR WELLNESS. OVER ON THE 30TH, THEY'LL HAVE SOME, UH, PERFORMERS OUTSIDE. AND THEN AS WE GET INTO OUR HALLOWEEN SEASON, THEY'LL PROVIDE SOME, UH, SOME ADDITIONAL PERFORMERS, SOME DRESS UP, UH, TYPE THINGS. AND THEN FINALLY FOR OUR HOLIDAY LIGHT PROGRAM IN DECEMBER, UH, THEY'LL PROVIDE, UH, WE HAVE A PRINCESS NIGHT AND, UH, VARIOUS JUGGLERS AND STILL WALKERS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO, HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THE BOARD MAY HAVE. THANK YOU, MR. VA. ANY QUESTIONS ON NINE THROUGH 18 AND 62? NO, THEY'VE BEEN REVIEWED AND NO QUESTIONS. MR. MCINERNEY. ANY QUESTIONS? NO, NO QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONER STEVE. THANK YOU. NUMBER OF THE ITEMS DISCUSSED THE FACT THAT THE OPEN SPACE TRUST FUND IS DONATING MONEY TOWARDS THE, UH, PROCEDURES. AND, UH, WE DID HAVE A MEETING AND EVERYTHING WAS DISCUSSED FULLY. AND I WILL ADD THAT JOSH DOES A WONDERFUL JOB AT THESE MEETINGS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER SIBO, COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT. THANK YOU. UM, FOR ITEM NUMBER NINE, EXPLAIN THAT ONE AGAIN. THEY'RE PICKING UP TRASH. WHERE INSIDE THE PARKS. OUTSIDE THE PARKS. WHAT DID YOU SAY? UH, JOSHUA'S HS. COUNTY PARKS THREE. MR. PRESIDENT, UM, NUMBER NINE, SPECIFICALLY, THEY WOULD PICK UP ANY OF THE DUMPSTERS THROUGHOUT THE COMPLEX. IF THERE'S A DUMPSTER IN THE PARK, THEY WOULD OFFLOAD THE DUMPSTER AND THEN DISPOSE OF THE DUMPSTER. THE REFUGE REFUSE. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I'LL MOVE IT. MOVE BY SEABOLD SECOND. SECOND BY MERCADO. ROLL CALL MADAM DEPUTY CLERK NINE THREE EIGHTEEN AND 62. COMMISSIONER GILL? YES. COMMISSIONER LUCIANO? YES. COMMISSIONER MERCADO? YES. COMMISSIONER MURRAY THOMAS. YES. COMMISSIONER RICHARDSON. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER SIEBEL? YES. COMMISSIONER SERMONS. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT COOPER? YES. COMMISSIONER, PRESIDENT POIS? YES. SO MOVED. THANK YOU. GOOD NIGHT, JOSH. UH, LET'S MOVE ON TO RESOLUTIONS 19 THROUGH 24, WHICH ARE FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND CAN BE INVITED TO THE LATER TIME. MR. ANTONIO'S BACK NOW YOU CAN GET A GRILLING. UH, DAVID ANTONIO, THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. A NUMBER, UH, 19 IS THE AWARD OF A CONTRACT WITH CNET CONSTRUCTION FOR THE BASEBALL FIELD. IMPROVEMENTS OF WHEAT CREEK PARK IN NEWARK AT A COST NOT TO EXCEED $1,625,000 C NET CONSTRUCTION. SUBMITTED THE LOWEST OF THE SIX BITS RECEIVED BY THE COUNTY. UH, THE PROJECT AND TELL INSTALLATION OF A NEW SYNTHETIC BASEBALL FIELD AND ALSO INCLUDES NEW FENCING, BLEACHERS, PLAYER BENCHES, ENERGY IMPROVEMENTS, A NEW IRRIGATION SYSTEM AND LANDSCAPING. THIS FIELD IS LOCATED NORTH OF THE RUTGERS NEWARK BASEBALL DIAMOND AND IS THE LAST OF THE FIVE FIELDS IN THE PARK, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN UPGRADED TO A SYNTHETIC FIELD. MR. RONNIE AK OF CNET CONSTRUCTION IS HERE. I HEARD HE DID REALLY WELL LAST TIME HE WAS HERE, SO HE CAME BACK AGAIN. RONNIE. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. PLEASE JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION. TELL US ABOUT THE PROJECT AND YOUR COMPANY. HELLO, UH, MY NAME'S RON. UH, I'M FROM XNET CONSTRUCTION SERVICES BASED IN ORANGE, NEW JERSEY. UH, WE'RE A UNION AFFILIATED COMPANY WITH 50% OF OUR WORKFORCE IN ESSEX COUNTY. UM, SO THIS PROJECT IS A NEW SYNTHETIC TURF CONVERSION. UM, THERE'S A NEW WATER FOUNTAIN, WATERLINE, A LOT OF IRRIGATION, SODDING, AND IT'S MOSTLY JUST SITE WORK. AND FLATWOOD, UH, MR. BAZ, ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE VENDOR? NO. MR. PRESIDENT, MR. MCINERNEY? NO. COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE VENDOR? COMMISSIONER MARY THOMAS? JUST WANNA, UH, SAY THAT I, FIRST OF ALL, LIKE LEARNED HOW TO RUN AND ALL THAT STUFF IN THAT PARK AND CURRENTLY THERE A LOT RIGHT NOW TRAINING FOR A RACE AND THEN ALSO SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. AND SO I KNOW THAT THE CONVERSION OF THIS PARTICULAR FIELD IS GONNA MAKE AN IMMENSE IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITY AND THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO UTILIZE IT. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. QUESTION. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? OKAY. YOU'RE GOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, LET'S MOVE ON TO NUMBER 20. DAVID ANTONIO, DEPARTMENT, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. ADAM NUMBER 20 AWARDS CTO ASSOCIATES A CONTRACT TO PERFORM ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING SERVICES. NEEDED TO DEVELOP THE CONSTRUCTION PLANS FOR THE NEW ESSEX COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AND ELECTION STORAGE FACILITY IN VERONA IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $1,287,000. CTO ASSOCIATES SUBMITTED THE HIGHEST RATED PROPOSAL OF THE FIVE RECEIVED IN RESPONSE TO THE PROJECT'S ADVERTISED RFP. AND MR. GREGORY, CTO OF CTO ASSOCIATES IS HERE THIS EVENING. HE'S BEEN HERE BEFORE, CORRECT? NEVER. YES. YES. UH, GREG, PLEASE. GOOD EVENING, MR. CTO. GOOD TO SEE YOU. GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONERS, PRESIDENT, COMMISSIONER, UH, I'M GREGORY CTO. I'M THE, THE FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF CTO ASSOCIATES, ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS [00:35:01] AND PLANNERS. UH, 23 WARREN STREET. JUST A FEW BLOCKS FROM HERE WHERE WE'VE BEEN FOR TOO MANY YEARS, 30 PLUS YEARS. UH, I'M A 40 YEAR PLUS RESIDENT OF ESSEX COUNTY. WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO DESIGN SOME, SOME REWARDING BUILDINGS FOR US, FOR ESTES COUNTY AND A LOT WITHIN ALMOST EYESIGHT. WE DID THE MARTIN LUTHER KING, UM, JUSTICE CENTER, UH, THE NEW ENTRY, UM, THE CURVED GLASS ENTRY TO SOUTH, UH, JURY, JURY ENTRY, UH, BOTH PARKING DECKS AND 900 DECK A FEW YEARS AGO. UH, LEROY SMITH, UH, THE NEW, UH, DOWN THE STREET, THE NEW, UH, W LIPMAN, UM, FAMILY, UH, JUSTICE, UH, BUILDING FAMILY COURTS. SO WE'RE FAMILIAR WITH EXA COUNTY. OUR HEART'S HERE. UM, THIS STUFF IS WHAT WE LIVE FOR. AND, AND HOPEFULLY WE'VE, WE'VE, UH, MADE YOU PROUD OF SOME OF OUR BUILDINGS. SO WE'RE HERE TONIGHT TO LOOK AT, UM, THE RE THE, UM, A NEW FACILITY TO REPLACE THE STORAGE OF, UH, THE ELECTION MACHINES, WHICH IS QUITE EXTENSIVE FOR ALL 22 MUNICIPALITIES. THAT'S NOW IN, UH, YOU'RE RENTING IN BELLVILLE, NEW JERSEY. AND ALSO, UH, A NEW HOME FOR THE, UM, TRANSPORTATION SERVICES WHERE YOU'RE RENTING A SPACE IN MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY. SO IT'S A FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT, UM, UH, UH, ENTERPRISE, UM, TO PUT THESE BOTH TOGETHER IN A, IN A HOPEFULLY, UH, ECONOMIC AND, AND SMART FASHION. SO WE HAVEN'T GOT INTO WHAT WE NEED TO DO YET. WE HAVE TO MEET WITH STAFF, YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENT HEADS AND ANALYZE THE OPERATIONS OF BOTH. AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU WITH A, WITH A PROPOSED DESIGN. THANK YOU. WELL, NO, YOU'RE NO STRANGER BY ANY MEANS. THOSE PROJECTS YOU MENTIONED HAVE BEEN STELLAR, SO CERTAINLY, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY, WE'VE BEEN VERY IMPRESSED WITH ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE IN THE PAST. AND WE'LL EXPECT NO DIFFERENT THIS TIME 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU DO. UH, COMM UH, MR. BAZ, ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE VENDORS? NO, THIS HAS BEEN REVIEWED. NO QUESTIONS, MR. PRESIDENT. MR. MCINERNEY, ANY QUESTIONS? NO QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONERS, QUESTIONS FROM MR. CTO? COMMISSIONER SIEBEL, CONFIRM. CTO ASSOCIATES HAS DONE ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC WORK, ESSEX COUNTY, AND WE ARE REALLY FORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE GREG CTO, WHO'S WILLING TO DO SO MUCH WORK FOR HERE IN ESSEX COUNTY. AND I KNOW THIS PROJECT WILL REALLY BE WONDERFUL BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S MUCH NEEDED, ESPECIALLY THE TRANSPORTATION PORTION OF IT. AND THE OTHER, THE OTHER PART IS IMPORTANT TOO, SO I KNOW IT WILL BE A GREAT CONSTRUCTION BECAUSE WHATEVER YOU DO IS WONDERFUL. THAT'S VERY NICE FOR YOU, SAY, COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU, SIR. IT'S TRUE. IT'S TRUE. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT. THANK YOU. I ECHO THAT SENTIMENT. GREAT WORK. SO WE EXPECT THE SAME LEVEL WITH THE NEW PROJECT QUESTION, MR. JACKSON. IS THIS THAT NEW BUILDING THAT WE JUST ACQUIRED THAT WE'RE DOING? YEAH, UH, UH, YES. UM, IT'S IN, IN VERONA. UM, WE'RE BASICALLY ACQUIRING THE LAND. THERE'S A BUILDING ON A SMALL BUILDING ON IT, BUT WE'RE, WE'LL BUILD A NEW BASED ON GREG'S DESIGN AND WE'LL BUILD A NEW BUILDING THAT'LL INCORPORATE, INCORPORATE ALL THE STORAGE THAT, UH, MR. CAMINO REFERRED TO. AND THEN ONCE IT'S DONE, ALL THE PLACES THAT WE'RE USING FOR STORAGE RIGHT NOW, WE WON'T USE THOSE ANYMORE. WELL, NOT ALL, IT'LL BE WHERE THE ELECTION MACHINES ARE, WILL COME IN THERE WHERE MIKE RAS COMING FROM, MAPLEWOOD. AND ALSO WE HAVE A FACILITY AT 35 MARTIN LUTHER KING IN NEWARK, UH, THAT THE MATERIAL THAT'S STORED THERE WILL ALSO COME OUT. SO THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE WE'RE PAYING MORE NOW IN RENT THAN WE'LL WE PAYING TO FINANCE THIS PROJECT. SO WE, WE COME OUT AHEAD AND WE'LL HAVE A BRAND NEW FACILITY THAT WORKS BETTER FOR EVERYBODY. THANK YOU. MY MAIN CONCERN, AND I KNOW THIS WON'T BE OVERLOOKED BECAUSE THIS IS EVERYBODY'S CONCERN, IS THE STORAGE OF THE, UH, VOTING MACHINES BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT MECHANICAL, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ELECTRONIC AND CERTAINLY TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY AND SECURITY OBVIOUSLY ARE PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE. SO WE KNOW THAT YOU'LL DO A GOOD JOB WITH THAT. SO GLAD TO SEE IT IN YOUR HANDS. UH, COMMISSIONER SEABOLD, YOU'VE GIVING ME THE STINK. I YOU WANTS TO MOVE THIS IN A LITTLE BIT. MOVE. WE'LL COME BACK TO THIS. WHEN WE COME BACK TO IT, WE'LL HAVE YOU MOVE IT. OKAY. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. MR. UH, COMMISSIONER LUCIANO, I JUST ALSO, I WANTED TO ADD THAT I'VE KNOWN, UH, MR. CTO A LONG TIME. NOT ONLY IS THIS PROJECT IN, IN MY DISTRICT, BUT HE ALSO RESIDES IN MY DISTRICT. AND, UH, HE'S DONE GREAT WORK, NOT JUST FOR THE COUNTY, BUT ALSO FOR A LOT OF LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, HONOR. YEAH, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE IN GOOD SHAPE, MR. CTO. LET'S MOVE ON TO 21. DAVID ANTONIO, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. ITEM NUMBER 21. IT'S AN AWARDS ARCHITECTURE WORK OFFICE. A CONTRACT WILL PERFORM THE ARCHITECTURAL AND AND ENGINEERING TO FURNISH THE CONSTRUCTION PLANS FOR THE RENOVATION OF THE BATHROOM BUILDING LOCATED AT ON BRUNSWICK [00:40:01] PARKS SOUTHERN DIVISION RIGHT NEXT DOOR, ADJACENT TO UH, CLIFTON AVENUE, AND WILL ALSO INCLUDE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE NEARBY BASKETBALL COURT ARCHITECTURE WORK OFFICE SUBMITTED THE HIGHEST RATED OF THE SEVEN PROPOSALS RECEIVED BY THE COUNTY OF ESSEX. AND MR. TEXTER NAM OF ARCHITECTURE WORK OFFICE JUST WALKED IN THE DOOR. UH, HE WAS STUCK IN TRAFFIC FOR QUITE A WHILE. UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE HIMSELF, HIS COMPANY. HE'S A NEW VENDOR. OKAY. OKAY. SO, UH, THANK YOU TEXTOR. PLEASE JUST GO TO THE MICROPHONE. STATE YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION AND TELL US ABOUT YOUR COMPANY AND WHAT YOU PUT. UH, MY NAME IS ARCHITECTURE WORK OFFICE. SORRY, I JUST DISCARDED MY CAR OF PANTS STATION AND RAN. SO NO, DON'T, DON'T TAKE YOUR TIME. ALRIGHT. RELAX. UM, UH, WE ARE A DESIGN COMPANY, DESIGN ORIENTED ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN COMPANY, UH, COMPOSED OF EIGHT, UH, PEOPLE, UM, LOCATED IN NEW YORK CITY, BUT ALSO, UM, WE HAVE A SMALL OFFICE IN NEW JERSEY. SO WE ARE EXCITED TO DESIGN, UM, BURG PARK FACILITY AND WE WOULD LIKE TO DO A LOT MORE IN THE FUTURE. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. UH, MR. BAZ, ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE VENDOR? NO QUESTIONS. MR. TER? NO QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE VENDOR? OKAY, THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. I'M GLAD HE MADE IT HERE. WE'RE GLAD YOU MADE IT. WE KNOW IT'S A LOT OF EFFORT AND IF IT TAKES LONGER USUALLY 'CAUSE WE'RE GRILLING YOU, BUT YOU'RE OFF THE HOOK EARLY TODAY, SO THAT'S GOOD. , THANKS . DAVID ANTONIO, THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. ITEM NUMBER 22 IS THE AWARD OF A NEGOTIATED TWO YEAR CONTRACT TO SIEMENS INDUSTRY TO PROVIDE THE MAINTENANCE SERVICE AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR THE SIEMENS BUILDING AUTOMATED SYSTEMS AND ACTUALLY C $219,650. UH, THE SPECIALIZED SIEMEN INDUSTRY BUILDING AUTOMATION SYSTEMS ARE USED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY AT VARIOUS BUILDINGS AND ALLOW FOR THOSE CENTRALIZED AND AUTOMATED CONTROL OF THE BUILDINGS. UH, CORE MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, AND CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR IMPROVED COMFORT AND SAFETY OF VISITORS AND EMPLOYEES. ITEM NUMBER 23 AWARDS, SUGAR PROPERTY SERVICES, A TWO YEAR CONTRACT TO PROVIDE LANDSCAPING SERVICES OF VARIOUS COUNTY FACILITIES IN AN AMOUNT ACCURATE EXCEED $215,440. SUGAR PROPERTY SERVICES SUBMITTED THE LOWEST OF THE FIVE BITS RECEIVED BY THE COUNTY. THIS CONTRACT IS USED TO MAINTAIN THE LAST, THE LANDSCAPING AT 16 DIFFERENT COUNTY FACILITIES. AND ITEM NUMBER 24 AWARDS, VIP SERVICES, A CONTRACT TO POWER WASH VARIOUS COUNTY FACILITIES IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $137,160. UH, VIP SERVICES SUBMITTED THE LOWEST OF THE THREE BITS RECEIVED. THE AWARD OF THIS CONTRACT WILL ALLOW FOR THE EXTERIOR PRESSURE WASHING OF THE CODY ARENA ROOF, ALONG WITH THREE COUNTY PARKING DECKS. AND MR. PRESIDENT, THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU, MR. ANTONIO. MS. SHABAZ, ANY QUESTIONS? UH, NO. MR. PRESIDENT, HE ALL REVIEW. THANK, THANK YOU MR. MCKINNEY. NO QUESTIONS. COMMISSION COMMISSIONERS? ANY QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER SIBO, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MOVE THESE? YES, I WOULD. I'LL SECOND. SECOND. BY MECADO, WE'RE MOVING, UH, 19 THROUGH 24. COMMISSIONER GILL? YES. COMMISSIONER LUCIANO? YES. COMMISSIONER MERCADO? YES. COMMISSIONER MARIE THOMAS. YES. COMMISSIONER RICHARDSON. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER SIEBEL? YES. COMMISSIONER SERMONS. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT COOPER? YES. COMMISSIONER PRESIDENT EZ? YES. SO MOVED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, ATTORNEY. GOOD NIGHT. LET'S MOVE ON TO NUMBER 25, WHICH IS IN THE OFFICE OF COUNTY COUNCIL. COULD BE READ TO THE RECORD AT A LATER TIME. MR. JACKSON? MR. ST. JOHN. GOOD EVENING, MR. ST. JOHN. GOOD EVENING. MR. PRESIDENT. UH, JEROME ST. JOHN COUNTY COUNCIL. UH, COUNTY COUNCIL HAS RETAINED AN OUTSIDE FIRM TO REPRESENT A HEALTH DEPARTMENT IN ITS, UH, DIS DISENGAGEMENT FROM A FORMER ENTITY THAT WAS A SELF SUB SUBCONTRACTOR TO US. WE'RE TAKING THAT IN HOUSE NOW AND DOING THE WORK YOU HEARD BEFORE FROM OUR, FROM OUR DIRECTOR. SHE'S STILL HERE. SHE'S NOT. UH, AND SO WE NEEDED SOMEONE TO WORK WITH HER. THIS, THIS, UH, THE COST OF THIS WILL BE COVERED BY A GRANT. UH, AND THIS IS MY FIRST TIME WORKING WITH THIS FIRM. I THINK MAYBE SOME OF YOU KNOW THE FIRM. THEY'RE A WEST ORANGE FIRM. UH, AND, UH, I'VE BEEN VERY HAPPY WITH THE WORK THEY'VE DONE SO FAR. SOUNDS GOOD. MR. BAZ, ANY QUESTIONS? NO QUESTIONS PRESENT. MR. MCINERNEY? NO QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTIONS IN 25? A QUICK ONE, COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT. IF THIS IS ONE ITEM THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON, OR A SERIES OF ITEMS, IT'S ONE ITEM, NAMELY [00:45:01] THE FREE IN-HOUSE, THE WORK THAT THIS, THIS OTHER ENTITY USED TO DO FOR MANY YEARS AS A SUBCONTRACTOR TO US UNDER A SHARED SERVICES AGREEMENT. UH, BUT THAT ALSO IS GOING TO INVOLVE SOME LITIGATION BECAUSE THE DEPUTY, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ENTITY THAT WAS THE SUBCONTRACTOR, IS ATTEMPTING TO COMPEL AS A COUNTY TO HIRE HIM. AND WE'RE NOT GONNA DO IT. SO, AND I, I, WE'RE ON, I BELIEVE WE'RE ON SOLID LEGAL FOOTING ON THAT BASIS. BUT THERE'S A LAWSUIT THAT'S BEEN BROUGHT BY THIS INDIVIDUAL, PRO SE AND I'VE ASKED THIS FIRM TO ALSO, SINCE THEY'RE FAMILIAR WITH ALL OF THE DOCUMENTATION, ET CETERA, TO REPRESENT THE COUNTY IN THAT MATTER AS WELL. SO IT'S ALL PART OF THE SAME TRANSACTION. THANK YOU. SOUND GOOD? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? VICE PRESIDENT, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MOVE IT? YES. MOVE BY COOPER. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. BY MERCADO. WE'LL CALL MADAM DEPUTY CLERK IN 25. COMMISSIONER GID? YES. COMMISSIONER LUCIANO? YES. COMMISSIONER MERCADO? YES. COMMISSIONER MURRAY THOMAS. YES. COMMISSIONER RICHARDSON. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER SEABOLD? YES. COMMISSIONER SERMONS. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT COOPER? YES. COMMISSIONER PRESIDENT EZ? YES. SO MOVED. LET'S MOVE ON TO RESOLUTION 26, WHICH IS FROM THE DIVISION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. IT'LL BE READ TO THE RECORD. TIME. MR. JACKSON? MR. TREY, MR. PRESIDENT JULIUS TRE, PURCHASING DIRECTOR, THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT DIVISION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AMEND PY 2022 GRANT AGREEMENT WITH SOUTHERN SOUTH SIDE VIEW, LLC HOME PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM. UH, THEY WERE THE CONSTRUCTION UNIT OF 6 54 THERE. 6 68 SOUTH 11TH STREET, NORTH NEW JERSEY. UH, THE ORIGINAL AWARD WAS FOR 300,000. THEY'RE ASKING FOR ANOTHER 80,000, MAKING THE NET TOTAL TO $380,000. OKAY. MS. SHABAZZ, ANY QUESTIONS? NO QUESTIONS. MR. MCINERNEY? NO QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONS. ANY QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT? UH, THANK YOU MR. PRESIDENT. I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. GIVEN THE ORIGINAL TIMELINE OF FUNDING COMPARED TO NOW, DO THEY HAVE ALL THE FUNDS IN PLACE THAT THEY NEED TO START THIS PROJECT? IS IT NEW? I THINK IT SAID NEW CONSTRUCTION. YES. THEY DID NEW CONSTRUCTION AT 6 54. 6 68 SOUTH 11TH STREET. AND APPARENTLY THEY NEED ANOTHER 80,000 TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT. SO IT'S UNDERWAY NOW AND THEY HAVE A GAP? UH, I BELIEVE SO. FROM MY NOTES HERE. FROM THE DECISION MEMO. ALRIGHT. BECAUSE MY CONCERN IS THAT GIVEN THE COST INCREASES THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED, UM, RELATED TO CONSTRUCTION, SOME OTHER THINGS IS, IS THIS GOING TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEY NEED TO FINALIZE IT? I WASN'T CLEAR FROM READING THE MEMO IF, IF THEY'VE STARTED CONSTRUCTION, IF THEY'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, UM, CAN YOU HAVE SOMEONE GIVE US SOME FOLLOW UP? I MEAN, I DON'T WANNA HOLD THIS UP AND SAY MOVE IT ALONG, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW THAT. 'CAUSE I WOULD HATE TO SEE THAT THE PROJECT CAN'T CONTINUE. IT GETS STALLED AGAIN BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANYBODY ELSE. THE COST FOR ME AT WORK HAVE INCREASED 35, 40% AND I'M SEEING MARKUPS THAT ARE LITERALLY COMING IN TARIFFS. EVERYTHING FROM BUILDING SUPPLIES. IT'S, IT'S CRAZY. SO I WOULD HATE TO SEE THIS STALL KNOWING THAT WE NEED AFFORDABLE, UM, HOUSING. SO IF THEY NEED MORE, ASK FOR WHAT YOU NEED NOW. THAT IS A GOOD POINT. THIS MAY BE AS A RESULT OF SOME OF THOSE INCREASES AND MAY MAYBE THAT'LL BE SUFFICIENT. BUT MR. COLTER, CAN YOU JUST FOLLOW UP WITH US ON THAT? JUST DO MORE RATIONAL. WE DIRECTOR RAMS. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. OKAY. UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? SO, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MOVE IT? I'LL MOVE IT. YES. THANK YOU. MS. UH, MADAM VICE PRESIDENT. YOU WANT A SECOND? SECOND. SECOND. BY COMMISSIONER GILL. WE'LL CALL MAD DEPUTY CLERK FOR 26. COMMISSIONER GILL? YES. COMMISSIONER LUCIANO? YES. COMMISSIONER MERCADO? YES. COMMISSIONER MURRAY THOMAS. YES. COMMISSIONER RICHARDSON. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER SIBO? YES. COMMISSIONER SERMONS. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT COOPER? YES. COMMISSIONER EZ? YES. SO MOVED. THANK YOU. LET'S MOVE ON TO 27 AND 28, WHICH ARE FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PROSECUTOR. COULD BE READ INTO THE RECORD AT A LATER TIME. MR. COULTER, IS THIS YOU? YES. UH, THIS IS FROM THE PROSECUTOR'S. THIS IS A CONTRACT AWARD TO LIFE TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION TO PROVIDE GENETIC AND DNA SERVICES FOR A 12 MONTH PERIOD FROM DATE OF AWARD. ACTUALLY, IT'S FROM JANUARY 1ST TO THE END OF THE YEAR. UH, THIS IS A NON FAIR AND OPEN CONTRACT. AND NUMBER 28. 28 IS THE OFFICE OF, UH, PROSECUTOR RESOLUTION APPROVING PARTICIPATION WITH THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAM AND ADMINISTERED BY THE DIVISION OF VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND VICTIM ASSISTANCE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DEPARTMENT OF LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY, ACCEPTING SUB-AWARD V OH SEVEN DASH 24 FOR A PERIOD OF JULY 1ST, 2025 [00:50:01] TO JUNE 30TH, 2026. THANK YOU, MR. BOW. ANY QUESTIONS? UH, NO. MR. PRESIDENT, WE REVIEW THESE, DISCUSS THESE. NO QUESTIONS. THANK YOU MR. MCINERNEY. NO QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONERS. SCENE NUN. COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT. MOVED. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND BY MERCADO. UH, ROLL CALL MADAM DEPUTY CLERK ON TWENTY SEVEN TWENTY EIGHT. COMMISSIONER GILL? YES. COMMISSIONER LUCIANO? YES. COMMISSIONER MERCADO? YES. COMMISSIONER MURRAY THOMAS. YES. COMMISSIONER RICHARDSON. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER SIBO? YES. COMMISSIONER SERMONS. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT COOPER? YES. COMMISSIONER PRESIDENT POIS? YES. SO MOVED. OKAY. LET'S MOVE ON TO RESOLUTIONS 29 AND 32, WHICH ARE 2025. BUDGET INSERTIONS ITEMS OF REVENUE FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. THEY'LL BE READ INTO THE RECORD AT A LATER TIME. MR. JACKSON? UH, THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. UH, ITEM 29 IS FOR THE OFFICE OF THE PROSECUTOR AND THE AMOUNT OF $849,720. THIS IS, UH, MONEY FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY TO SUPPORT THE PROSECUTOR'S, UH, VICTIM WITNESS ADVOCACY OFFICE FROM, UH, 7 1 25 THROUGH 6 30 26. UM, IT REQUIRES A MATCH OF $212,430, UH, FROM THE COUNTY, BUT THAT'S DONE THROUGH, UH, IN KIND SERVICES AND ALSO, UH, BENEFITS. UH, ITEM 30, UH, IS AN ASSERTION FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE AMOUNT FOR TO OUR DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS IN THE AMOUNT OF $59,950. THIS IS A, UM, UH, REQUIREMENT OF THE, UH, JUSTICE REAUTHORIZATION ACT, UM, WHERE WE ARE TO IDENTIFY ALL FOREIGN BORN CONFINED PERSONS WITH AT LEAST ONE FELONY OR TWO MISDEMEANOR CONVICTIONS AND INCARCERATED FOR AT LEAST FOUR DAYS. AND THERE'S NO COUNTY MATCH FOR THIS GRANT. UM, TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE, THE, THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE RAISED, UH, IN PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, THERE ARE NO NAMES THAT ARE SUBMITTED TO THE, UH, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. IT'S A BASIC NUMERIC REPORT. WE HAVE X NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN CERTAIN CATEGORIES. UM, AND THEN THE GRANT IS BASED ON THAT, ON THAT FUNDING. WE'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS PROGRAM FOR 25 YEARS. UM, AND THERE'S BEEN IN THAT 25 YEAR PERIOD, NO ONE WHO'S BEEN, AND THERE'S ACTUALLY NO ONE TO BE IDENTIFIED. 'CAUSE IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST NUMBERS. IT'S JUST, OKAY. WE, UM, BUT AS A RESULT OF THIS PROGRAM, NOBODY'S EVER BEEN TAKEN OUT OF OUR FACILITY AS A RESULT OF IT. SO UNDERSTOOD. IT'S BASICALLY NUMERICAL REPORT THAT SUPPORTS THE GRANT. THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION, MR. OBJECTION. YEAH. UM, ITEM 31 IS AN INSERTION, UM, FROM THE DEPART ALSO FOR OUR DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS. UM, AND THE AMOUNT OF $48,760 AND 59 CENTS. UM, THIS WILL PROVIDE FOR, FOR BODY ARMOR. THIS WILL PROVIDE FOR 37, APPROXIMATELY 37 VEST. AND, UH, TO YOUR QUESTION, UH, OF, UH, LAST, UH, TIME, MR. PRESENT, UH, THERE, THERE'S A NEED OF ABOUT 708, UH, VEST IN THE DEPARTMENT. UM, AS OF NOW, UH, THERE WILL BE, UM, NONE THAT ARE NEEDED TO, TO BE REPLACED. WE WERE LOOKING FOR ABOUT, UM, 72 TO BE, UH, NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BY THE END OF 2026. AND BETWEEN, AND WITH THIS GRANT AND WITH, UH, TWO OTHERS, TWO OTHER PURCHASE ORDERS THAT ARE IN, IN THE WORKS, WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE EVERYBODY COMPLETELY UP TO DATE AT, AT THE END OF THE YEAR. SO THEY'LL TAKE CARE OF THAT. WOULD YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF A VEST? IS IT FIVE YEARS? FIVE YEARS? FIVE YEARS? SOMETIMES, SOMETIMES MORE. UM, BUT THE, THE, THE, THE RULE OF THUMB IS FIVE YEARS. OKAY. SO WE'RE CURRENT ON THAT AND WE'RE ON TRACK TO HAVE THEM ALL UPDATED WITHIN THE FIVE YEAR SPECS. YES. SO NO ONE IS WEARING AN OUTDATED VEST. CORRECT. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE THAT. AND ACTUALLY, UM, THE DEPARTMENT IS GONNA GO TO A MORE, TO A QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF UPDATING. COULD THEY? WE WERE ON LIKE A SEMI-ANNUAL OR EVEN AN ANNUAL SCHEDULE, I THINK, BEFORE. SO NOW THEY'RE GONNA PUSH THAT UP TO BE ON A QUARTERLY LOOK GOOD. AND SO THEY'LL, IT'LL BE EVEN MORE UP TO DATE THAN WE'VE BEEN IN THE PAST. SO WE'LL SEE MORE OF THESE, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S FINE. YEP. WE'LL, WE'LL GET THEM UPDATED. THANK YOU FOR THAT REPORT. UM, AND THIS IS WHY I HAVE ONE MORE, UH, OH SURE. I'M SORRY. 32 IS, UH, AN INSERTION FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE IN THE AMOUNT OF $22,940 AND 15 CENTS. THIS IS REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE 2025 PRIMARY EARLY VOTING. IT COVER STAFF HOURS AND OT AND PRINTING FOR THE NINE DAYS OF EARLY VOTING. AND THERE'S NO COUNTY MATCH. THANK YOU, MR. JACKSON. MR. CHABA, ANY QUESTIONS ON THESE ITEMS? NO. MR. PRESIDENT, MR. MCINERNEY? NO QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTIONS ON THESE ITEMS? SEE? NONE DO. I'M GONNA MOVE 29 TO 32. MOVE MOVED BY VICE PRESIDENT. SECOND BY LUCIANO. WE'LL CALL MADAM DEPUTY CLERK COMMISSIONER GILL? YES. COMMISSIONER LUCIANO? YES. COMMISSIONER MERCADO? YES. COMMISSIONER MURRAY THOMAS. YES. COMMISSIONER RICHARDSON. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER SIEBEL? YES. COMMISSIONER SERMONS. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT COOPER? YES. COMMISSIONER PRESIDENT EZ? YES. SO MOVED. THANK YOU. LET'S MOVE TO RESOLUTION 33 TO 61, WHICH ARE IMS COMMENDATIONS PROCLAMATION [00:55:01] RESOLUTIONS CAN BE READ TO THE RECORD AT A LATER TIME. COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THESE OFFICE? SEE? NONE. SO I'M GONNA MOVE 33 TO 61. I'LL MOVE MOVED BY MERCADO. SECOND. SECOND, SECOND. BY WHO WAS THAT OVER HERE? I'M SORRY. WAS THAT GIL? ROLL CALL. MAD DEPUTY CLERK. IS IT PRESIDENT? YEAH, GO AHEAD. SO SORRY. UM, UH, JUST REMOVING, WE'RE MOVING ALL THE COMMENDATIONS, INCLUDING THE RESOLUTIONS. I'M SORRY. JUST MAKING SURE. YES. 33 TO 61. I APPRECIATE YOUR EFFICIENCY TONIGHT. EVEN I'M HAVING TROUBLE KEEPING UP . AND WE HAVE A COMMON SESSION AS WELL. OKAY. SO WE'RE ON THE COMMON SESSION FOR THOSE. THANK YOU. YEAH, WE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'D LIKE, WE CAN MAKE COMMENTS ON. THANK YOU. I I JUST I APPRECIATE THAT MR. MR. PRESIDENT. I JUST, UH, DO WANT TO THANK, UM, UH, MY COLLEAGUES WHO, UH, PARTICULARLY, UM, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBER IN FRONT OF ME, BUT ON THE RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE IMMIGRATION TRUST ACT. UM, I KNOW, UH, BOTH YOU, COMMISSIONER MURRAY THOMAS AND COMMISSIONER SEABOLD SIGNED ON, UM, TO THAT. AND, UM, WHICH VERY BRIEFLY, UM, IS A STRONG STATEMENT, UM, UH, ENCOURAGING, UH, BOTH OUR, UH, ASSEMBLY AND SENATE DELEGATION HERE IN ESSEX COUNTY. UH, AND THE GOVERNOR, UH, TO PASS THE IMMIGRATION TRUST ACT AND SIGN THAT ACT, UM, INTO LAW. UM, IT VERY BRIEFLY WOULD BE LEGISLATION AIMED AT STRENGTHENING THE PROTECTIONS, UH, FOR OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN NEW JERSEY, UM, BY REDUCING THE STATE'S INVOLVEMENT, UM, IN SOME OF THE, UM, POLICIES THAT WE SEE, UH, TAKING PLACE, UH, RIGHT NOW, UH, HERE, UH, IN OUR HOME COUNTY. SO THANK YOU, UH, FOR, FOR EVERYONE WHO AGREED TO DO THAT, UH, MR. PRESIDENT. AND, UM, WHEN, WHEN PUBLIC COMMENT IS CON, UH, AT LEAST ON THAT PARTICULAR, UH, RESOLUTION, I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE IT. UM, YES SIR. IF, IF, UH, IF SOMEONE ACTUALLY JUMPED ALREADY ON, ON MOVING THEM ALL TOGETHER, I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE, UH, THE IMMIGRATION TRUST ACT A RESOLUTION. WELL, WHAT DO WE DO? WHAT DO WE DO ALL TO 60 AND THEN WE'LL DO 61 SEPARATE. HOW'S THAT? I WANT ADD SOMETHING TO THAT. SO GIMME ONE SECOND. SO LET'S, LET'S DO 33 TO 60 RIGHT NOW. SOMEONE TO MOVE. 33 TO 60. MOVED BY VICE PRESIDENT SECOND BY MERCADO. ROLL CALL MADAM DEPUTY CLERK COMMISSIONER GILL? YES. COMMISSIONER LUCIANO. YES. COMMISSIONER MERCADO? YES. COMMISSIONER MURRAY THOMAS. YES. COMMISSIONER RICHARDSON. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER SIEBEL? YES. COMMISSIONER SERMONS. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT COOPER? YES. COMMISSIONER PRESIDENT EZ. THANK YOU. SO MOVED NOW IN 61. DID WE WANNA DO THE BY ACCLIMATION? YES. WAS THAT THE WILL OF THE BOARD? BECAUSE I, I, MY SENSE WAS THAT IT WAS BY ACCLIMATION. CAN I ADD A COMMENT? YES, YOU, YOU MAY. SO, SO LET'S FIRST MAKE IF, UH, FOR ALL IN FAVOR TO DO IT BY ACCLAMATION. YES. YES. OKAY. EXACTLY. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. SO LET'S MAKE THAT CHANGE. 61 IS BY ACCLIMATION. MY APOLOGIES. I THOUGHT THAT WAS HOW IT WAS ALREADY. SO, UH, QUESTION, UH, COMMISSIONER SIBO, I, I AM IN TOTALLY AGREEMENT WITH WHAT, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, GI SAID ABOUT THE RESOLUTION. MY ONLY CONCERN IS WHAT WILL THIS RESOLUTION DO UNTIL THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CHANGES WHAT IT'S DOING IN TERMS OF THE IMMIGRATION POLICY, WE CONTINUE TO HAVE A REAL PROBLEM. AND THIS IS A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE PROBLEM, NOT ONLY FOR ESSEX COUNTY, BUT FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. AND IT HAS GOT TO STOP. AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO TO STOP IT. THE RESOLUTION AT LEAST SAYS WHAT WE THINK, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT. BUT WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING EVEN MORE TO STOP WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY IN TERMS OF THE IMMIGRATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. SO, TO BE CLEAR, WE CANNOT SHUT DOWN THE FACILITY. IT, UH, IT'S, IT'S IN CONFLICT RIGHT NOW WITH THE STATE LAW THAT I UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, THAT, UH, IT WAS PASSED BY GOVERNOR MURPHY AND, UH, AND TRENTON. UH, UNFORTUNATELY WE CANNOT SHUT IT DOWN. WELL, I THINK THAT WILL BE THE WILL OF UP ALL OF US TO SEE IT CLOSE DOWN. IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE CAN, WHY WE DON WE CANNOT DO. BUT AT LEAST THIS MAKES A STATEMENT TO A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW. BUT LIKE YOU SAID, COMMISSIONER, WHERE WE STAND AND WHERE WE STAND, UH, THAT WE'RE BE IN SUPPORT OF IT. COMMISSIONER MARY THOMAS. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER PRESIDENT. UM, AND I TOO WOULD JUST LIKE TO ECHO COMMISSIONER GILL SIEBOLD AND ALL OF OUR COMMISSIONERS AFFIRMATION OF THIS RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE NEW JERSEY IMMIGRANT TRUST ACT. UM, ALL OF US IN SOME WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM ARE, ARE CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS. UM, SOME OF US DIRECTLY LIKE MYSELF, MY FATHER CAME HERE, UM, FROM GUYANA. MY MOTHER AND OUR ANCESTORS WERE FORCED. MY MIGRATED HERE FROM AFRICA, THEN TO VIRGINIA, THEN TO SOUTH CAROLINA, AND THEN MADE THEIR [01:00:01] WAY HERE UP TO NEW JERSEY FOR A BETTER LIFE IN THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES. BUT ALL OF US ARE AFFECTED BY, UH, BEING ABLE TO COME TO A PLACE AND TRY TO BUILD A LIFE. AND WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT IN THIS PARTICULAR CONTEXT, THAT IT'S REALLY CRIMINAL TO TRY AND CRIMINALIZE PEOPLE FOR TRYING TO MAKE A BETTER WAY FOR THEMSELVES, EVEN WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO PURSUE, UH, UH, IN ILLEGAL WAY SUCH AS SEEKING ASYLUM, RIGHT? THE THINGS THAT WERE NORMAL AT ONE POINT, UM, FOR FOLKS TO TRY AND FIND A BETTER LIFE HERE ARE NOW DEEMED, UM, ABNORMAL BECAUSE WE HAVE AN ABNORMAL, UH, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO SAY THE LEAST. AND SO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT EVEN THOUGH WE CAN'T CHANGE EVERYTHING WITH THE STROKE OF A PEN, WE DO LET FOLKS KNOW WHERE WE STAND MORALLY AND ETHICALLY, UM, AS A BOARD ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE. AND SO I JUST WANNA COMMEND, FIRSTLY, ALL OF THE GRASSROOTS ORGANIZER WHO'VE BEEN ON THE GROUND, UH, CHAMPIONING BOTH, NOT ONLY THIS RESOLUTION, BUT THE, THE PASSAGE OF, UH, THE WORKING TOWARD THE PASSAGE OF THE ACT AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE. UM, WE HAVE MANY OF THEM JOIN US HERE LAST, UH, EARLIER IN THE MONTH. UM, I KNOW WE HAVE ONE MEMBER OF, OF EYES ON NICE WHO'S HERE WITH US THIS EVENING, AND WE HOPE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE IN THIS WORK BECAUSE WE CAN'T KNOCK DOWN EVERYTHING OVERNIGHT, BUT EVERYTHING MAKES A DIFFERENCE. SO GRATEFUL THAT WE ARE ALL ON, ON BOARD WITH THIS. THANK YOU AGAIN. OKAY. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. COMMISSIONER GIL. THANK. THANKS, MR. PRESIDENT. ALSO, JUST WANTED TO, UH, SINCE HE'S IN THE AUDIENCE, GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO BENNETT CAN HELP FACILITATE THIS. BENNETT, BRANDON, I CAN FOR YOUR, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THAT. APPRECIATE IT, BENNETT. SO, UM, UH, AND, AND FINALLY JUST WANTED TO PIGGYBACK ON SOMETHING. UH, MR. MURRAY THOMAS JUST SAID THAT, UM, THIS ACTUALLY, UM, TO ME, YOU KNOW, THE TITLE IS IMMIGRATION TRUST ACT, AND AGAIN, THE, THE BILL, THE STATE BILL. UM, BUT WHAT WHAT REALLY DRIVES THIS BILL IS IT SHOULD BE, IT SHOULD BE THE CITIZEN TRUST ACT, NOT THE IMMIGRANT TRUST ACT, IN MY OPINION. BECAUSE WHAT THE BILL ACTUALLY REALLY IS GETTING AT IS MAKING SURE THAT, UM, THOSE COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE HURT, HIT THE HARDEST BY SOME OF THE STUFF THAT'S TAKEN PLACE IN OUR COUNTRY RIGHT NOW, FEEL SAFE ENOUGH TO CALL ON PUBLIC SAFETY WHEN THEY NEED IT. UM, WHICH, WHICH NOT ONLY PROTECTS THEIR OWN IMMEDIATE FAMILIES AND THOSE IN THE COMMUNITIES THEY LIVE IN, IT PROTECTS ALL OF US. SO IT'S NOT JUST THE IMMIGRATION TRUST ACT. THIS IS ACTUALLY A CITIZEN TRUST ACTION. THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT THE BILLS REALLY, IN MY OPINION, TRYING TO DO, TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE, UM, WHO QUITE FRANKLY SHOULD NOT BE FEARFUL TO CALL ON LAW ENFORCEMENT WHEN THEY NEED IT, UH, NOT ONLY TO PROTECT THEIR FAMILIES, BUT TO PROTECT THEIR, THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, CAN DO THAT, UM, AND CAN DO IT, UH, KNOWING, UH, THAT THEY OWE THEMSELVES WILL BE SAFE. AND AS A RESULT, WE WILL ALL BE SAFER. SO, UH, THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. JUST, I APPRECIATE THAT COMMENT AND JUST, UM, REALLY JUST KINDA STRUCK ME AT THAT TIME. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, UH, THANK, UH, MR. SHABAZ FOR HER WORK, HER DILIGENT WORK. I'M BEHIND THAT IN PREPARING ALL THIS. I DID A STELLAR JOB WITH THAT. COMMISSIONER GI, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MOVE IT, PLEASE? THANK YOU. MOVE BY SI UH, SORRY. MOVE BY COMMISSIONER GILL. I'LL SECOND SIBEL. UH, OR LET'S, MARY THOMAS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SECOND? LET'S, HAPPY TO THANK YOU. SECOND THAT, UH, MADAM DEPUTY CLERK ON NUMBER 61. COMMISSIONER GILL. YES. COMMISSIONER LUCIANO. YES. COMMISSIONER MERCADO. YES. COMMISSIONER MURRAY. THOMAS EMPHATIC. YES. COMMISSIONER RICHARDSON. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER ALT. YES. COMMISSIONER SERMONS. ABSENT. COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT COOPER? YES. COMMISSIONER, PRESIDENT POIS. YES. SO MOVED. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, SO LET'S MOVE ON TO BOARD OF, UH, REPORT OF BOARD COMMITTEES. DO WE HAVE ANY REPORTS? WE DO WANNA MENTION, UH, COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT, ABOUT THE UPCOMING BANKING COMMITTEE DATES THAT WE HAVE COMING UP. WE ARE ON THE 14TH AND THE 21ST. THE, THE, UH, COMMISSIONER, VICE PRESIDENT CHAIRS. SO OUR ANNUAL BANKING REVIEW WILL BE ON, UH, THE 14TH AND THE 21ST. THAT IS JUST TO NOTE, A TUESDAY, TWO TUESDAYS CONSECUTIVE TUESDAYS AND OCTOBER. WE PUSH IT UP A LITTLE BIT THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE RUN OUTTA WEDNESDAYS REAL QUICK. YES. WITH THE HOLIDAYS, UM, AND SOME OF OUR CELEBRATIONS, SO THOSE WILL BE PROBABLY AT FOUR O'CLOCK. WE'LL, WE'RE GONNA FINALIZE THAT, BUT I DID KIND OF WANNA PUT IT OUT THERE. AND I KNOW THAT OUR STAFF IS ALREADY WORKING ON GETTING THAT INFORMATION TO THE BANKS. UH, SO HOPEFULLY THAT'S A TENTATIVE DAY. WE WILL HEAR FROM OUR COLLEAGUES AT ADMINISTRATION AND MAKE SURE THAT ALL WORKS, AND ASSUMING THAT ALL WORKS. SO EVERYBODY, LET'S LOOK TO DO THOSE DATES SO THAT WE CAN GET IT OUT AHEAD OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON. BUT IT IS ALREADY MOVING INTO THE LAST QUARTER, SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN DO THAT. UM, ANY BOARD COMMITTEE REPORTS SAYING NONE? DO WE HAVE ANY LEGISLATIVE REPORTS? ANY WRITTEN COMMUNICATION, UNFINISHED BUSINESS, NEW BUSINESS? SEEING NONE. LET'S MOVE ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, IF THERE'S ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WHO WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON ANY MADAM, PLEASE COME TO THE MICROPHONE. STATE YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION FOR THE RECORD. YOU WILL HAVE FOUR MINUTES TO SPEAK. [01:05:06] COULD YOU EVENING? UH, YEAH. GOOD EVENING. UH, MATT, CAN YOU PLEASE, I'M SORRY. ADJUST THE MICROPHONE A LITTLE BIT THERE. YEAH, I WANNA MAKE SURE YOU'RE HEARD. WELL. UH, YEAH. MY NAME IS TERRY SEUSS. UM, I AM, UH, WITH THE ETHICAL CULTURE SOCIETY IN ESSEX COUNTY. AND I LIVE IN UNION, AND I'M WITH EYES ON ICE. WE'VE BEEN DOWN THERE CONSECUTIVELY FOR ABOUT 22 WEEKS EVERY DAY. UM, OUR MAIN EMPHASIS HAS BEEN KIND OF SHIFTING TO BE THERE WHEN THE VISITORS APPEAR BECAUSE THE CONDITIONS ARE SO HORRIFIC FOR THE VISITORS. UM, TONIGHT I WOULD LIKE TO PAINT A PICTURE FOR YOU ABOUT SOME OF WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN THERE, BUT THAT IN NO WAY SHOULD REPLACE A VISIT BY ALL OF YOU, PREFERABLY AT ONE TIME, COMING DOWN THERE AND ACTUALLY TALKING TO THE VOLUNTEERS, THE S AND THE VISITORS, SO THAT YOU GET A SENSE OF WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. BECAUSE WHILE YOU SAY WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING, IT'S ALL A FEDERAL PROGRAM, FED FEDERAL PROCESS, FEDERAL POLICY. WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING. NO, YOU CAN DO SOMETHING. YOU CAN DO A LOT OF THINGS. AND I WOULD LIKE TO LAY THAT OUT TO YOU TONIGHT. FIRST VISIT. SECOND, GET TO KNOW SOME OF THESE VISITORS. YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE BEING TWISTED ABOUT IN THE WIND. BASICALLY, WE HAVE PEOPLE DOWN THERE. UM, FIRST I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE CONDITIONS OF THE VISITORS, AND THEN I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT SEVERAL OF THE STORIES THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT. UM, THEY'RE WAITING OUT IN THE, UH, OUT IN A BIG DRIVEWAY THAT'S ACTIVE. CARS ARE COMING IN AND OUT, AND LITTLE KIDS ARE RUNNING AROUND. FOR STARTERS, WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS IN ESSEX COUNTY IS RUN WITHOUT MAKING ACCOMMODATIONS FOR VISITORS? IF YOU GO TO A DENTIST'S OFFICE, YOU'RE ACCOMMODATED. YOU GO TO A DOCTOR'S OFFICE, YOU GO FOR ANY SORT OF, UH, PURCHASE, RETAIL, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A PLACE TO PARK. THERE ARE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR VISITORS. THERE IS NO BATHROOM FACILITY AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE UNTIL THEY GO INTO THAT LARGE GATE. AND, UM, SO THEY'RE WAITING OUTSIDE FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF IN ORDER TO GET IN. NO BATHROOM FACILITIES, NO, NO WATER, NO REFRESHMENTS, NO PLACE TO PARK, AND NO PLACE TO SIT. THE ONLY PLACE TO SIT IS ON A BARRICADE THAT IN THE DRIVEWAY. AND WE'VE BEEN PROVIDING CHAIRS, UH, REFRESHMENTS, UH, WATER BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE IN AMERICA, JUST LIKE ALL OF YOU WHO CARE THAT THESE FAMILIES ARE BEING TORN APART AND BASICALLY DESTROYED. THEIR MAIN BREADWINNERS ARE BEING DEPORTED FOR REPORTING TO AN ICE APPOINTMENT OR FOR REPORTING TO COURT. UM, WE HAVE MANY SPOUSES DOWN THERE, AND THEIR HUSBANDS OR WIVES ARE HELD IN DELANEY HALL. ONE OF THEM, UH, THEY, THEY HAVE BEEN TR THEY, THEY LIE TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN THERE AND THEY JERK THEM AROUND AND THE FOOD IS TERRIBLE. SO THOSE ARE CONDITIONS THAT MAYBE SINCE THEY'RE HAPPENING IN OUR CO YOUR COUNTY, OUR COUNTY, UM, WE COULD BE GOING DOWN THERE AND DEMANDING SOME ANSWERS AND SOME RESULTS. PUBLIC INFORMATION, TOTALLY UNTRANSPARENT, WE DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN THERE, BUT TO GO TO SOME OF THE SPOUSES, UH, ONE WOMAN'S HUSBAND, UH, HAS, HAS CONSISTENTLY REFUSED TO SIGN ANY PAPER FOR SELF DEPORTATION. AND SO THEY, THEY PUT HIM IN SHACKLES AND THEY TOOK HIM TO THE AIRPORT AND THEY INSISTED THAT HE GET ON A PLANE. HE SAID, NO, HE'S NOT GETTING ON THE PLANE. 30 SECONDS. WELL, I HAVE TO CONTINUE. IT TURNS OUT, UM, THAT HE AND HE, THEY LIED TO HIM AND SAID HIS WIFE BOUGHT THE TICKET AND DIDN'T WANT HIM HERE ANYMORE. PATENTLY UNTRUE. SO THEY'RE JERKING PEOPLE AROUND. THEY THEN BROUGHT HIM BACK 'CAUSE HE INSISTED HE WOULDN'T GET ON THAT PLANE. AND THEY PUT HIM IN SOLITARY FOR 11 DAYS. SO THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT EVEN CRIMINALS. THEY'RE NOT, THEY HAVEN'T BROKEN ANY LAWS EXCEPT THEY DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT PAPERWORK, WHICH THEY'RE TRYING TO GET. THERE'S ALSO NATURALIZED CITIZENS IN THERE. AND THOSE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN IN THERE 11 WEEKS WITH US, PA US, UH, CITIZENSHIP. SO WE'VE GOT CALLS OUT TO THE SENATORS, CALLS OUT TO THE, UH, CONGRESS, PEOPLE WHO HAVE SOME OVERSIGHT. UM, BUT WE NEED MORE AND MORE AND MORE PUBLIC OFFICIALS TO, TO COME INFORM YOURSELVES, MEET WITH US, SET UP A SMALL MEETING. WE WILL, WE WILL BRING YOU REPORTS AND DATA OF WHAT WE'RE FINDING OUT THERE ARE, THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 300 PEOPLE ON A WEEKEND COMING THROUGH THAT DRIVEWAY [01:10:01] AND IN VERY HORRIBLE CONDITIONS. AND THEN THEY'RE GOING IN TO TRY AND LET THEIR LOVED ONES KNOW THAT THEY'RE OUT THERE STILL TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF THEM SO THAT THEY, THEY ARE NOT LEFT IN THERE ALONE. SO IT'S A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE SITUATION. IT'S RIGHT IN OUR BACKYARD. WE CANNOT LET IT GO. THIS IS A TRAVESTY. IT'S A PRIVATE PRISON COMPLEX. THE LONGER IT GOES ON, THE MORE MONEY IS BEING MADE. AND IT'S, IT'S HORRIFIC. SO IF I CAN ARRANGE FOR YOU ALL TO COME DOWN, EITHER ON A TUESDAY NIGHT, THURSDAY NIGHT, OR SATURDAY, SUNDAY, UM, TO ACTUALLY SEE WHAT'S GOING ON AND MAYBE TO FIGURE OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP, THAT WOULD BE TREMENDOUS. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR THE LITTLE EXTRA TIME. AND, UM, I CAN ONLY SAY THAT THIS IS, YOU'RE RIGHT, NOT GOING AWAY, COMMISSIONER SEABOLD, BECAUSE THE FORUM, THE NATIONAL POLICY IS HORRIFIC. AND, UM, THERE IS A LOT WE CAN DO LOCALLY TO STAND UP TO THAT AND TO CHANGE THAT. AND AS WE ACT HERE, UH, COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE NATION ARE ACTING. SO WE NEED TO BE PART OF THAT POSITIVE, UH, CHANGE AGENCY. MAD, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I HOPE YOU'LL YOU'LL JOIN US WITH THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR PASSING YOUR RESOLUTION FOR THE IMMIGRANT TRUST ACT. THAT'S HUGE. AND IT WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT. DOWNEY, TRENTON, I'M SURE CONTINUE TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS TO ALL YOUR NETWORK. I'M SURE THE DEMOCRATIC MADAM, I'M SORRY, I, I WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL OF THE TIME AND BE FAIR TO ALL. THANK YOU. THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CAN MOVE ON THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU. THANK, IS THERE ANY OTHER SPEAKER WISHING TO SPEAK AT THIS TIME? PLEASE JUST COME UP TO THE MIC AND STATE YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION FOR THE RECORD. YEAH. HI, THANKS. MY NAME IS RAYMOND O'NEILL. I'M A RESIDENT HERE OF NEWARK. A COUPLE BLOCKS FROM HERE. I'M ALSO A MEMBER OF DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST OF AMERICA. UM, I, UM, I GET DOWN TO DELANEY HALL TWO TO THREE TIMES A WEEK TO HELP COMFORT PROVIDE MUTUAL AID, UH, TO THE VISITORS THERE, UM, WHO ARE IN A TRAUMATIC SITUATION. UM, AS WAS UH, MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, IT IS OFTENTIMES THE MAIN BREADWINNER OF THE FAMILY WHO HAS BEEN ABDUCTED OFF THE STREETS AND IS BEING DETAINED. UM, AND, UH, THE FACILITY IS SUPPORTING THE EXPANSION OF THESE ACTIONS BY ICE, WHICH ARE NOTHING SHORT OF FASCIST, UM, THESE, UH, MASKED AGENTS AND HAVE A PLACE TO BRING THESE PEOPLE IN NEWARK. AND, UM, I'M NOT, I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT. I THINK THAT THE, THE COUNTY CAN DO MORE. UM, I TOO WANT TO INVITE YOU ALL TO COME DOWN. UM, I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU HOST A PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE SITE WHERE THESE FOLKS, AGAIN, ALREADY TRAUMATIZED, ARE GATHERED IN THE, OUT IN THE ELEMENTS IN THE DRIVEWAY OFF OF THIS INDUSTRIAL BOULEVARD. IT'S, UH, A PUBLIC SAFETY HAZARD GIVEN THE TRAFFIC, THE TRUCK TRAFFIC THAT'S FLYING BY CHILDREN THERE. UM, IT'S A, A VERY, VERY TROUBLING SITUATION. UM, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR PASSING THE IMMIGRANT TRUST ACT. AND, UH, I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, UH, THIS IS A A A A GRIFT. IT'S A, IT'S A WHITE NATIONALIST FASCIST GRIFT THAT OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS PERPETRATING. UM, THEY'RE MAKING A HAND OVER FIST, UH, THE PEOPLE IN THE ADMINISTRATION, UM, BY THE CONTINUED OPERATION OF THESE FACILITIES. AND, UM, THERE'S, UM, MUCH MORE I CAN SAY. BUT, UH, MOSTLY I'D LIKE TO INVITE YOU DOWN AND, UH, BRING MORE ATTENTION TO WHAT'S GOING ON AT, UH, DELANEY HALL AND THIS FACILITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WISHING TO SPEAK AT THIS TIME? MADAM DEPUTY COURT, LET THE RECORD REFLECT. THERE'S NO ONE ELSE WISHING TO SPEAK AT THIS TIME. SO LET'S MOVE ON TO COMMISSIONER COMMENTS SESSION COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? UH, WE SAID A FEW THINGS EARLIER, BUT COMMISSIONER MARY THOMAS. YEAH, THANK YOU, UH, MR. PRESIDENT, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PUBLIC COMMENTS. UM, I WAS AT DELANEY AT THE PROTEST. UM, I HAVEN'T BEEN BACK SINCE, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE I CHANGE THAT. AND SO I THANK YOU JUST FOR SPEAKING PLAINLY ABOUT THE CONDITIONS THERE. AND OF COURSE, US SEEING, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE CAN DO WITHIN OUR, OUR REALM OF INFLUENCE TO, TO TRY AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE CONDITIONS ARE SUITABLE FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS AND OUR RESIDENTS. I WANT TO, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED TODAY IN YESTERDAY. UM, ONE IS, UH, EARLIER TODAY, UH, COMMISSIONER, SHE, I'M SURE SHE'LL PROBABLY SPEAK ABOUT THIS. I HAD AN INCREDIBLE HONOREE. UM, AT THE SPECIAL MEETING RIGHT BEFORE TODAY, I WAS ALSO ABLE TO HONOR THE IRVINGTON, UH, ELITE KNIGHTS TRACK AND FIELD TEAM, UM, WHICH WON THE STATE, STATE, ACTUALLY NA, A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN FLORIDA THIS PAST SUMMER. SO CONGRATULATIONS [01:15:01] TO IRVINGTON AND ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO CRUSHED THOSE, UM, PARTICULAR, UH, GOALS. I THINK IT'S LIKE SHOT PUT AND TRACK AND FIELD AND METER RACES THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T ALL KNOW 'CAUSE I DIDN'T RUN TRACK. I DID BASKETBALL, LACROSSE, AND A FEW OTHER THINGS, BUT THEY'RE INCREDIBLE AND THEY'RE YOUNG. I THINK THE TEAM S FROM AGES SIX TO 14, AND THEY HAD SUCH GREAT PRIDE, UM, AND WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH TO ACCOMPLISH. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THEM. ALSO WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THAT JUST YESTERDAY WAS NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY. THIS WEEK IS NATIONAL YOUNG VOTER REGISTRATION WEEK. AND YESTERDAY FOR NATIONAL REGISTRATION DAY, I WAS HONORED AND PRIVILEGED TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH THE YOUNG LEADERS AT DONALD PAINT TECH HIGH SCHOOL HERE IN NEWARK, ONE OF OUR COUNTY SCHOOLS. AND THE YOUNG PEOPLE JUST DID AN INCREDIBLE JOB OF ONE, REGISTERING EACH OTHER TO VOTE. AND THEN TWO, TALKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF VOTING. UH, SHOUT OUT ESPECIALLY TO SUPERINTENDENT PETERSON TO, UH, ASSEMBLYWOMAN AND ALSO, UH, MEMBER OF THE ESUS COUNTY EDUCATIONAL TEAM. UH, CARMEN MORALES, UH, I THINK ASSEMBLYMAN, UH, ASSEMBLYMAN VEIA WAS THERE AS WELL. AND OF COURSE, TO THE, UH, CHAIR OF THE SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT, UH, MS. NUEVA, WHO JUST DID AN INCREDIBLE JOB MAKING SURE THAT YOUNG PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD THE IMPORTANCE OF VOTING. THIS YEAR ALONE, UH, 40 MILLION GEN Z FOLKS ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE. 40 MILLION GEN ZS ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN THIS YEAR. UM, AND MORE THAN HALF OF THEM ARE YOUNG PEOPLE OF COLOR. AND SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN, DO WE, TO, TO MAKE SURE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST AFFECTED BY THESE ISSUES ON IMMIGRATION, ON EDUCATION, ON QUALITY OF LIFE AFFORDABILITY, KNOW THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. AND THAT GOVERNMENT ISN'T JUST A THING THAT HAPPENS TO YOU, IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN. AND SO BEING ABLE TO SEE YOUNG PEOPLE REGISTER THEMSELVES TO VOTE, UH, GET READY TO VOTE IN THIS UPCOMING NOVEMBER ELECTION, AND JUST BE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT, WAS A, A TREMENDOUS GIFT. SO JUST CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE AS WE GET THEM REGISTERED TO VOTE AND GET THEM ENGAGED TO HOPEFULLY BE, UH, VOTERS AND NOT JUST VOTERS, BUT ENGAGED AND INFORMED VOTERS ASKING QUESTIONS, HOLDING ELECTEDS LIKE OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. THANK YOU. ANYBODY ELSE? GROVER CLEVELAND BIRTHPLACE. SATURDAY AT ONE O'CLOCK, I'LL BE CELEBRATING MY FAVORITE PRESIDENT. I, UH, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING, UH, AT THE, THAT WAS MY FIRST MUSEUM JOB BACK IN THE NINETIES. IT STARTED AS AN INTERNSHIP AT, WHILE I WAS AT CALDWELL UNIVERSITY. AND, UH, IT WAS PROFOUND. IT ALTERED THE COURSE OF MY LIFE. AND I ACTUALLY GOT TO MEET GROVER CLEVELAND'S SON, IF YOU COULD IMAGINE IN THE NINETIES. HE WAS IN HIS NINETIES. GROVER CLEVELAND WAS BORN IN 1837, SO THAT'S AN AN AMAZING SPAN OF TIME. WHAT I ADMIRE ABOUT CLEVELAND MOST IS THAT IT WASN'T BECAUSE HE WAS A DEMOCRAT. HE WAS A CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRAT. HE WAS LIKED BY BOTH SIDES OF THE PARTY AT A TIME OF TERRIBLE GRAFT AND CORRUPTION. THE GILDED AGE, IF YOU WATCH THE HBO GILDED AGE, YOU'LL, YOU'LL KNOW . YOU REALLY SEE HOW BAD IT WAS. AND GOVER CLEAVER WAS AN HONEST GUY, AND WHETHER YOU AGREE WITH HIS BELIEFS OR NOT, HIS CONVICTIONS WERE PURE AND THEY WERE UNMOVABLE. AND, UH, I REALLY ADMIRED THAT ABOUT HIM. AND HE WAS A MAN OF HIS TIMES. HE WASN'T PERFECT BY ANY MEANS. NONE OF US ARE, BUT HE WAS SOMEONE THAT YOU COULD LOOK UP TO. AND SO, UH, I'LL BE THERE WITH OTHERS TALKING ABOUT GROVER CLEVELAND AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY SHOWING PEOPLE THE, UH, LIBRARY IN THE BACK AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HIS SON PERSONALLY GAVE ME AND CHARGED ME TO BRING BACK TO THE HOUSE, WHICH AMONG THEM WERE THE ACTUAL NOMINATING DOCUMENTS FOR PRESENT THREE TIMES IN 18 84, 18 88, AND 1892 AMONG PERSONAL ITEMS, FISHING ITEMS, CLOTHING AND, UH, UNPUBLISHED FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS AND LETTERS. AND THAT WAS A WA WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR A YOUNG, I WAS LIKE 19 OR 20-YEAR-OLD TO HAVE THAT IN MY CAR, COMING BACK FROM TAMWORTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE. NOW THE BEAUTY OF IT IS I'M, UH, OLD 54 AND I DON'T LOOK AT DAY OLD 53 , BUT TODAY THOSE THINGS ARE ON DISPLAY. AND NOW I'M MARRIED WITH KIDS AND MY KIDS CAN GO BACK AND SEE THAT STUFF THAT HAS A YOUNG MAN, UH, BARELY A MAN. I WAS ABLE TO, UH, HELP CARRY OVER AND HAVE A COOL STORY TO GO ALONG WITH IT. SO I HOPE YOU'LL JOIN ME IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO THERE. AND IF YOU DON'T GO ON SATURDAY, GO ANY OTHER TIME BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO GO VISIT. EVERYONE, HAVE A GREAT TIME. UH, HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK. I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST. DO YOU HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? MOTION? MOVE BY COOPER SECOND BY LUCIANO. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. THE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.