Council - Regular Meeting

They sign their own names to this list.

Yeah, you're good, man. Yeah,

let's start speeding up. Mhm.

Please rise for the pledge of allegiance.

I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Good evening. This regular meeting of the township council is being held in accordance with the schedule of the meetings of the township council established and adopted by the township council which schedule designated the time and date and place of this meeting. Adequate public notice of this meeting has been provided pursuant to the provisions of the open public meetings act. We are using an electronic amplifying and recording device in order to attain a clear and audible record. And we request all those wishing to speak be recognized and state your name, address directly to the microphone. The recording device to be solely utilized by the township clerk's office for the preparation and shall be the official record of the township council meetings. Madam clerk, may I have the roll call, please?

Mr. Mun here. Mr. Sbright Troxel here. Mrs. Grace Love here. Mr. Nash here. Mrs. Walters here. Mr. Castro, here. Mr. Marcato, present. Mr. Carlamir here. Mr. Cartis here. Chief Manazi here. Mr. McIll here. Miss Weiss. Thank you, Clerk.

To celebrate Women's History Month here at Gloucester Township, we have a program called Women Who Make a Difference, and we accept nominations throughout the community uh to honor outstanding women who make contributions to our community. Tonight, there are seven women that we'll be honoring this evening, and we'll start off with our first honore. Mr. Minion will present that individual. Good evening, Glosser Township. Let's get this party started. Right.

Our first nomination, Renee Michelle.

Okay. Renee was nominated by Orlando Marcato. Renee is an employee of the Gloucester Township Public School District. She resides in Mayfair section of Gloucester Township. Rene's nomination is based on her community service to Glosser Township. She's a past honore of the township's Black History Month celebration. She has served on the nominations review committee for our Black History Month celebration and for women who make a difference, celebrating Women's History Month. Additionally, she has served as an annual volunteer at our MLK Day of Service, working the registration desk each year. And I believe that's where I first met you, probably around 10 years ago, Renee. She recently was inducted into the Zeta Amakai I said that right? Amikai of Camden, New Jersey, which is a local sorority which supports community service and philanthropy opportunities within Camden County. Her community service with the sorority includes matters of the heart community health program, weekend service at Cathedral Kitchen, and holiday outreach for residents at Riverfront Rehab Rehabilitation Center and Nursing Home. She assisted with the creation of the Stephanie Brown Scholarship Foundation, which supports students attending Cumberland County College in Rowan pursuing higher education. Renee is a founding trustee of the Gloucester Township Educational Foundation, supporting in innovative classroom grants for district teachers and provides humanitarian assistance to members of the Gloucester Township Public School community. Boy, that's a mouthful. She is a part of the two major annual fundraisers which are annual golf outing and annual designer bag bingo. She's a past recipient of Glosser Township public school support staff professional of the year and a recipient of Glosser Township's Citizens Appreciation Award and has her name permanently engraved at

the Gloucester Township Citizens Bank Citizens Appreciation Park. Sorry about that. Also known as the Glen Bakini Park. As you can see, Renee is the ultimate volunteer. We have two great events here in Gloucester Township. And at these two great events is where I said I I had met Renee and she sucked me in with that infectious smile that she has and that in extremely warm welcome. No matter no matter where Renee goes, she's smiling and inviting. The MLK day and the Black History Day, you can get one chance to make a first impression and you nail it. Bnee, congratulations. On behalf of the mayor and council, leave this here for you. We have a certificate from Paul Morardi, Dan Hutchinson, and Cody Miller. District 4 from Camden County, Lewis Capaldi, Jennifer Fleer. I think that might be it. Oh, and sorry from uh Congressman Donald Norcross. Renee, would you like to say a few words? Perfect. I'll hold these for you.

Is that microphone looking? Okay. Good evening, everyone. Can you hear me? Good evening. Okay.

I am truly grateful to receive the Glosser Township Women Who Make a Difference Award. This means so much to me, especially because of the amazing community that I get to serve. There are so many incredible women doing good work every day, and I'm proud to be included among them. I want to say thank you to the mayor of uh Gloucester Township and the council, and I truly appreciate it, and I'm going to keep doing my best to uh give back to our community. Thank you. No, I came down checked. Yeah.

Hello everybody.

Hello. Uh my name is Councilman Jim Nash and I have the great honor of recognizing Candace Haml. ALL RIGHT. SO, um I've been a um president of a baseball organization for 15 years. And it's not about me, but what I've learned over these years is we're you're only as good as the volunteers and the people who are passionate and have a dedication to your organization. And when I read the bio on Candace and I spoke to a couple people who know her, she's exactly this person. And I actually first thing is, do you want to join a baseball organization? That's the first thing. Yeah. Uh but you know, it's it's hard to do nowadays. You know, a lot of people are very busy and it's hard to get people to come out and do things. So, thank you very much for what you've done. And I'm going to read a little bit of a bio from the your nominee. Um let me see here. Yeah, but Candace was uh nominated from the principal of Union Valley, Tracy Elwell. And I'm going to read some of her nomination notes. In honor of women's history notes, it is my pleasure to nominate Candace Hamill to receive this recognition and honor. Miss Hamill exemplifies the criteria of a woman who makes a difference. She is employed full-time as a teacher of the hearing impaired. I found your name all over all over online today. You're all simultaneous. Simultaneously, she completed her master's degree. She's a mom of two students in Gerard Township. She also was the president of the PTO organization and is now the current president of the PTO organization. She um yeah, at Union Valley. She has been an active member of the PTO and has contributed greatly to the success of the organization. On top of your normal day-to-day activities, your job, her commitment to providing Union Valley students with fun-filled activities is a high priority. She facilitates many activities for the students both day and

night. She oversees the booster stall which is the biggest fundraiser of the year. You she heads up spotlight student events, bingo night, the someone special dance, holiday shop, school store, uh mother's day and father's day events. She facilitates the giving tree, helping hands committee. And these these are uh groups that ensure all students have access to gifts during the holidays, meals at Thanksgiving and Christmas, Halloween costumes, and the ability to attend grade level field trips for all kids in need. Very impressive. Miss Hamill is a woman who makes a difference in all facets of her life. It is an admiration and with the highest regard that she nominated Miss Hamill to receive this recognition deserving of someone who continues to give herself, her time and maintains excellence in all facets of your life. So, thank you very much and congratulations.

Good evening. I'm sorry I lost my voice, but I just want to say that my success is from my entire team that I work with at Union Valley, the principles and the PTO and the parents and you know my family and everybody. So, thank you very much. Just him. Yeah. I don't think so. I wasn't there. We won't stand for that.

Thank you.

Well, it's nice to see so many smiling faces and some I even know. And I even know some really little ones here tonight. So that's really nice, too. Well, Nicole Hull, come on down.

Well, Nicole, she grew up in this town and she went to all three of our schools and she decided that she wanted to give back to our community. So, she decided to go to Timber Creek. She was at Timber Creek for a while and or excuse me, she is at Timber Creek, but she was also at uh Triton High School, which is where she started. So, education is in her bones, and that's really important. It shows that we do something good with our education in this town because we grow them really good. Uh her job is student assistant counselor. That job gives a big impact on students because that one- on-one communication with your students is the key to having them feel confident and successful. And if they don't have that, they're not going to feel very successful. They're going to feel like they're alone. Excuse me. And no one wants to feel alone in this world. We all want to feel like somebody's out there helping us, striving to get us to be successful as we do them. This is what this lady does. She's a fierce advocate for her student her students. Now, how she does that is she created student voices committee. She works alongside the students and they seek to build community, engage their peers in meaningful dialogue, an advocate for policies and changes that support their rights, which we all know is very important in this day and age. She leads our no place for hate peer leaders and this year organized connections for change. She had over a hundred people at that which was amazing. And that was where they built more mentorship and they built bridges and trust with all the adults in their building. So it wasn't outside, it was within the school

which was amazing. She helps students see that they are supported, valued, and never alone. Her commitment to developing young women is especially remarkable. She founded and continues to lead both the women's club and Miss Timber Creek. She did a scholarship competition that promotes etiquette, achievement, and philanthropy while raising money for charitable causes. So, she's not only just giving to the students, she's trying to give back to everybody with these charitable causes. Through the party fundraisers, judge selection, coaching sessions, and countless behindthe-scenes hours, she prepares young women not simply to compete, but to present themselves with confidence, poise, and purpose. And that's really important. She teaches them to that womanhood is about leadership, integrity, and lifting others as they rise. So, as we get better in our lives, we should help others. And this is what she's teaching these young girls. Boy, I got so much that she's done. It's amazing. In addition, when our girls soccer team was left without a coach mid-season, guess who stepped up?

Nicole. Yes, we got to give her one of those, too. She stepped up without hesitation. She's modeling resilience, teamwork, and unwavering commitment in real time. And that's what we need to do. We need to do it in real time in our life. As it happens, when we see something we need to help, we need to do it. And she's doing it. But what most speaks most powerfully about her is her lasting connection to her students. They actually come back from Triton and they they tell her that she's made a difference in their lives. That's shows that you have successfully done what you wanted to do. And they also do it at Timber Creek, which is another thing. When people come back and tell you, "Thank you for what you've done for me. You helped my life. You helped me make a better life." You can't ask for more than that. It's wonderful. So now, I've been told that she not only deserves this honor, but she embodies it. So at this, I want to congratulate you and thank you for everything you've done for all the years of your life. Thank you. SURE.

You know what? Let's just do this.

It's got to be just right now. Young and fit. Hi everybody. Um, I am truly honored to accept this recognition. Um, I have had 20 years in the school district where I've been really fortunate to be surrounded by strong, compassionate, and inspiring women in education, including my principal, Mrs. Kelly McKenzie. um sorry uh who have not only shaped my career but have also shaped me as a person. As a mother, I strive every day to model the same strength and care that my own mom showed me and to pass those values on to both my children and my students. Being a SAC counselor can be very heavy some days. Um but is the passion and the connection that really make a difference with um my students. So I'm especially grateful for this opportunity and to empower young women. Um the Miss Timber Creek scholarship program is something that is I'm very passionate about and it gives young ladies an opportunity to really showcate their greatness in a really powerful way. So it is something I am very proud of and appreciate the support from administration for allowing us to you know do programs like that. Um and I just want to thank council mayor and everybody here tonight not just for recognizing me but for recognizing all the wonderful women in this room. So thank you Hello everyone. I got a little bit a little closer. I don't know. There we go. Miss uh Christine McDermott.

Now, I read Miss McDermy's bio. Wow, you've done a lot. Let's just say as an educator, I know it's not easy, especially uh taking that time away from your family to invest in others children that's going to make a difference in this world. So, for that, I thank you. Um you were nominated by Linda Ping and just gonna read a little bit of her bio, just a little excerpt of it. Uh, so tonight we proudly honor Miss Christine McDermott, a lifelong Gloucester Township resident and a woman who has shaped this community through more than three decades of extraordinary service. That's a lot of time. Starting to feel it.

For 31 years, Christine has been a dedicated teacher at Chw Elementary, spending over 20 of those years guiding our youngest learners in kindergarten. That's a tough grade. She sets high expectations, creates a safe and loving classroom, and gives every child the confidence to grow. Her colleagues describe her as kind, selfless, and endlessly committed to her students and families. Her impact reaches far beyond the school's walls, supporting PTO programs, mentoring future teachers, helping families in need, and stepping in wherever compassion is required. One of her most remarkable contributions was working one-on-one with a child who struggled to function in a classroom. Through patience and daily after school visits, Christine helped her develop the skills to succeed. Today, that child is thriving. That transformation speaks to the heart of who Christine is. Now, I do have to add in when we talk about women who make a difference, it's not just about education. And it's putting that time in, like I said earlier, giving so much. You're pouring into other people. And it's not just today. Women do it every day. And for that, we can't thank you more than enough. Especially your husbands, cuz I know y'all got to pour more into us as well. Christine is a devoted mother, a trusted friend, and a true difference maker. Her kindness creates ripples that touch countless lives across Gloucester Township. So, please join me in celebrating Miss Christine McDermott, a woman who truly makes a DIFFERENCE if you would like to speak and then of course everything.

Oh, no. Absolutely. All right. Shout out to Susan for telling me to write something. Um, so I just wanted to say to be included among such inspiring women is truly humbling. Um, everybody's out here doing incredible things and I'm just grateful to be in the same room trying to keep up and maybe make people laugh along the way. Thank you again for this honor. Thank you.

Well, good evening everyone. I am very excited about this uh next presentation. I'd like to bring forward forward Winnie Quinn Falchetta. WINNIE.

So Winnie was uh nominated by Assemblyman Lou Greenwald. He is our majority leader in the state uh state assembly and a good friend. Um, but I have known Winnie for probably over 30 years. Uh, yes, many, many. And I first, uh, got to know her when she was a, uh, a a officer with the Camden County Sheriff's Department. And so, Winnie, uh, Oh, and I see Melissa from Lou's office here. Thank you for joining us. Amy, a former staffer. Thank you. Um, but I got to know Winnie when she was a sheriff's officer and she spent 25 years uh dedicating herself to the people of Camden County uh as a sheriff's officer, performing all of those uh responsibilities and then then she retired, but she retirement is really not in her vocabulary. So, she's decided to work again. Uh, and Lou Greenwall was very fortunate to have hired her in 2005. where she now serves as the director of constituent services. And I can tell you how important of a job that that is because every day you get to help people. Uh all the problems that when when the people call an elected office um goes to the constituent services uh person and you know it's uh I'm sure well I actually I don't know if you know Yeah. you know this I I started out as a a director of constituent services way way way back uh with Congressman Andrews back in the day. So I know how hard it is too because you're dealing with people who are having some challenges. U Yeah. Yeah. Uh but but Winnie has a a heart of service uh and and has shown in her uh career in law enforcement. it shows every day when she comes to work

to help people uh address their challenges that they have uh and and solve those challenges uh for for them. She's also very involved in her faith community uh and serves as president of the is it the null run right no run a homeowners association here here in uh in in town uh and I think that one of her greatest titles was not uh officer or or director of constituent services but I believe it's grandmother is Logan right to to Logan so um who he she is very very proud of and she certainly uh does not look for recognition but uh she genuinely cares about the people and the community around her and Winnie I want to thank you uh for your years of service if you add it up it's it's like it's like 51 years

and you you were you were eight you were eight years old when you started that's the that's the thing but but seriously thank you for your your dedication to law enforcement and choosing that career Thank you for what you do day in and day out to help the people of the sixth legislative district. So congratulations to you.

Well, thank you mayor and council and I just want to it's been an honor to serve the citizens of Cam County and the residents of the sixth legislative district. Uh, I want to thank my family and co-workers for their support throughout my career. And my co-workers, not my family, congratulations. We'll get a picture.

OKAY. Good evening. Our next recipient is Heidi Kowalsski. This afternoon I had an opportunity to speak to Heidi uh always try to get some additional background from the people that were presenting. Um so in that additional background we have a ballroom dancer, a division three gymnast of the uneven bar. She was uneven bar specialist back at our sinus when she was attending uh undergrad and she's an avid backpacker and outdoor adventurist. Uh Heidi was born in Germany uh and then came to the states and and lived here and moved around a bit and attended Sinus uh college was a college at the time. Okay. Uh where she received her bachelor's in biology and a minor in uh German. there. She competed as a division three gymnast. And I share with her and those who are younger, but those I'm in my 50s. So, we had gymnastics in elementary and high school. Uh, show hands who had the the the pummel horse, the rings, the cargo nets. It was torture. Backward rolls, the forward rolls, all those things. Um, they don't have that anymore. uh after she completed her uh received her bachelor's degree, she went over to

Germany and she taught for five years. Germany biology. Uh now she had a minor in in in in in German, but her time there uh was a humbling experience for her. Uh she became more empathetic uh from people of different cultures and and speaking a language and a different language and it provided some insight to her. uh and she taught gymnastics over there as well. Uh she came back, returned to the states, received her master's degree at Ruckers University in New Brunswick in special education. Uh she's been an educator for 21 years. In 20 in science education, I'm sorry. Oh, science education. I I apologize. Uh she's been educator for 21 years. Uh in 2015, she left a tenure position to come to Gloucester Township and become an English language arts teacher at And Mullen Middle School. uh currently now she's a science teacher at Ann Mullen Middle School. Uh some of the uh comments or or or narratives that were made that were brought to my attention regarding Heidi uh is that that she is a collaborative force that she fosters a positive environment and a productive environment at her school. There's a dedic her dedication is unwavering. Uh she is welcome uh respected. She uplifts those around her and her students. She has a contagious energy. Uh she is passionate. She has a general care for her students. Uh she listens to their concerns. She celebrates their accomplishments and she's a role model uh to her students. uh she is a frequent nominator of people uh to be honored here whether it's Black History Month or women who make a difference or um our MLK Day celebration where she was there taking pictures during the middle of the ceremony of a

student uh that was nominated and one of her one of her students uh in 2024 25 she was selected as the Annne Mullen uh teacher of the year in the 2024 2025 school year. We have over 600 teachers in the Gloucester Township Public School District uh K through 8 pre preK to 8 and she was selected as the Gloucester Township Teacher of the Year in the 202425 school year. And in the 2024 25 school year, she also became the Candom County Teacher of the Year. So that's 38 school districts. There's 38 school districts in in Candom County. There are over 600 school districts throughout the state of New Jersey and you are one of 21 that is uh representing uh our school district as the Can County Teacher of the Year. Uh it is it comes across uh the the narrative that was provided uh from your nomination, from your administrator, from your colleagues uh all talk about the dedication that you have uh to our students and to our community. I asked her, I said, 'Do you do anything in your community? And she goes, "I don't have enough time to do stuff in my community because I'm doing stuff at Mullen School." Uh, and one of the more important things that she does there is there is a called a a men a mentor and mentee program where they identify students that may be struggling. And those students, what she does is she reaches out to them to provide support for them. So if you start as a sixth grader, she had you for three years, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. It is volunteer. She's not getting a stipen. and this is time that's taken out of her time to help those students and volunteer her time. Uh so all those things those collaborative force a a contagious energy of passion your genuine care that comes across in everything that you do. So congratulations on behalf ofations

from Congressman Norcross, the proclamation from the Assembly and Senate of the Fourth District and also from the Kenyon County Board of Commissioners. Congratulations. I'm so much more accustomed to shining the light on my students. So, thank you so much for this incredible honor. I'd like to thank Mayor Mayor and Mr. Mcado, members of the council, um, and everybody here from the community and my students that are here tonight. Um, I'm not used to turning my back on students. I hope I can trust all of you behind me. Never like this. So, I'm gonna trust you.

All right.

Um, I would have to start by saying that the first teacher in my life was my mom. Um, incredible mom and a very passionate teacher. And this is going to sound sad and I was hesitant to bring it up, but I I can't be here and not mention my mom. She passed away from cancer. Um, but the reason I have to bring her up is because she was my first teacher, but also she would be so happy to see me standing here looking at some of my amazing students because I am so happy being in cluster and I need to thank Mr. Marcato and all of you for hiring me um because I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. So, my mom, my principal, Miss Rose Bounds, who's absolutely amazing. She's taught me so much about leadership. um principal Mrs. McKenzie um has taught me also stuff about resilience and life and I had the honor teaching several of her children. Um our guidance counselor, Mrs. Tara Toppen, if any of you know her, she's absolutely incredible, taught me so much about empathy and she is the counselor that is keeping the mentor mentee program now going. Um which brings me to the next group, the home and school. I would like to thank all of you, especially the moms because it's women's history month, who take their time away from your families to make our homeschool possible because the homeschool has helped support all of the really important special initiatives of our school that allowed me as a teacher to really be there for all of my students. The Mullen Marbles is another program that we do where we can recognize outstanding students. Uh there is the mom of one of our Mullen Marvel standing right there. So, I I could go on and on. I'm just going to tell you I've taught close to 800 kids since I joined the Gloucester Township family and I wish that I could bring them all up here. I wish I could tell you about each and every one of them. Um, he wouldn't let me do that tonight. There's not enough time. But I have a couple students in the audience that I am going

to invite to come up here because this is who I am and I'm going to do what I do in my classroom that shocks everyone. I'm going to go down on my knee because these are the kids that allow me to be a teacher and it is the greatest gift here. You hold all this. The greatest gift that I can have that all of you give to me is to give me the honor of letting me teach your kids. I love what I do and it's because of students like this and this and all the parents that are out there whose kids I'm not ALL RIGHT, I HAVE TO AS A BIOLOGY TEACHER AND English teacher, I had to bring you one book. This is from Rachel Parson. So, she is a famous biologist and conservationist and her quote and then I will end on that is that she wishes that every child be given the gift of a sense of wonder. I'm just going to say it again. A sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life. Kids need the companionship of at least one adult who can share the excitement of the world. Welcome to my classroom. Thank you so much.

Oh, ask. They're fine. All right. Good. Like this. Oh, yeah. That'll be perfect. Thank you. You just make sure my eyes are open. I always close them. Thank you so much. I'm sorry if I talk too long. No,

I think I want to go back and be a student in her class. Okay. Um, good evening everyone. My name is Tara Walters. I have the pleasure of introducing um, EVA CHESTER. UM, MISS EVA Chester is a principal secretary at Glanding Middle School, as well as my colleague. Um, if you need to start your day off with a warm welcome and a smile, please come see Miss Eva. Um, she consistently creates a warm and welcoming environment for staff, students, and family. Um her friendly demeanor, professionalism and genuine care sets the tone for entire school community. She makes a difference for the day. Trust me. Um in addition to her warm presence, she is exceptionally reliable, organized, committed and committed. She ensures that the daily operations at school run smooth while multitasking with such grace. Even when I go in there and say, "Eva, can you help me? Eva," she'd be like, "Okay, one second." With a smile. Whether assisting families, supporting staff, or addressing unexpected challenges, Eva handles each situation with competence, patience, and kindness. Eva is the first person always willing to help with any task, no matter how big or small it is. Um, even in the summertime, I would come in, she helped me unload all these pallets just to find my belongings. She didn't have to, but she did. Um, and then every time I I need to address something, I forget the number of the school. I'm like, "Eva, what's the number?" And she wakes she she comes from her desk and she says 092 with a smile. So um her dedication and positive impact on our school not only makes her an invaluable member of our team but also a role model. I see what she does in school. Um she makes sure that every classroom is taken care of. All the students are taken care of, the

teachers are taken care of, the administration is taken care of their schedules. Today she was like a walking calendar telling um administration don't forget you have this on your calendar. don't forget we have to schedule this. That's a constant reminder. That's what you need. Someone who's there for you to make sure that your the duties are being done. She's also a role model to her family. She gets the support from her husband and her children after working. Um she takes her kids um that she's so very proud of that she talks about all the time and we're so lucky to hear about them, how well they are, what they're doing, and she just takes them to all their extracurricular activities and just proud of them. Um, in her in the words of her colleague, Eva is an undoubtedly modest, always puts others before herself, and is the glue that holds the office and school together. When I think of Eva, I consider her the Yoda of Glen Landing. Um, and congratulations. It's a pleasure working with you.

Would you like to say anything? Um, just and if you want to come on a Friday and Miss Jones isn't doing the doing the announcements, come Miss Eva will sing for you to get your day going.

I just want to say thank you very much. I'm super super humbled to be with all of these incredible women here tonight. Um, like Tara said, I'm not used to being the center of attention. So, I thank you so much for honoring that. And thank you to my family. I love you. Well, thank you uh ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so very much uh for being here uh this evening as we recognize seven outstanding women in our community and I want to offer my congratulations to each and every one of you um you know for for being recognized for for doing what you do. Uh but more importantly than congratulate I want to say thank you. Thank you for making a difference. Thank you for what you do to help change lives. Thank you for making Gloucester Township a great place to live. We have a great community here. We have fantastic schools. We have safe streets. We have beautiful parks. But it's the people that matter. And it's the people that that make that difference. And the seven of you here this evening are those individuals that make Roster Township a great place. So, thank you for doing that and being role models and examples for others in our community. you don't realize the difference that that you are making. Uh and and so so congratulations and thank you. And let me also thank your families. Thank you for the support that you give your loved one uh so that they can do what they do uh and make that make that difference. That support is so beneficial and so helpful. So

please continue to support them. Uh so on behalf of our town council and certainly myself again congratulations and thank you for uh being women who make a difference here in Gloucester Township. Thank you very much. We're going to take a 10-minute recess. Can all honores please come up and grab a picture, please. Thank you. Orlando.

Yeah.

My son study down there. He went to Michigan State University. No special education. Don't worry about it. Congratulations. Japan. Take care. Congratulations.

Um, what is why is 109? Thank you. I want to come in your class. I'm sorry. What was it? The resolution 109. This is the last one. Thank you for all you do. This one right here.

Congratulations. Congratulations. You know anything about it? I do. So 109 I usually will say you know are these numbers right blah blah blah blah and this time

this is the interest that it had Madam clerk, I have the roll call, please.

Mr. Mo, here. Mrs. Aubrey Troxel, here. Mrs. Grace Love here. Mr. Nash, here. Mrs. Walters, here. Mr. Castro, here. Mr. MCado present. Mr. Carlamir here. Mr. Cartis here. Chief Manazi here. Mr. Miguel here. Miss Weiss. Mrs. Eric.

We'll now have the first public comment. This is for agenda items only. Anyone addressing council may speak one time. Each speaker is entitled to three minutes. There's a total of 15 minutes for the first public comment. Anyone like to speak? Seeing none, we'll close the first public comment. Weigh the reading. accept the minutes of workshop February 9th, 2026 and the regular meeting February 9th, 2026 and February 25th, 2026. May I have a motion, please? I'll make that motion. Second on the question. Roll call, please. Mr. Mun? Yes. Mrs. Aubrey Troxel? Yes. Mrs. Grace Love. Yes. February 25th. Mr. Nash, yes. Mrs. Walters, yes.

Mr. Castro I abstain from for February 20 February 9th and yes for February 25th Mr. Marcato. Yes. Next is the ordinance of second reading. There will be a public hearing. Ordinance 0-26-07 ordinance amending chapter 81-34A of the code of the township of Gloucester and title vehicles and traffic. Uh this amends chapter 81-34A to have handicap parking for the following location 161 Coventry Place. We now open up the public hearing on this matter. Would anyone like to speak on it? Seeing none, we'll close the public hearing. We have a motion, please. I'll make that motion. Is there a second? Second.

On the question. Roll call, please. Mr. Minion, yes. Mrs. Alreight Troxel, yes. Mrs. Grace Love, yes. Mr. Nash, yes. Mrs. Walters, yes. Mr. Castro, yes. Mr. Marcato,

yes. Next is ordinance 0-26-08. There will be a hearing on this bond ordinance authorizing the completion of various capital improvements and the acquisition of various pieces of capital equipment in for the in and for the township of Gloucester County of Camden, New Jersey, appropriating the sum of 10,435,314. Therefore authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds or bond anticipation notes of the township of Gloucester County of Camden, New Jersey in the aggregate principal amount of up to 9,988,000 excuse me 9,938,394 making certain determination and covenants and authorizing certain related actions in connection with the foregoing. This is for our annual capital budget uh for reconstruction, repaving of various sidewalks, reconstruction, paving of various streets, various drainage projects, improvements and upgrades to various parks, the installation of various traffic signs, improvements and upgrades to the glosser various township buildings, the acquisition of medium duty vehicles for the public works department, acquisition of vehicles and equipment for the public works department. uh but not limited to loader attachment pickup trucks and plows. Acquisition of various equipment for parks and wreck. Acquisition of information technology equipment. Acquisition of various equipment for the police department but not limited to commercial to excuse me communications equipment, vehicles and tactical equipment. Acquisition of real property of the township, including the former PNC Bank property on Church Street, and various improvements for the police department facilities. Uh mo mainly the training center expansion. We now open up this public hearing. Anyone like to speak on this matter? Seeing none, we'll close the public hearing. May I have a motion, please? I'll make that motion on the question. Roll call, please.

Mr. Mo, yes. Mrs. Albreight Troxel, yes. Mrs. Grace Love, yes. Mr. Nash, yes. Mrs. Walters, yes. Mr. Castro, yes. Mr. Marcato,

yes. Next is ordinance of first reading introduction. And there will be a a hearing at its second reading. Bond 0-26-09 bond ordinance authorizing the completion of various improvements and acquisition of equipment for the sewer utility system in and for the township of Gloucester County of Camden, New Jersey. appropriating the sum of1,820,930. Therefore, authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds or bond anticipation notes of the township of Gloucester, county of Camden, New Jersey in the aggregate principal amount of up to 1,820,930 making certain determinations and covenants and authorizing certain related actions in connections with the foregoing. This is for the acquisition of various tele equipment, installation of standby generators, rehabilitation improvements to the sewer utility system, various upgrades to the sewer pump stations, various replacement equipment for the sewer utility system, uh various information technology equipment for the system, various improvements to our sewer utility system buildings, and the acquisition of various vehicles for the sewer utility system. May I have a motion, please?

I'll make that motion. Second. on the question. Roll call, please. Mr. Mano, yes. Mrs. Aubrey Troxel, yes. Mrs. Grace Love, yes. Mr. Nash, yes. Mrs. Walters, yes. Mr. Castro, yes. Mr. Marcato,

yes. Next is our consent agenda before uh I ask for a motion for it on resolution R2603-109 all the way at the bottom. Number two, it's the sum of that was noted there is incorrect. We have an updated sum of $16,36187 including n $7947 of interest. That is the correct amount. Uh can I have a motion to amend that particular resolution? I'll make the motion to amend 109. I'll second on the question. Roll call, please. Mr. Minion, yes. Mrs. Alreight Troxel, yes to amend. Mrs. Grace Love. Yes. Mr. Nash, yes. Mrs. Walters,

yes. Mr. Castro, yes. Mr. Marcato, yes. To amend. Now, may I have a motion to accept the consent agenda as amended? I'll make that motion. Second. On the question. Roll call, please. Mr. Mayo? Yes. Mrs. Alrexel? Yes. Mrs. Grace Love? Yes. Mr. Nash? Yes. Mrs. Walters? Yes. Mr. Castro? Yes. Mr. Marcato?

Yes. We did not receive any GTE gov access emails. We now open up our second public comment. Uh this is for any item the public chooses to address the council. Each speaker is entitled to five minutes. They may speak one time. There's a total of 30 minutes for this public comment period. Yes, Mr. Burns. Good evening, council. Ryan Burn, Swood Drive. Um, I wanted to clarify um and and be on the record as to um my actions regarding the advocacy and preservation of open space. Um the first thing I want to say is I've never knocked on anyone's door asking if they want to sell their property. Number two, I never represented myself as an agent of the township. Never. Number three, I've never met Helen Hayes. Our communication was always via email or text message. I never met with the owners of the Rosalyn Bridge property. My communications with them was by text or email. And I met the Mary's one time and that was with Dan Hutchinson who I I always be grateful to for finding the time to coming out and seeing how unusual and unique that property was. So, for the record, my actions have never been as I state. Never knocked on doors, never represented the township as their agent, never met the Hazes, never met the Rosland Bridge people, and I met the Merries one time. So, that that's for the record. Okay. Um, the other thing I I have an idea and I wish you would take

it under advisement and follow through with it. Most residents, if you ask them what Green Acres was or is, they probably tell you it was a TV sitcom from the 60s. Honestly, they had no idea what it is or how it works or how to apply for it or the benefits to the community. And I went on the township's homepage today and there's nothing about Green Acres on there. So my suggestion is why doesn't the township and there really is we we've we've had the conversation we can't have a conversations but Mr. Marcato and Mr. Cartis have gone back and forth about how do we do this? How do we find out? And there really is no clear path. So my recommendation is why don't you create a link on the township homepage about Green Acres, what it is, how it works, how do people apply for it, what are the benefits of it. Maybe even have a workshop every six months. You can have Miss Corbin here, the township planner. You can have Jesse the uh representative count Camden County representative for Green Acres. You can have a township representative and open it up to the public for people who have an interest in this because like I said, they nobody knows what it is. And people can't make decisions and get involved unless they get educated. I've been an educator all my life. And when people become educated, they make smart decisions. So I guess my question is will you do that or will you take it under advisement? It wouldn't be hard to do green acres program. What is it? Who's eligible for it? How does it work? You talk about the appraisals. You can talk about the benefits of open space and we

can go on and on and on but right now there is nothing. There is no clear path. So that if you do this at least in the future someone says how do you what do you do to for green acres? How do you find places and I don't know what do we do? Well we have a link on the website and interested people residents can can go into that they have a contact person there perhaps there's an application and yeah you have a pathway that's clear. You know I'm not a rocket scientist but the township doesn't have that and I think that's a pretty good idea. So anyway, so I guess my one question is, will you consider doing that and creating a clear path for residents to learn about Green Acres, what it is, how it works, and you potentially have a workshop once a year, once every six months I think would I think would be a wonderful idea. So thank you for your time.

Thank you, Mr. Burns. Thank you. Is there anyone else would like to speak? Seeing none, we'll close the second public hearing. Uh, thank you, Mr. Mr. Burns for your comments uh and your comments that you wanted to have on the record. Uh this Green Acres reference was that Eddie Albert and was that Jacqu was that Zajan Kabore or Ava Gabbor? It was one of the Gabbor. Okay. Ava, I'm too young. I I don't know. Yeah. Right. All right. Um I I'm not opposed to that uh having a link and having that information. Um Mr. Burns, Miss Corbin is no longer our planner. Miss Weiss is our planner for for their township. Uh Tom, is that something that you could bring back to the administration and can talk to the mayor?

I I don't think it's a bad thing having information about what Green Acres is and what it entails and uh contact information. Uh that way people can contact the township if they're interested in participating in that program. Yeah. And remember any of the uh properties that involve Green Acres funding, they have prominently signs on those locations. Okay. Thank you. on the question. Does the county have a green acres uh part on their website? I have because they do a lot of green acres, too. Cannot tell you. No, don't know. Okay. Mr. Nash look it up as we're doing. He shut down his laptop. All right. Okay.

All right. Uh we'll check that out and see if it's available. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Uh polling of directors. Mr. Carlamir, nothing to report. Mr. Cartis, nothing to report. Chief Manazi, nothing. Mr. McIll, nothing. Thank you. Miss Weiss, Mrs. Eric, Mr. Minion, congratulations to all the honores tonight for the women that make a difference. Welld deserved. I want to give a special shout out. Happy birthday to a special man in my life, my mentor. Today's my father's birthday. And everybody have a great night, great week. Thank you,

Mrs. Albert Troxel. I'd like to congratulate all these special women. They were just absolutely amazing when I listened to their stories and how much they have done uh for their community and for for society as a whole. I I thought it was just absolutely amazing. I was very proud of each and every one of them. Uh and I knew several of the women in the audience that came to support them. I think that's what we're talking about here, supporting these women that do so much and it's great to see that they came out to support them and lift them up. and it was just a wonderful night. It's one of the highlights of the year for me here. So, I want to thank you all for coming and congratulations. We will see you often and uh and I like to see the the chief here too. I always like to see the chief. I always feel safe and secure. Thank you,

Miss Grace Love. Congratulations to all the honores tonight. Mr. Burns, thank you for your advocacy and always uh trying to make sure that we hear you and we do. Um continue the good work. Thank you and have a great night. Mr. Nash.

Yeah. Also, I'd like to congratulate all the uh award winners tonight. Um wanted to give a shout out again, I've done this before, to public works. You know, we had a pretty nasty storm blow through here the other day. Caused a little bit of a mess. uh GTP P uh police department PD and uh public works did an excellent job. Um I was out later on that night and it was pretty bad. I mean there's a lot of roads closed and uh still mess out there. So be patient with public works. I know they have a large list of things they're getting through cleaning with cleanups. Um but they're doing an excellent job and I wanted to congratulate them and um that's it. Good night. Mrs. Walters.

Uh congratulations to all the women that do make a difference every day. um they don't realize how people look up to them, young and old. Um so I appreciate them all that they've done. Thank you everybody for coming out tonight and have a great week. Mr. Castra, congratulations to all the recipients as well. Um it's easyly to overlook what the women do dayto day, you know, it's they're all moms, teachers, they're they're all of that, you know, and I literally mean that. They're all that. Uh, Mr. Barren, thank you for coming out and um, bringing that to our attention. Pretty sure that we'll move forward and uh, see what we can do about that. Other than that, everyone else have a great night.

Mr. Mcado, thank you for coming out this evening. I want to congratulate all the honores uh, for the work that they do in our community. I also thank my colleagues on council for uh, reaching out to them and making them feel special uh, when they come here. Uh so thank you for for what you do when you present uh them to our community. Uh we were not going to be here for a while. We won't be here till April 13th. So I want to wish everybody a happy Easter and those who celebrate Passover. Uh enjoy that time with your family and friends. That I entertain a motion to adjourn. Is there a second? All those in favor. Have a great evening.