Council - Regular Meeting

Good. How are you? Okay. We are calling this meeting of the Hackinack City Council to order. It is Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026. It is 5:31 p.m. You can read the notice, please. This meeting is being held in accordance with the open public meeting act NJSA 10 col4-6 at SEC notice of which was sent to the record and the star ledger and was posted on the municipal bulletin board. Thank you. Roll call please. Mayor Gaines here. Deputy Mayor Tumi. Councilman Carol here. Councilman Clark Collins here. Councilman Diaz here. Thank you. If everyone can rise for the flag salute please.

Ready. Salute. I aliance 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. Okay. At this time, I'm going to ask for a motion for a resolution to go into executive session to discuss ongoing litigation matters in involving attorney client privilege matters involving the purchase, lease, or acquisition of real property and/or any pending or anticipated litigation or contract negotiations. Can I have a motion, please? All over. All in favor? I I

Any opposed? Any abstensions? Great. We'll return back as soon as possible. Thank you. I saw your email respond

All right. Thank you everyone for your patience. We appreciate it. Thank you. Um, if you are following along, we are going back just for a moment to the approval of minutes, which we neglected to do when we opened up at 5:30. So, can I have a motion to approve the minutes of December 29th, 2025 special meeting, January 6th, 2026 regular meeting, and January 20th, 2026 regular meeting? I'll offer. I'll take them. All in favor?

I. Any opposed? Any abstensions? Okay, thank you for that. All right, so moving on. There are no proclamations or presentations today. Um, we are moving ahead to a presentation on our Green Acres public hearing for 155 Main Street, which is uh a proposed pocket park. We're going to ask for Bruno and Associates, Bruno Associates to come forward and just share a little bit and then we will um happily hear from the public on this as well. Thank you.

Good evening, mayor, members of the council. For the record, my name is Joe DeFranco. I'm vice president of Bruno Associates, the city's grant consultants, and I'm here this evening at the request of the council to provide a brief overview of the Greenacres land acquisition resolution that's on tonight's agenda and to assist with any technical questions prior to the public hearing. Tonight represents the culmination of several months of coordination between the city, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Agency, and the community to position this project for eligibility under the state's land acquisition grant program. These efforts reflect a deliberate and forward-looking approach by this administration to expand open space for the residents of Hackinac. What has stood out most to me throughout this process is the level of enthusiasm and engagement from the Hackinack community. The feedback reflects a genuine desire for meaningful open space, and it's rewarding to work with a governing body that is in sync with its constituents and willing to take the steps necessary to turn that vision into a reality. If successfully awarded, this grant would position the city to acquire a strategically located parcel in the middle of Main Street, ultimately transform it into a unique urban pocket park at virtually no cost to the taxpayer. Um, the resolution before you authorizes the city to submit a grant application to NJD's Green Acres program to seek funding for the acquisition of the property located at 155 Main Street for permanent public open space and park use. This action is procedural in nature. It does not approve a final purchase price. It does not obligate the city to acquire the property and it does not authorize any demolition or construction activity. It simply authorizes the city submit an application to NJD so the state can evaluate the project for potential funding. The funding request uh reflected in the resolution is based on planning level acquisition cost estimates. Final values are going to be established later through appraisals conducted by D approved appraisers and reviewed by the state. The purpose of tonight's hearing is to memorialize the

city's intent to pursue the acquisition of this property for permanent public open space informed by meaningful community engagement and consistent with Greenacres requirements. If this resolution is adopted this evening, the city may submit its application by the February 27th deadline. NJD will then conduct its review and issue issue appraisal and environmental requirements. At that point, the city will determine whether to move forward with acquisition based on the final appraised value and overall project feasibility. And I'd be happy to answer any questions from the council.

Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate that. Okay. Um, before we go to the manager's report, what I'm going to ask just because we just had this. Oh, wait. Go ahead. We're going to need to do a public hearing. Yes. Okay. Good. That's what I was. Perfect. So, um, I'm going to ask if any member of the public would like to share any

Yep. We'll get it. Yep. Yep. Yep. Don't worry. I'm surprisingly I'm with you. All right. So, um, so in a moment, I'm going to ask if any member of the public would like to come forward and speak on the proposal, um, for the city council to pursue a Green Acres grant to acquire 155 Main Street for the purpose of a pocket park um, to come forward. This will be a separate thing from from public comments. This will just be on the pocket park issue. Um, if I can have a motion to open to the public on this issue. Second. All in favor? I.

Any opposed? Any abstensions? Please. When you come forward, if you can just state your name and municipality. Good evening everybody. Um, concerning the pocket park, my first question was why is it at that location on Main Street given its encloseness? Number two, as was mentioned that it's a no cost. What is the projected maintenance cost of this particular area um going forward? Can you I'm sorry before you leave, can you state your name and miss your spell, please? Sergey Toltoy Hackin Sag. Thank you. Okay. Thank you.

[clears throat] Shall I go ahead?

Oh, okay. Thank you. Good evening, mayor and city council members. Anita Rivers, uh, Hackinack resident, and, uh, I'm all in favor uh, for the pocket park. I think it's going to be uh a great relief for all the redevelopment that has taken place uh on Main Street, but I'd like to bring the city's attention to the existing parks. I commented in the survey that I'd like to see some refreshing or updating of some of the other parks that are in the city as well, particularly Carver Park, which I believe uh is entitled to Green Acres grant money as well. Um, I'm not sure about that. Perhaps you can clarify that for me. And then also the Anderson Street park that's right across from the Second Reformed Church. I think those two far parks in the community uh where there are a lot of children uh would uh certainly benefit from um a an updated refreshed green space. And I thank you so much.

Thank you, Dr. Rivers. Thank you. [applause] ready.

Okay. Um, pardon me for looking at my screen, but I want to make sure I got all of this right. Um, I'd like to start I'm sorry. I don't want you if you're going to state your name and municipality. That's what I was going to start. Oh, I'm so sorry. That's what I was going to start with. Please [laughter] go ahead.

I'm Patricia. I live on Main Street and I've been a Hackinack resident for 25 years approximately. Um, okay. Okay, here we go. I don't have to say that part now. I'd like to start and take a moment to say how pleased I am with Cassim Gaines. I remember an event I attended at the Johnson Public Library that you hosted featuring When Broadway was black and I love that you participate in our local community gatherings where we can enjoy each other and discuss things that matter and artistic projects. I think you're doing a great job here and you're an asset to our community. So, there's that. But what we're here to speak about today is the new park. And I for one am not pleased with this idea. I have lived in Hackinac for 25 years. I grew up in New York. I love Hackinack in the small town feel and that it has access to everything a thriving city needs. Green spaces within a city is beneficial in so many ways which I don't need to enumerate here. I appreciate having a spot under a shady tree, listening to an audio book in the warmer months, chatting with neighbors passing by. I am in no way against having green spaces. My problem is that you are willing to spend money on a tiny park on Main Street while the beautiful spaces we already have are severely neglected. As my neighbor said, you know, I live in walking distance of the park on Anderson Street, for instance. It has mature trees and is nestled between two churches and a lovely school. It's off of Main Street, which makes it a lovely place for relaxation and enjoyment. However, there's a water fountain that is almost never functioning during the warmer months. It looks like a literal petri dish. There is almost no landscaping. The grass could use some help. More seating would also be welcomed. That little park deserves some TLC. So, what bothers me about the proposal of this new park and a little sliver of land on Main Street is that it seems to me you're ignoring current longtime

residents of Hackinac to patronize those who are buying into these new so-called luxury highrises that have been built in the area. They are welcome to walk down the street to one of our current parks. I strongly suggest before you go pouring money into a new park that will likely be neglected like the ones we already have, consider using even a portion of that money to take care of what we already have. Don't neglect the structures and public spaces that have endured Hackin Sack evolution for something new and glitzy just to look like we did something. It's an insult to the history and integrity of Hackinack. I will also be contacting Christopher Brown, but now this gentleman from Bruno Associates and by mail and sharing these thoughts. Hackinack can and should be awarded funding and support for our current green spaces. That's it.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [applause]

Yes, I found you online, but thank you. Good evening everyone. My name is Simeon N. Cumberbatch. I'm a resident of Hackinack for the past 37 years. I just want to say that I appreciate having another park in town. My original place that I was raised is Hoboken where I was a cop for over 30 years. And I understand about all of this building going on in town. And I appreciate the fact that you're taking the time to not do so much building, but maybe have some recreational space for the youth and the seniors, of which I am now one. Thank you. Thank you.

The youth and the seniors, right, Mr. Comeback? Absolutely. [laughter] Anyone else wishing to speak on the proposed grant application? Okay, seeing none, motion to close to the public. All in favor? I.

Any opposed? Any abstensions? Okay. And just to note, I don't want anyone to think that they've been neglected. anything that we want to respond to regarding that portion, we'll we'll address in our comments at the end. Okay. But thank you everyone for for speaking. Um it's important and so thank you for that. Um I'm going to turn it over to our city manager.

Good evening everyone. Just a couple of quick updates on some events going around uh the city here. on February 6th uh hosted by the Boys and Girls Club is the Comet Academic After School Partnership Student Showcase. More information can be found on our website. Also at the Hackpack, um I was going to speak of a couple events going on there in February, but as I look down the list, there's quite a few programs happening at the Hackpack in February. Please check their website. A lot of good programming for the month. um highlighted by the 12th is the Ramadan crescent lighting and the 13th is be my Gallentine and then there is also an event on the 14th for Valentine's Day. Um other than that, I just going to briefly remind everyone as we did last meeting about the snow in the city. Um please pay attention to the snow streets, the streets that we're not supposed to be parking on when they're snow covered. Um, you know, we we were out in force trying to ticket and tow vehicles to try and get some of the streets cleared better. Uh, unfortunately, we had some issues with the tow companies. As you can imagine, every municipality had vehicles getting towed and and the tow tow company yards actually ran out of space. Um, but the police and DBW worked well together and and cleared as many streets as they could. And it's an ongoing effort. Obviously, they were plowing at first and now they're removing snow. So, they're taking streets one at a time and uh removing as much snow as they can, but um the fact that so many vehicles were left on the roads made things very, very difficult. So, please pay attention to that. We're actually going to be looking to um somehow uh possibly increase the fines for on street parking when the road is snow covered because it just takes one or two vehicles not playing by the rules and it affects the whole neighborhood as you probably people know that are on the streets that didn't get completely plowed because cars were left there. So, please pay attention to that and uh and take advantage of the free parking that we

offered at the at the Riverside Square and at Atlantic Garage. Uh not enough people took advantage of it and I don't know why, but we really like to see the the cars get off the road so that the DPW can do their job safely and efficiently. So, uh thank you. Thank you. Okay, so um we are going to open back up to the public for any agenda item. Again, this is for any item that is on the agenda. I will keep time for you. Um, once you get to your threeminut limit, I will politely ask you to bring your point to a close and I will ask that you politely oblige. Thank you. If I can have a motion to open to the public. I'll offer.

Second. All in favor? I I Any opposed? Any abstensions? Any member of the public wishing to speak on any agenda item only? Seeing none, motion to close to the public. I'll offer.

All in favor? I. Any opposed? Any abstensions? Okay. Moving on to new business. Ordinance for second reading. Uh, resolution 43-26. Resolution 43-26 is a final adoption of ordinance 012026, an ordinance to amend chapter 170 of the code of the city of Hackinac vehicles and traffic to add and remove handicap parking spaces in section 49.2 parking for the handicapped. This ordinance has been published according to law and now calls for a public hearing.

Thank you. Any member of the public? Um, I'm sorry. I need a motion to open to the public on this resolution and this resolution only. I'll offer. Second. All in favor? I. Any opposed? Any abstensions? Any member of the public wishing to speak on this resolution?

And please just state your name and municipality. Thanks. Uh, my name is Patrick Dory. I'm property owner at 139 South Main Street in Hagenac. Um, I I came here tonight specifically for this, but I had no idea it was it was up. I had a former employee living at 149 South Main Street who had a handicap parking space assigned to her. And if you're familiar with the area, it is incredibly packed. You can't get parking. She died six months ago. So, I'm hoping I I contacted the uh the parking authority. They led me over to the police department. Police department said I had to come here tonight to make the request to formally remove that parking space because it was specifically designed for her at her location and she's deceased. Is there a possibility of returning it back to a regular parking spot which is direly needed in the neighborhood? I'm just going to ask for you to state the address one more time and our city manager will look into

it is her address was 149 South Main Street and the person who has deceased her name was Helen Partase. Uh it's I think she passed away in June. So that spot's been unusable at this point in time and we direly need the parking. Understood. Okay. Noted. Thank you. City manager will look into it. Thank you. Thank you very much. Any other member of the public wishing to speak on this resolution? Okay, seeing none, motion to close to the public on this resolution. I'll second. All in favor?

I. Any opposed? Any abstension? Motion to adopt. Can I have a motion, please? I second. Um, roll call, please. Councilman Clark Collins, here. [clears throat] A yes or no vote. Oh, [laughter] sorry. Yes. Yes. Councilman Carol, yes. Councilman Diaz, yes. And Mayor Gates, yes. Be it resolved by the city council of the city of Hackinack, County of Bergen and State of New Jersey that ordinance number 012026 has passed its second and final reading and is hereby adopted.

Okay. Thank you. Resolution 44-26, please. Resolution 44-26 is a final adoption of bond ordinance 022026 bond ordinance amending bond ordinance ordinance 21-2025 finally adopted by the city of council of the city of Hackinac on June 3rd 2025. Thank you. So I'm sorry. Yep. This ordinance has been published according to law and now calls for a public hearing. Thank you. Can I have a motion to open to the public on this ordinance and this ordinance only? I'll offer. Second. All in favor? I I. Any opposed? Any abstensions? Any member of the public wishing to speak on this ordinance?

Seeing none, motion to close to the public on this ordinance? All in favor? I. Any opposed? Any abstensions? Okay. Motion to adopt, please. Second. Okay. Roll call, please. Councilwoman Clark Collins. Yes. Councilman Carol. Yes. Councilman Diaz, yes. And Mayor Gaines, yes. Be it resolved by the city council of the city of Hackinac, County of Bergen, and state of New Jersey that ordinance number 02206 has passed its second and final reading and is hereby adopted.

Okay. Thank you. Resolution 45-26. Resolution 45-226 is an introduction of ordinance 032026, an ordinance to amend chapter 32 of the code of the city of Hackinac police department to eliminate the position of director of police and to amend the table of organization of the police department to include one deputy chief and to increase the number of captains to five. Thank you. Can I have a motion? I make a motion. Okay. Roll call, please. Council Councilwoman Clark Collins, yes. Councilman Carol, yes. Councilman Diaz, yes. Mayor Gaines,

yes. Be it resolved that the above ordinance, being ordinance 03, 2022, as introduced, does now pass on first reading, and that said ordinance shall be considered for final passage at a meeting to be held on February 17th, 2026 at 5:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter could be reached at the regular meeting place of the city council and at such time and place all persons interested be given an opportunity to be heard concerning said ordinance and that the clerk be and he he is hereby authorized and directed to publish said ordinance according to law with a notice of its introduction and passage on first reading and of the time and place when and where said ordinance will be further considered for final passage.

Thank you. Okay, moving on to the consent agenda. Does anyone have a conflict or anything that they need pull from the consent agenda? No. Okay. All right. If you can um move on, please. The following items are considered to be routine in nature and will be enacted in one motion. Any items requiring expenditure are supported by a certifi certification of availability of funds. Any item requiring discussion will be removed from the consent agenda and consent agenda items will be reflected in full in the minutes including any exceptions and/or additions. The consent agenda includes resolution 46-26 resolution authorizing payment of bills. Resolution 47-26, Resolution authorizing tax refunds. Resolution 48-26, uh, resolution authorizing the endorsement of proposed home investment partnership grant, also known as home, project applications submitted to the Bergen County Division of Community Development. Resolution 4926, resolution authorizing the submission of an application to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for 2026 Greenacres program for land acquisition funding. That's for 155 Main Street, the Greenacres Land Acquisition Project. Resolution 5026, resolution of support from the city of Hackinac authorizing the 2026 Sustainable Jersey Grants Program application funded by the PSEG Foundation grant. Resolution 5126, resolution authorizing the advertisement of bids for the Spring Valley Avenue pedestrian safety safety improvements. Resolution 5226, resolution approving the transfer of 2025 budget appropriations. Resolution 5326, resolution authorizing 2026 temporary budget appropriations. Resolution 5426, resolution authorizing the release of performance bond and safety bond for the Second Street Pavilion project for Hackinac Meridian Health. And resolution 5526, resolution

authorizing raffle licenses. Thank you. Can I have a motion to adopt the consent agenda? I offer. Uh, roll call, please. Councilwoman Clark Collins, yes. Councilman Carol, yes. Councilman Diaz, yes. Mayor Gaines. Yes. Consent agenda passes. Thank you. Okay. If I can I have a motion to open to the public. I'm sorry. We have one additional resolution. Oh, yes, we do. So, sorry about that.

So, this is off the consent agenda. This is resolution 56-26. It's a resolution authorizing the city of Hackinack to file suit against Roco Dardo and Victor Vasquez. whereas that the city attorney has received consent from the mayor and city council to fire file a complaint against former city employees Rocco Duardo and Victor Vasquez in superior court of New Jersey for reimbursement of salary. Now therefore, it be resolved that the mayor and council of the city of Hackinac direct the city attorney to take the appropriate action to file and execute any documents necessary in connection to this matter. Can I have a motion, please? I'll offer. [clears throat] Roll call, please. Councilwoman Clark Collins, yes. Councilman Carol,

yes. Councilman Diaz, yes. Mayor Gaines, yes. Motion passes. Thank you. Okay. Now, can I have a motion to open to the public? I'll second. All in favor? I.

Any opposed? Any abstensions? Okay. So, just as a reminder, I know that uh just the format has changed, so I'm just reminding everyone every meeting for a bit. Um you'll have three minutes. I will keep time for you. Once the 3minut limit comes up, I will ask you to bring your point to a close. I ask that you do that. Um when you come forward, please state your name and your municipality. Thank you. Joel Dawkins Hackinack. First off, I'd like to say a moment of uh silence for somebody who I knew and respected as a good person and a legitimate politician for the people, Mr. Richard Cody. rest in peace. Uh on January 20th, 2026, Mrs. Cheryl was sworn in as the 57th governor of this state, the first Democratic woman to hold that position. Dale Cwell became the first male lieutenant governor in our brief history for that position. And they called on for affordability and building opportunity. So with that said, hopefully the message gets passed down from governor to county and to local municipalities. Uh, I'd like to also say that I'd like to commend my Hackinack DPW for the work that they had to undertake in this harsh environment

from Manhattan to the Bronx to Tene to Bota to even uh Newark. I've seen the horror of what um lack of preparation and lack of commitment can be. And I could say that my hackin sacks stood out and I like to recommend that as I said earlier in last year that my strongest get paid for the work they do. On the other note, I'd like to read this statement. New Jersey Open Public Records Act O where it's the right to know law. All school board, district records, photos, data process, video recordings, emails, communications are subject to public inspection, copying and examination under New Jersey open records, public open records act with specific exceptions among them basically uh protection of public interest, attorney client privilege, computer or building security negotiation court orders and ongoing investigations. Underlying these things, immediate access ordinary should be granted to budgets, bills, vouchers, and contracts, including collective bargaining agreements and individual employment contracts and employee salary, overtime information. Also, the district custodian of public records typically typically a district business administrator or school board secretary can require a request form be filled out with name, address, contact information and the reason for the records. Records must be made readily available but no later than seven business days from the request if the items are not in storage or archived. So I say this based upon what recently

took place and whatever malfeasence has been um committed should be readily corrected. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you

Simeon N. Cumberbatch resident of Hackinac for many years. I just want to take this time to thank the city manager for expediting uh delighted stop signs on Pis on Pose and uh Anderson streets and I particularly want to thank the Department of Public Works officials for doing such a magnificent job over this past storm and thank you city fathers for seeing that it gets done. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm Richard Serbo of Spring Valley Avenue and I don't know, I just I guess I disagree. I disagree with a lot of things, but that storm last Sunday, okay, which was not a lot of snow, it just hamstring strung us. We We can't even move, okay? It's ridiculous. And I don't see why uh snow and mounds of snow on the side of the road in intersections everywhere cannot be removed. I don't get it. I'm sorry. And just I just paid my taxes, too. So, I'm wondering what the heck are the services in the city that we pay so much for? We what what are they? Let me know, please. I I want to know. And the the question of the evening of course is the color of inexperience and it's a five fiveletter word and so it's easy one. So that's that. Also I'm I'm still on to the um the school problem. I was at a uh [clears throat] I was at a a board meeting I think it was last week and I was just amazed what's going on there. Okay. And it it's just awful that we have fraud that came to Hackinack. And I I want to know what the heck is going on. I do. I don't want to just read the paper and just come here and nobody wants to talk about anything. But if the city is going to offer a chunk of dough to bail them out, who who who made that uh who made that distinction? you had to rec recuse

yourself. So, who made the decision on that? And why are we doing it? Okay. And and weeks ago, I brought up the fact that in the early 90s, uh they split apart this government with the school board for some reason. We need to explain that and talk about that because why was it done now? it would be, you know, it would be better off to have the the school board and the city as sort of one entity. Maybe they could work together or maybe that fraud wouldn't have happened. So, let's talk about these things because it's it makes a taxpayer feel, you know, left out. We we're confused. We're um we feel like we're getting the uh uh w we're getting hoodwinkedked, you know, [laughter] we feel like we're getting hoodwinkedked in the city. Uh paying a lot of dough for taxes and and now the schools, services, whatever, the snow on the side of the road. So, come on, talk to me. Please speak up.

Thank you, Mr. Serbo. Okay,

on a kinder note, Anita Rivers, Hackin Sack resident. Um, I'm also affiliated with with Fairley Dickinson University. I work as their uh chief community relations and workforce development officer there and I've been a member of that community now for almost 20 years. And as we are celebrating our 250th anniversary uh throughout the nation, uh what we have done at FDU is we have decided to make it our own and make it inclusive. And so what we have launched as our campaign is our 250 acts of kindness. and it is a campaign in which we are promoting volunteerism and community service. We launched last Wednesday during our student club fair, but it's not just for students. Certainly, we want to impact our students uh to really uh consider levels of kindness because to be quite honest with you, there's so much violence and so much conflict and so much bitterness that's going on in this world. Uh our youth are being bombarded with hopelessness. And so what we hope to do at FDU within our community and hopefully spread out uh into the larger community is the notion that kindness, love really conquers all and can accomplish such great things, particularly if we do it together. And so I would ask the city council to join us in this campaign because truly kindness is free and collectively we can really voice this. We can voice this in our daily activities, in our collective activities so that

kindness catches on just like uh or and defeats the bitterness and and the unkind words and and all of the isms that we are facing these days. And let's let's really consider working together, each one of us, and really locking arms because we have young people who are watching us and they really deserve better because they are the ones who are going to have to tackle with the messes that we have created. Let's give them a sense of hope through acts of kindness together. Uh I will be in contact perhaps with the city manager uh to determine how the FDU community along with the city of Hackinack along with hopefully all of you and all of you who are streaming can work together towards some common goal. Cleaning up the city, beautifying the city, um helping out with the pocket park and refreshing the parks that are uh already in existence. I mean, there are so many things that we can do collectively. Thank you very much. I'm going to give this is a medium, so I'm going to give this to Councilwoman Sonia Clark Collins, but I'll make sure that all of you have one. [laughter]

Anita, before you do that, can you show the audience what that shirt looks like? Yes. Excellent. Kindness is free. Thank you. Fairly Dickinson University. 250 acts of kindness. Thank you, Dr. Rivers. Thank you. Thank you, doctor. [applause] Thank you. We could try. We could try and get in that shirt. We could [laughter] It might not look or a lot of it for you. So, anyone else from the public?

Good evening. Good evening.

My name is Dominic Rine. I don't live in the area. I'm from Mercer County resident. Just wanted to come. I'm a council representative for the carpenters union in North Jersey here. I Hackinasack is one of the towns I cover. Part of my job is uh obviously finding work opportunities, excuse [clears throat] me, for members of our local that live in the town. Um but also we are actively right actively right now seeking for young men and women for recruitment into our union. Um so I'll be happy open to talk to anybody if um anybody has anybody in mind that doesn't want to necessarily go to college or is young can physically do the work. um actively seeking to uh recruit from the area uh into our union to help you know lower our wage of uh our age for retire lower our age of uh membership. A lot of people are retiring right now u but also to help people who you know want to have a decent wage in blue collar work and and you know be able to retire with dignity. So thank you.

Thank you. Before you step away, I'm just going to ask if you can share your information with our city manager just so that we can be in touch and if there's any opportunities to share that information that you have. Absolutely. I could leave my court to you that you could have it. So, all right. Thank you. And if you want, you can just give it to the clerk or deputy clerk. Thank you. All right. For sure. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for that. Anyone else from the public wishing to speak? Okay. Seeing none, motion to close to the public. Second. All in favor? I. Any opposed? Any abstensions? Okay. Councilwoman.

It's that time already. Oh, wait. I'm sorry. Wait one second. Let me I forgot. We We always throw it to Tom one more time. Anything you want to comment on? If not, then we'll just

Okay, great. There you go. Thanks. Okay, real quick. Um, as the mayor mentioned at last week's council meeting, I am the council liaison to the recreation board. Uh, looking ahead to 2026, our recreational center projects projects are focused on continuing to build inclusive, accessible, and engaging spaces for residents of all ages. The recreation board remains committed to enhancing programming, improving facilities, and expanding opportunities that promote wellness, learning, and community connection. These efforts reflect our shared goal of making our recreation centers true hubs of activity, belonging, and pride for our city. In recognition of Black History Month, the recreation center will be hosting a lunchon on February 26th at 11:30 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. However, seating is limited to 200 guests, so early participation is encouraged. Please look out for the flyer that will be posted in our newsletter for signup instructions. In addition, we have many other meaningful events happening throughout the city. This month, also in celebration of Black History Month, the Triumph and Color exhibit at the Hackpack runs from February 6 to February 28th and is also free to the public. Um Tom had mentioned some of these other events, but I'm going to mention them again. Uh the Comet Academic Afterchool Student Showcase will take place at the Hackinack Middle School at 4 PM this Friday, offering our students the opportunity to shine and share their

accomplishments. There is a Super Bowl pancake breakfast this Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Hackinack Tro Club. All proceeds go towards the Hackinack Junior Sports Programs. There are many other events scheduled at the Hackpack such as Valentine's Day concert on February 13th at 8:00 PM, the Drowsy Chaperon on February 8th at 2 p.m. and the Ramadan Ramadan crescent lighting ceremony on February 12th at 6 p.m. You can check out their website, the Hackpack website. And please don't forget to sign up for the city newsletter if you haven't done so already. I encourage everyone to take part in these events and continue supporting the programs and initiatives that strengthen our community. Thank you to the recreation board, our city staff, and my fellow council members for your continued dedication and collaboration. And as always, thank you all for coming and get home safe.

Thank you, Councilwoman. That pancake breakfast sounds pretty good. Well, I might be going. Sounds pretty good. Is there a cost? Was there a cost for that? Um, I believe there is a cost. Uh, let me see. I think I have the flyer here. It's It'll go in the newsletter, I'm sure. Yes, it should be posted in the newsletter. It's uh Saturday, February 7th, and the cost, the donation is $15 for adults and $10 for children under 14. Great. Sounds great. Thank you. Thank you for all that. invitation. Uh Phil, sorry. Councilman.

Okay. Um that young lady that addressed the uh park situation, she is gone. But uh uh for the public, I believe that uh all the parks uh have been taken care of. And if they have not been taken care of, they uh will be taken care of. So, uh, Anderson Street Park, uh, yes, uh, the fountain is going to be fixed. Uh, we put some new decorations up there this year. Uh, Atlantic Street Park, the same thing. Uh, Roland Avenue Park, we've redone. Sty Park, we've redone. Carver Park has been redone. So, um, not sure. I know that she's not happy with Anderson Street Park, but, uh, it's a work in progress. So, thank you for that. The pocket park that would be in between the green and Carver Park, so it's midway. So, it's a free park. And yes, uh, our maintenance is going to be a cost factor, but I don't think it's going to be that much of a cost factor because we do have ex existing DPW parks people that I believe can maintain uh that property which is not large. And I see our uh police and DPW here. Thank you guys. It was a tough one, right? uh for all of us and we got through it and you guys got through it with some uh broken down equipment. Uh we're trying to fix that. We got new equipment almost ready to roll. Just hope it doesn't snow. Uh but no. Uh but thank you. Uh everybody uh was snowed in. I was snowed in myself and I think you guys still have been clearing snow. And if anybody would like to see

some of that snow, go by Johnson Park on a um you know by the river and see the deposit of snow that uh we've accumulated and we're dumping. So that is progress and I want to thank you guys personally. Thank you. Mayor, before you go to um uh

Councilman Diaz, can I just add that there are other grants that are in the works right now for parks. So, just because you don't see it doesn't mean that we're not working on it. We are working on it. As a matter of fact, I can tell you that for Columbus Park and also Baldwin Park, there are grants in the work. It takes time. It takes time for the grants to go through. It takes time to get the money and and schedule and so on and so forth. But there are um we do try our best to maintain our uh parks especially because we do have a great population of children. So, and as a parent um with two children, they they're adults now, but um I appreciate the parks and I appreciate the work that this city has always done. I've never had a major complaint with any park in this in this town. So, I just wanted to add that.

Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman. Councilman Diaz.

Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, everyone. Uh we'll continue uh of following up with all the positive that uh council uh councilwoman uh Clark Collins and Councilman uh Carol brought in and say that as we begin this month, we honor Black History Month, a time to celebrate the leaders, innovators, and everyday heroes who have shaped our nation and continue to inspire our community. We also look forward to commemorating Dominican independence on February 27, a moment of pride for so many families here in Hackinack. And with President's Day approaching, we reflect on the values of service and leadership that guide our democracy. We have several activities planned throughout the month and we encourage you all to join us, participate and stay engaged. Your presence strengthens our community. Thank you for being here tonight and for your continued commitment to Hagenet. Good night, everyone.

Thank you, Councilman Diaz. I um so many things on my list have been taken and I'm going to try to not be redundant. Um I do want to just address there was a comment I think um by I think Patricia was her name who commented on the pocket park about um taking care of our parks that already exist and not creating something that caters just to new folks who are coming in. One of the challenges I think of this team and one of the things that we heard when we were out asking for people's votes this time last year in the cold and the snow um was that there's a lot of rebuilding on Main Street, but people aren't walking Main Street. People aren't getting out of their cars and going to more than one location on Main Street. They might park go eat, get back in their car, go home. And worse yet, I think is they don't even go to Main Street. They patronize Main Street through Door Dash, Uber Eats, which is great for the businesses, that one business, but it's not great for the whole street. And so for for just a little bit of context, and I won't go into a big long thing, but how this whole thing even came about was the Main Street Business Alliance had uh a busking program over the summer where musicians were playing on the street and there was a musician outside Iconic Coffee and there was no place to sit outside Iconic Coffee and literally right next to Iconic Coffee There's an empty lot. A lot that sat there vacant for seven years. It's a little bit of a weird lot because

there's not a good way to enter from the back. It's kind of landlocked. It's a strange lot and it sat there for a long time and it probably has more utility as a place where people can get a cup of coffee and sit and do work or read a book or whatever the case may be. um instead of just sitting there vacant indefinitely. And so I really want to um commend our grant writers. Um Bruno Associates, I really want to thank you all because you've been incredibly proactive. The council woman spoke about some other opportunities and um I I think it's it's important when people talk about a growing city. You can grow a city in lots of ways besides luxury apartments and thinking about opportunities to invite people to come. This pocket park is truly not something just for new residents. It's really, if I can be honest, I think an attempt to get everyone to come to Main Street and have a reason to stay there a little bit longer. So, um, I appreciate all of the comments on that and agree and echo what Councilman Carol said, what Councilwoman Clark Collins said about maintenance of the parks. Um, we do look at all of them. There's TLC, of course, but the Anderson Street Park in particular, Phil mentioned, um, some new lights and things like that. There's even more that's happening. There's a grant that's already been procured for that park. So, there's some more coming to that park. So, you know, we've just it's just been seven months, everyone. It's just been seven months. We're working. I promise we're working. Um, so, uh, but we're working on all of it. But thank you for the feedback because it's really important. Um, I'm going to scrap pretty much everything else that I had to say except I I do want to just point out Dr. Rivers because what she said really spoke to me. Um, one of the things that I did the the theater program at the

school at the high school for a long time and when kids, you know, were doing their stuff and they weren't smiling enough or they didn't look energetic enough, one of the things I would always shout is smiles are free. Smiles are free. And um, I think that we really do hear, we try to be responsive. We try to act on as much as we can within our jurisdiction. Um, but we appreciate good comments and good feedback, too. And I think those give us just as much to think about as critical comments. Um, it's good to know when you're doing something that made people happy. It's good to know when people have stood at the microphone and asked about changes they want made on their block and then just to come back and say we saw that you listened and that's a that's a good thing. And this isn't a criticism. Um we don't we don't always get that that ending piece, you know, when we vote on something that that positively impacts people. people feel satisfied and then they they go about their day. Um, and it's not a condemnation, but at least to me it's a personal reminder to say thank you, to be appreciative, to try and be part of the solution. Um, and to um, take all of that energy that we can all spend sometimes getting frustrated and talking amongst people in our our groups and and getting worked up and just saying how can we take all that energy and be productive about it. Um, so thank you Dr. Rivers for that. Um, I hope that the city has an opportunity to collaborate in some way because it's it's important and I think it's important to teach service. We have service people up here. Everyone up here has done some sort of

volunteering in the community, work, giving back in the community. That's who we are. Um, so thank you. Thank you for that. And thank you everyone for being here and be safe as as Sonia likes to remind everyone. So, uh, with that, I'm going to ask for a motion to adjurnn. I'll offer second. All in favor? I I Any oppose? Any absention? Thank you.