Village Council Public Work Session Minutes 20161227

A REGULAR WORK SESSION OF THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD HELD IN THE SYDNEY V. STOLDT, JR. COURT ROOM OF THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE HALL, 131 NORTH MAPLE AVENUE, RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY ON JANUARY 27, 2016 AT 7:30 P.M.

 

1. CALL TO ORDER – OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT – ROLL CALL – FLAG SALUTE

Mayor Aronsohn called the meeting to order at 7:46 P.M. and read the Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act. At roll call, the following were present:  Councilmembers Hauck, Knudsen, Pucciarelli, Sedon and Mayor Aronsohn.  Also present were Roberta Sonenfeld, Village Manager; Heather Mailander, Village Clerk; and Matthew Rogers, Village Attorney.  Mayor Aronsohn led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag and asked for a moment of silence in honor of the American men and women serving in our Armed Forces, as well as those serving as first responders.

1. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

Mayor Aronsohn asked if there were any comments or questions from the public. Leonard Eisen, 762 Upper Boulevard, said he wanted to thank all of the Village employees who plowed during the most recent snow storm because the snow removal was great.

Lorraine Reynolds, 550 Wyndemere Avenue, indicated that the Village Council said that the public would be involved in the design of the Hudson Street parking deck, yet this has not yet happened. Mayor Aronsohn replied that the new design is based on the last big discussion.

Ed Feldsott, 67 Heights Road, agreed that the Village employees did a great job on snow removal. On another matter, Mr. Feldsott said that the Maser Associates report was first available on October 15, 2015 in draft form, before the residents voted on the Hudson Street parking deck referendum.  This information was needed for the vote.  He asked why this report was not released until December 31, 2015.  He wondered if the Village is hiding something.

Chris Wilson, 512 Smith Place, explained that a great job was done by the Village employees on the snow removal. Mr. Wilson said that he did not understand the process, because before he would hire an architect to draw up plans, he would want to know the maximum size which could be built.  Mr. Wilson said that the proposed design for the parking garage hangs over Mt. Carmel Church, and it creates a choke point in that area.  He said that two plans should be presented and then the public can discuss it.  The costs and benefits should be outlined. 

Carrie Giordano, 57 North Hillside Place, asked why the Village would want to pay more for the parking garage because it is being done through the BCIA. She said that the Village should be bonding this project, so that it is the Village’s garage.

Anne Loving, 342 South Irving Street, went through the change orders #1, #2, and #3 which included soil borings, photo simulations, traffic studies, redesign of the parking deck, and attendance at additional meetings. These additional changes orders were $142,450, which is a lot of money.  She asked how there is a 48.2% increase in the contract through change orders before the building has even started to be built.

A resident at 244 Pershing Avenue stated that he is with the Coalition for the National Museum of the American People and asked Mayor Aronsohn if he has heard of it. He said that many have joined this coalition.  Mayor Aronsohn said that this is the time for public comments, not discussion.

4.            DISCUSSION

              a.            Parking

1.)           Authorize Change Orders No. 1, 2, & 3 – Hudson Street Parking Deck (Desman)

2.)           Authorize Change Order No. 4 – Hudson Street Parking Deck (Desman)

3.)           Award Professional Services Contract – Validation Study of the Revised Design of the Hudson Street Parking Deck (Walker)

4.)           Approve Hudson Street Parking Deck Design

Mayor Aronsohn spoke to the process and how the Village has come to this point of the process. He explained that at the October 7, 2015 meeting, Desman Associates presented three different options.  The majority of the Village Council agreed to move forward with the largest option, which caused three models to be created of the cantilever option.  Mayor Aronsohn explained that the cantilever goes out five feet.

Ms. Sonenfeld said the Maser report came out as a draft on October 15, 2015, and she received it on October 29, 2015. The Parking Team looked at the report, which said that traffic flow would be better, and there were no red flags.  The Maser report was put aside, and in retrospect, it should have been put out there sooner.  Ms. Sonenfeld explained that at the December 2, 2015 or December 9, 2015 she mentioned the Maser report, so nothing was hidden.  Mayor Aronsohn said that he had a conversation with Maser at the garage presentation. 

Ms. Sonenfeld indicated that Maser had gone through 95% of the work, and they were ready to go to construction documents. In the new design, Desman was able to save 50% of the work that they already did.  It cost the Village $121,000 for new documents for the new design for the Hudson Street parking deck.  She said that there were a few more intersections added to the traffic study and there were some extra soil borings done.

Ms. Sonenfeld explained that there was a validation of the revised design, and they wanted Walker to look at a parking deck with 325 spaces. This was all done within the $500,000 original bond ordinance. 

Councilman Pucciarelli said that the alternates to the parking deck required outside experts, and there is a cost associated with this. He stated that change orders are the cost of doing business.

Councilman Sedon said that this is the first time that he is seeing the resolution on the design of the parking deck. The residents and Mt. Carmel Church need to see this information as it relates to change orders.  He said that it makes sense to hold off on the change orders to make everyone happy and not rush it through.  Councilman Sedon emphasized that the Village council needs to look at this and put meat around the bones.

Councilwoman Knudsen said that on January 19, 2016 she met with Desman and she was shown the footprint of the redesign of the Hudson Street parking deck, and it was impossible to totally fit the new parking deck on the Hudson Street lot. She asked for a photo simulation of the new redesign and she said at that time that the photo simulation should be taken to Mt. Carmel Church and the surrounding store owners, in order to get their input.  She said that the community also needs to be engaged appropriately.  Councilwoman Knudsen said that this was a dramatic difference, and it should be discussed with the public first.

Mayor Aronsohn said that there are key points from the resolution which are: there are 325 parking spots; it is 43 feet to the top of the parking deck; the sidewalks on the side of the parking deck will be narrowed by 5 feet.  The width of Hudson Street will be 25 feet, which will allow for three lanes which is two lanes of traffic, and one lane for parking next to Mt. Carmel Church.

Mayor Aronsohn emphasized that this has been a deliberate and engaging process. Concerns have been addressed and conversations have been held with Father Ron Rozniak of Mt. Carmel Church.  Mayor Aronsohn said that he feels very comfortable with this redesign, because there is no cantilever and it represents taking into account a lot of public input.  Extra time was taken to go to the public and the community surrounding the Hudson Street parking lot to see if there were any concerns. 

Councilman Pucciarelli said that he heard enthusiastic support for this plan. Desman was told to go and do more work, and it resulted in a redesign that addressed the concerns and it was a sensible compromise. 

Councilwoman Knudsen said that when she met with Desman, everyone was enthusiastic about the new design. She would like to take the redesign to the neighbors on Hudson Street.

Councilman Sedon said that he agrees that he would like to get it right and let the redesign resonate with the community. He said that he never even had a chance to read the resolution to be considered until tonight.  He suggested that the resolution should be considered at the February 10, 2016 Public Meeting instead of tonight.

Councilwoman Hauck said that she wanted to confirm that the redesign of the Hudson Street parking deck required an additional fee to be paid by the Village. Ms. Sonenfeld confirmed that the additional fee is $121,000. 

Councilwoman Hauck said that the Hudson Street parking deck has been a great, collaborative process. She stated that she liked Option A. The redesign is a smaller garage, because the Village listed to the Mt. Carmel Church parishioners, who requested it.  She said that she is ready to adopt the resolution tonight. 

3.            MOTION TO SUSPEND REGULAR WORK SESSION AND CONVENE SPECIAL PUBLIC MEETING #1

At 8:30 P.M., upon motion by Councilman Pucciarelli, seconded by Councilwoman Hauck and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Village Council suspended the Work Session.

At 11:12 P.M. upon motion by Councilman Pucciarelli, seconded by Councilwoman Hauck and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Work Session was reconvened.

4.            DISCUSSION

              b.            Budget

1.)          Award Contract – Coach Bus Transportation Services

Ms. Sonenfeld explained that this is the annual award for Coach bus services for HILT organized outings in 2016. The low bidder, Vanderhoof Transportation Co., Inc., is being recommended for the contract.  The Village Councilmembers agreed with this recommendation.

2.)           Award Contract – Service and Repair of Potable Water Pumping Facilities

This is a recommendation to award a contract to the lowest responsible bidder, A.C. Schults, Inc. The Village Councilmembers agreed with the recommendation.

3.)           Award Contract Under State Contract – Portable Radios

This is an award of contract, under State contract, for four Motorola portable VHF radios for the Parking Enforcement Officers in the Police Department. This will be put onto the February 10, 2016 Public Meeting.

4.)           Award Contract Under State Contract – Installation, Service & Repair of Police Cars Equipment and Radios

This is an award of contract under State contract for installation, service and repair of Police cars, equipment and radios. This will be placed on the February 10, 2016 Public Meeting.

5.)           Authorize Membership in National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance and Award Contract – Upgrade of Village Hall Security System

This allows the Village of Ridgewood to participate in the National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance and also to award a contract under this purchasing alliance for the upgrade of the Village Hall security system.

6.)           Removed from the Agenda

7.)           Award Professional Services Contract – Employee Assistance Program

This is the annual Professional Services Contract for the Village’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with West Bergen Mental Healthcare for $5,000. This year, the contract adds five sessions to the EAP, for a total of seventeen sessions.  In addition, it is being extended to volunteer emergency services personnel including fire fighters and EMTs.  

8.)           Award Professional Services Contract – Professional Land Surveyor Services – 2016 Tax Assessment Map

This is the annual Professional Services Contract with Daniel Dunn for the 2016 tax assessment map. The quote of $1,700 for the retainer has been the same for the past nine years. 

9.)           Award Contract – Rehabilitation of Aqueduct Water Storage Tanks

This is to award a Professional Services Contract to Hatch Mott MacDonald for the provision of the rehabilitation of the Aqueduct water storage tanks in the amount of $878,300.

10.)        Award Extraordinary, Unspecifiable Services Contract – Sanitary Sewer Repair – 386 Highview Terrace

This is to award and Extraordinary, Unspecifiable Services Contract ConQuest Construction for the repair of a damaged manhole.

               c.             Policy

                                1.)           Revisions to Field Policy

Councilwoman Hauck explained the revisions to the Field Policy, which include:

5.            VILLAGE MANAGER’S REPORT

Ms. Sonenfeld spoke about HealthBarn and the fact that the FAQs will be sent out to the neighbors, the Village Council, and it will be placed on the Village website. She explained that the FAQs relate to the lease requirements.

Ms. Sonenfeld also spoke about the recent snowstorm, which cost the Village in excess of $125,000, because the cleanup took from 3:00 a.m. on Saturday to 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, and it took 40 crews and 40 trucks. The Village will be going to FEMA for recovery of some of the costs. 

Regarding leaves, Ms. Sonenfeld said that compliance has increased this year. There was better communication with the residents, which assisted with the compliance. A total of 600 tickets were issued for non-compliance, and 184 of them have been paid.  Summonses are still being written.   On February 2, 2016 and February 5, 2016 leaf forums will be held with interested residents so that better ways to enforce the leaf pick up schedules can be determined. 

Ms. Sonenfeld said that this is the last week for Christmas tree pick up and Restaurant week and the first quarter of taxes are due by February 1^st.

6.            VILLAGE COUNCIL REPORTS

Councilman Pucciarelli reported that the Ridgewood Arts Council (RAC) held their grand opening of the art exhibit at Village Hall with a reception.

Councilwoman Hauck thanked those who worked on the snow removal and noted that it is a dangerous job. At the Parks, Recreation, and Conservation Board meeting, they discussed Wi-Fi in the Village parks.  Councilwoman Hauck also reported on the fact that the senior resident surveys are due back to the Village by February 15, 2016.

Councilman Sedon said that last week at the Ridgewood Library, the Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee (REAC), the Shade Tree Commission, and The Green Team gave an overview of their accomplishments and established goals for the coming year. The next program will be on bee keeping.

7.            PUBLIC COMMENTS

Boyd Loving, 342 South Irving Street, said that HealthBarn’s website says that it is currently operating out of The Stable. Mr. Loving asked what authority HealthBarn has to do so, since he does not recall a resolution allowing it and what compensation is HealthBarn giving the Village. Ms. Sonenfeld replied that HealthBarn is a vendor like other recreational program instructors.  She said that HealthBarn is charged for use of the buildings at a higher rate, since it is a profitable business.

Bob Fuhrman, 49 Clinton Avenue, asked about third party audio or video recordings at meetings and wondered why the Village Council would allow it. Mr. Rogers replied that a protocol for audio or video recording meetings can be established through an ordinance. 

Councilman Pucciarelli said that at a Historic Preservation Committee (HPC) meeting, someone tried to video record the meeting, and that person did not announce that he was doing so. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that the HPC meeting was an unusual meeting because Mayor Aronsohn saw the resident with the video recorder strapped to his body and asked if he was video recording the meeting.  Councilwoman Knudsen said that she was at the HPC meeting, and the camera was visible.  The resident was asked to shut off the recording device.   Mayor Aronsohn stated that he was also at the HPC meeting and the resident was wearing a body camera, but no one at the HPC meeting knew that they were being recorded.  Councilman Pucciarelli said that secretly recording a meeting which is made up of volunteers, will cause others not to volunteer their time for Boards and Committees of the Village. Councilman Sedon said that a public meeting is a public meeting, and that as a reporter for Ridgewood, he used to record meetings.  Mr. Fuhrman said that he wants to be assured that the right thing will be done and that the person recording the meeting will let those in attendance know that a recording is taking place.  Mayor Aronsohn stated that what happened at the HPC was disgraceful and disruptive.  Councilman Pucciarelli said it is the surreptitious nature of the recording that he objects to in this case.  Councilwoman Knudsen disagreed, stating that what happened at the HPC was not disruptive, but it was a surprise. 

There were no further comments from the public at this time.

8.            RESOLUTION TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION

Ms. Mailander read Resolution #16-32 to go into Closed Session as follows:

9.            ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to come before the Village Council, on a motion by Councilman Pucciarelli, seconded by Councilman Sedon, and carried unanimously by voice vote, the meeting was adjourned at 11:58 P.M.

                                                                                                _________________________________

                                                                                                                   Paul S. Aronsohn                                                                                                                                                                                          Mayor

____________________________________

                   Heather A. Mailander                                                                                                                                                                           Village Clerk