April 3, 2023 Regular Meeting Minutes

         STILLWATER TOWNSHIP

RECREATION COMMISSION

MEETING MINUTES

April 3, 2023

MEMBERS PRESENT: Mrs. Minervino, Mrs. Richardson, Mr. Sylvester, Mrs. Tsadilas, Mrs. Falotico, Mrs. Martin, and Mrs. Tosti (Mr. Reilly arrived at 7:58 pm)

LIASION: Mrs. Delaney was in attendance

MEMBERS ABSENT: Mr. Carovillano

Mrs. Tosti called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. with the statement that this meeting follows the Open Public Meetings Act. Regular meetings are held on the first Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m., at the Stillwater Township Municipal Building located in Middleville, New Jersey. This meeting was held at the Stillwater Township Municipal Building. The flag was saluted and roll call taken.

Approval of Meeting Minutes:

Mrs. Tsadilas made a motion to approve the minutes from the March 6, 2023 meeting and the March 20, 2023 Workshop meeting, seconded by Mrs. Martin. Roll Call Vote:  Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

 Payment of Bills:

Mrs. Tsadilas made a motion to approve the payment of the following bills totaling $1,812.53, seconded by Mrs. Richardson. Roll Call Vote:  Mrs. Minervino, abstain, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, abstain, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Beth Martin (Reimbursement for Easter Egg Hunt Supplies) – $145.28

ShopRite (Easter Egg Hunt Supplies) – $27.97

Amazon (Easter Egg Hunt Supplies) – $6.55

Jennifer Minervino (Reimbursement for Developmental Disabilities Event) – $136.05

ShopRite (Tree Lighting Supplies) – $47.68

BSN Sports (Equipment) – $1,449.00

Correspondence:

None at this time.

Open Public Session – Agenda Items Only:

The meeting was opened to the public at 7:15 p.m. No one from the public wished to speak during the open public session. The meeting was closed to the public at 7:15 pm.

Amendments to the Agenda:

No amendments were made to the agenda.

Old Business:

Budget 2023 – Approval Update

Mrs. Tosti attended the Township Committee Meeting and the budget will be approved April 18, 2023. Positive things are happening, including paving.  

Collaboration with Hampton and Stillwater Seniors – Chair Yoga

Mrs. Tosti reported that the event is currently in progress and Hampton has been made aware of this.

 New Business:

Senior Activities –

“Let’s Go, Walk with Ease” Arthritis foundation begins April 4, 2023. Number of attendees are unknown, since sign-ups are done through the County. Mrs. Tosti will be meeting with Karen to obtain more details regarding the event. We are hopeful for a good turnout. These types of programs encourage seniors to learn about the importance of physical activity, aerobics, balance, and movement at their own pace. All of the above are not only good for the body, but also help to prevent falls and injuries.

Sub-Committee Reports:

Clean Up Day – Mrs. Tosti

4/22 (Earth Day) Shredder is confirmed and will be advertised (9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) CFO said funds from the grant will most likely not come through until May. Mrs. Tosti reached out to all past applicants. Applications have been coming in, but not all have been received yet.

Miss, Little Miss and Mr. Stillwater Pageant – Mr. Sylvester/Mrs. Minervino/Mrs. Falotico 

5/12 6:00 p.m. Younger participants will go first. Mr. Sylvester confirmed there will be four judges all of whom will be positive role models – a police officer, two teachers, and a physician’s assistant. Mr. Sylvester reached out to the Herald Newsroom and confirmed that there has been no further response after their initial response. If anyone has any connections with the Herald, please reach out. Mrs. Falotico has been in contact with The Journal. Additional flyers for advertisement have been distributed (the gym, Stillwater School, etc.). After Easter, Mr. Sylvester will electronically distribute flyers (local churches, etc.) in an effort to circulate the word as much as possible. Mrs. Falotico and Mrs. Minervino are working on getting the tiaras, sashes, and flowers. The day of the event, Mrs. Tosti will be the MC, Mr. Sylvester will be reading the questions, and the judges will provide the bios. Mrs. Martin asked what additional help may be needed day of. Decorations will be the main focus. Mrs. Richardson offered flowers from a family members garden if needed for tables. Miss Stillwater 2022 will be in attendance. This will be especially useful in the event that something happens, she can be on stand-by. Mrs. Minervino mentioned that in reviewing past pageant information, it was concerning that young girls are judged based on their appearance. Mr. Sylvester agreed and suggested that all information be reviewed and updated if need be. A few members of the committee felt as though past judges had been fair in judging based on what they did for the community and their accomplishments versus their appearance.

Stillwater Day/Fall Festival – Sub Committee for 2023 Mrs. Tosti/Mrs. Richardson (Mrs. Minervino/Mrs. Falotico as needed)

10/7 Mrs. Tosti, Mrs. Richardson, and Mrs. Martin were all in attendance for the first meeting held on March 23, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Stillwater Township Municipal Building. Mrs. Martin has the vendor applications pre-printed from last year, which they will add stickers to with the current date of this year’s event to avoid unnecessary printing. If you know any vendors interested, please reach out to Mrs. Martin via her Historical Society email address. Using different musical acts besides just the DJ are being discussed. They are trying to get more tractors. Mrs. Martin is personally attending the Sandyston parade, where she has a contact with a member of the Sandyston Fire Department, to better advertise for our event. Small pies will be used for the pie eating contest. The Historical Society has chosen Keen’s Grist Mill in Swartswood as the building for the memorated glass that will be available for purchase at the Fall Festival along with all other glasses. There will be no animals this year (no pony rides, no petting zoo). The next meeting will be held on April 20, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Stillwater Township Municipal Building. Mrs. Tosti and Mrs. Richardson mentioned alternating members who attend the meetings so that everyone gets an opportunity to experience these meetings.

Garage Sale Weekend – Mrs. Wunder 5/20 and 5/21 Applications and flyers have been publicized. No applications have been received yet. Budget for this event needs committee approval at this time.

Mrs. Tosti made a motion to approve the budget for Garage Sale Day not to exceed $350.00 (Herald Advertisement), seconded by Mrs. Minervino. Roll Call Vote:  Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Summer Camp – Mrs. Tosti 

8/7-8/14 Application has been updated with the new $5.00 Summer Camp Registration Fee increase that had been approved at our previous meeting. Two, one week, vouchers had been donated and won at the Stillwater Tricky Tray. Mrs. Tosti needs to verify if the covid forms are still being used. If so, dates will need to be updated.

County/State Fair – Mrs. Richardson

Waiting on theme to move forward with planning. Mrs. Richardson spoke with someone who verified the theme will be announced shortly. She will have more information by the next meeting. Mrs. Delaney mentioned when it comes time to take it down, please take it down when they tell you to. It is extremely difficult to find anyone on the property once the fair leaves.

Decorating Contests – Mr. Reilly

None at this time.

Tree Lighting –

12/1 Snow Date: 12/2 Will be discussed when the event gets closer.

Egg Hunt – Mrs. Falotico/Mrs. Martin

4/2 12:00 p.m. Veterans Field. The event was a success. The turnout was much larger than expected. To be better prepared for next year, Mrs. Falotico and Mrs. Martin plan to work more closely with the Fire Department. A mega phone would be very helpful to be better heard. Signage would assist in keeping things more organized for where each age group should be. Mr. Sylvester would like to see something other than jelly beans in the eggs. Smalls toys are low cost. A town candy donation was suggested. There were not as many eggs returned as we had hoped for, but it was suggested that bins be set up around the park versus just the pavilion to make it more convenient to return the eggs. Next year, arrival and start time needs to be better communicated to avoid families missing the egg hunt. Special thanks and recognition to the 17-year-old who played the Easter bunny. He made an extra effort to make every child feel comfortable and welcome. He took special care to any child who was hesitant. Mrs. Tosti thanked all members who came out to help and support this event. Out of 9 members, almost everyone was in attendance.

Field/Pavilion Application Approvals, Scheduling – Mrs. Tosti

The scheduling is in progress and Mrs. Tosti is waiting on games. Mrs. Falotico asked who to contact for Pavilion use/reservations. There is an application located on the website. There is no fee, you just need to be a resident. Pavilion users do not need to attend a meeting, unless they would like to.

A field use application still needed to be further discussed from our previous meeting (listed below):

Jonathan Genuardi 18+ Soccer Team Volunteer Field 4/16-8/31 Mondays 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. (tentatively 8-10 Mondays total, not every Monday). Players are willing to donate for field use wear and tear. At least 10 players are residents of Stillwater, which were all listed by name via e-mail. This team has found it to be a challenge obtaining a field to use as most adult leagues do not seem to be supported by towns.

Scheduling issue – Mondays are unavailable. Mr. Sylvester mentioned how we had opened up our field previously to nonresidents and it did not go well. We had been advised to limit our field use to strictly residents. Mr. Reilly mentioned how much the field gets torn up with the teams we already have and they’re seeing an increase in youth soccer members. He does support having fields available for use and adult leagues, but the problem is we only have one field. For future, a Stillwater resident/player needs to personally attend a meeting to request field use versus a nonresident. This player will represent the team and they will be held accountable for any damages. Mrs. Tosti had mentioned not all teams, even within our school districts) are made of strictly Stillwater residents. Our priority is the children; however, we should keep this in mind for future considerations.

Mr. Reilly made a motion to vote on the field use by the Men’s Soccer League Monday evenings at Volunteer Field, seconded by Mrs. Tosti. Roll Call Vote:  Mrs. Minervino, no, Mr. Reilly, no, Mrs. Richardson, no, Mr. Sylvester, no, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Falotico, no, Mrs. Martin, abstain, Mrs. Tosti, no

Field Maintenance – Mr. Sylvester/Mr. Carovillano

Clay Spreading – Mr. Sylvester thanked the DPW, Paul, and JoJo for spreading the clay for the Easter Egg Hunt. They did a nice job, but it still needs some additional work, which Mr. Carovillano will complete. Flag System – He spoke to Paul regarding the flag system – Red/Green signals whether it is safe to play on the field or not due to the weather. Paul has agreed to take on this responsibility. Mr. Sylvester will put a small memo together that simply says the DPW supervisor will determine if the field is considered safe or not. Once that designation has been made, the town clerk will be notified for posting. The chairperson will then be notified to circulate the information as well. We need flags for this purpose.

Mr. Sylvester made a motion to purchase 4 sets of flags (red/green) not to exceed $250.00 with the help of our CFO to pull the old one from last year, seconded by Mrs. Tosti. Roll Call Vote:  Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mr. Reilly, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Parking Lines – The Easter Egg Hunt turnout was a great example of why parking lot lines are so important for safety. Some cars were 6 feet apart, leading others to park on the road. Pond Brook Road can get very busy. It was put on the capital improvements for this year at the last Township Meeting.

Community Center Activities: Seniors – Mrs. Richardson

Craft Event (Knitting w/ Tanya, Making a Wreath/Painting) 4/27 2:00-4:00 p.m. Planning will be done closer to the event date. There will be light refreshments. Mrs. Minervino, Mrs. Falotico, and Mrs. Martin offered to help for this event.

Educational Activities: Community Water Safety Fair – Mrs. Tsadilas

5/7 12:00-4:00 p.m. Swartswood State Park. Water safety is a passion of Mrs. Tsadilas. This event will be a collaboration with Swartswood State Park. The park is not open yet, so we will have the entire park available for this event. The park has sent special use permit and is waiving fee for admission into the park. However, a donation in the amount of $60.00 (given by Mrs. Tsadilas brother) will be put towards the permit fee. Shop Rite, Weis Market, Lowe’s, and Home Depot have all donated towards the event. Mr. Sylvester and one of his family members will be using wood donated by Lowe’s and Home Depot to design a game for the event. Stickers will also be donated by one of Mr. Sylvester’s family members. Jill has donated 20 t-shirts. Order forms will be available the day of the event, which will be filled by Jill as well. The activity club gets about $5.00 back as a donation from each t-shirt order. Staples has donated packets/copies. A press release will be going out and is not costing us a penny – expect a lot of people. This is a free event and will be very interactive. The concession stand will be available for use. Snacks (chips) and drinks (water/juice/sports drinks) will be sold during event. It is a possibility food or drinks could be donated to the event as well. Since this is a new event, there is no budget available yet. “It doesn’t cost anything to save a life,” is a motto Mrs. Tsadilas stands by. There will be 14 vendors. The Fire Department still has to give their time frame for their water rescue drill. There are two other organizations that will be doing boating and canoe safety. There will be water activities every 30 minutes (tentatively). The games are just as important as the organization itself and the presenters – each game has an important take away message. Everyone involved in this event is very eager and excited. Mrs. Tsadilas contacted Kittatinny High School, specifically Peer Leaders and the National Honor Society – 11 Volunteers have been confirmed. Volunteers will be needed to assist in planning, running games, running the concession stand (snow cone machine – cannot be a minor/cotton candy machine) and presenting. Please reach out to Mrs. Tsadilas. Even an hour would be extremely helpful. Mrs. Delaney let Mrs. Tsadilas know the pod can be used for storage of anything for the event. The night before the event (5/6) they will be setting up, t-shirt distribution, assignments will be given out. Pizza will be served. A megaphone (as mentioned earlier during the Easter Egg Hunt report) would be very useful during this event as well.

Mrs. Tosti made a motion to purchase a megaphone to be used for all events not to exceed $100.00 (community events budget line, will speak to CFO regarding this), seconded by Mr. Sylvester. Roll Call Vote:  Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mr. Reilly, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

We are not receiving coloring books. The Fire Department confirmed that their funding goes towards fire safety only. Since we are selling and making money for the activity club off of concession items, it was suggested by Mrs. Tosti to take those funds and donate them towards the purchase of coloring books. The cost is unknown, as well as if they can be printed in time for the event. However, a vote was taken to approve the donation of coloring books given the price is fair and printing can be completed in time.

Mrs. Tosti made a motion to donate the coloring books if possible not to exceed $150.00 for 100 coloring books, seconded by Mr. Reilly. Roll Call Vote:  Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mr. Reilly, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

 Open Public Session:The meeting was opened to the public at 8:43 p.m. No one from the public wished to speak during the open public session. Public session was closed at 8:43 p.m.

Committee Member Comments:

Mrs. Falotico: What is the next step on movie/music event?

We need to decide where/when. If it’s a current movie, we need licensing. Electricity is available at Swartswood Park. A trial can be done to ensure we know what we are doing and that everything works properly. Mr. Reilly would be willing to bring projector to our next meeting. Mrs. Tosti urged to focus on June or July versus May since there are so many events.

Mrs. Martin: Questioned whether there was an ordinance or rule regarding having dogs in our parks.

Dogs are not to be in our parks/fields. Unfortunately, it was noticed prior to the Easter Egg Hunt that people are bringing their animals to the parks and not picking up after them. Our volunteers had to clean up prior to Easter Egg Hunt to make it suitable for the attendees. Can we purchase dispensers/bags to help avoid this? This can be very expensive. Mrs. Delaney noted that it would also be an additional job of the DPW to empty dispensers. Mrs. Tosti will speak with our CFO regarding this matter.

Liaison Report – Mrs. Delaney

• The budget is ready for approval as of our April 15, 2023 meeting.
• There will be an increase in our taxes of $1.00 per household for 2023. Public hearing will be held on April 18, 2023.
• Benevolence Road will be paved. Funds will come out of a capital bond in the amount of $575,000. This will be further discussed on April 18, 2023.
• David Knoll Colver was appointed to the Fire Department – If you see him, please introduce yourself and welcome him.
• Much discussion surrounding the noise ordinance since many residents are unhappy. There is clarification needed since the ordinance is very vague. Hopefully they can get that rectified with the attorney and then Township soon.
• Presentation to be held at Stillwater Township Municipal Building April 4, 2023 regarding the roof improvements for the Community Center.
• Reiterated the success of the Easter Egg Hunt. The collaboration between the Fire Department and the Recreation Commission was the way to go.
• Please keep budget in mind for Fall Festival and Tree Lighting. We do not want to run out of money for these events. Donations help immensely.

Executive Session/Session Actions:None at this time.

Adjournment: Mr. Sylvester made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:01 p.m., seconded by Mr. Reilly. A vote was taken and all were in favor.

Respectfully Submitted,

Danielle Wunder, Secretary