December 4, 2023 Meeting Minutes

STILLWATER TOWNSHIP
RECREATION COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
December 4, 2023

MEMBERS PRESENT: Mr. Sylvester, Mr. Carovillano, Mr. Reilly (8:08), Mrs. Tsadilas, Mrs. Minervino, Mrs. Falotico, Mrs. Martin, and Mrs. Tosti
LIASION: Mrs. Delaney was not in attendance
MEMBERS ABSENT: Mrs. Richardson
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:
Mr. Sylvester made a motion to approve the minutes from the November 6, 2023, meeting, seconded by Mrs. Tosti.
Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Mr. Sylvester made a motion to approve the minutes from the November 6, 2023, Executive Session meeting, seconded by Mr. Carovillano.
Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

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

Payment of Bills:
Mrs. Tsadilas made a motion to approve the payment of the following bills totaling $254.33, seconded by Mr. Carovillano.
Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, abstain, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Jennifer Minervino (Reimbursement for Veteran’s Event) – $62.53
Amazon (Christmas Tree Lighting Event) – $191.80

Correspondence:
A donation in the amount of $25.00 from Kathy (Bunco Group) was made to the Activity Club – thank you!

Sam (Veteran) wrote to Mrs. Minervino applauding the events we hold, especially those dedicated to the Veteran’s.

Mrs. Wunder read notes from the CFO in response from our November 6, 2023, meeting minutes. Mrs. Leonard relayed Mr. Doolittle’s email regarding mention of weed overgrowth and black mold to our DPW Supervisor. In response to Mr. Sylvester’s concerns regarding paving and pickle balls courts, Mrs. Leonard said “yes to paving as part of our Capital Funds set aside.” “No to pickle ball courts – to date that has not been formally discussed or funded.” Mr. Sylvester said we will request again, but wanted to point out that no additional capital is needed, and it was never discussed that way. The courts would be placed on the new asphalt parking lots at Stillwater and Veteran’s Park. We have budgeted for pickleball nets and stripping in our last two budgets to be used at these parks. The striping would identify the court as an overlay on the parking lot and the nets are portable. Mr. Sylvester requested a finalized report on what was not spent in 2023 to clear up confusion. Mrs. Tosti will relay this information to our CFO. A lengthy discussion took place regarding how the budget works and what happens to funds that are not utilized. This will be further discussed later in the meeting.

Open Public Session – Agenda Items Only:
The meeting was opened to the public at 7:31 p.m. No one from the public wished to speak. The meeting was closed to the public at 7:53 p.m.

Amendments to the Agenda: Mrs. Tosti will allow for a more detailed discussion on our budget during the open public session.

Old Business:

Donation to PTA Tricky Tray –
Mrs. Tosti reached out to the PTA to let them know we will be donating a Stillwater blanket as well as 2 vouchers for Summer Camp to their March Tricky Tray (as discussed and voted on during our November meeting).

Septicare – Removal of Porta Johns for Winter
Mrs. Tosti confirmed the removal of the Septicare Porta Johns in our parks for the winter season, leaving one in each of the parking lots at Swartswood Park and Veteran’s Park. Mr. Sylvester mentioned that since the parks are closed for the winter they are not maintained, which may make it difficult to access bathrooms.

New Business:
No new business to report.

Sub-Committee Reports:

Clean Up Day – Mrs. Tosti No updates.

Miss Stillwater, Little Miss and Mr. Stillwater – Mr. Sylvester/Mrs. Minervino/Mrs. Falotico
No updates.

Stillwater Day/Fall Festival – Sub Committee for 2023 Mrs. Tosti/Mrs. Richardson (Mrs. Minervino/Mrs. Falotico as needed)
This is a continuation of our discussion from our November meeting, as well as our November Executive Session.

Mr. Carovillano mentioned that the people who lost out due to the event cancelation were those who all of this is for – the residents and their children. We have to worry about us (our committee). Are we putting our effort and funding into Fall Festival or are we trying to revisit hosting Stillwater Day? We cannot leave the Historical Society in question. In the event that we decide to move forward with Stillwater Day, planning would need to begin during our January meeting. Mr. Carovillano was not implying that he favors one option or the other, but wanted to confirm the two options we are faced with. Being that this is a heavy subject, he wanted to break the ice on the discussion.

Mrs. Tsadilas would hate to see a divide, but under the circumstances it seems like there is a divide. Given that we are doing this for our community, she does not favor pulling away from the Fall Festival completely. Mrs. Tosti reiterated that we are not going on our own, but rather reviving an event that we initially hosted in past years. Due to covid, Stillwater Day did not take place. In 2022, the Historical Society asked us to join forces in the Fall Festival since we did not have enough time to properly plan our event. Residents question whether or not we will bring back Stillwater Day. Mrs. Tosti, and other members, would like to stay connected to the Fall Festival, but perhaps not in the same capacity.

A resident of the public commented from a parent point of view that Stillwater is losing out on the “kick off to summer” event. The purpose of events of this nature are to celebrate the children moving up and the ability to mingle with their peers. Not holding an event of our own leads these children to attend other town day events. She suggested that we be the Historical Societies guest during their event, and they can be a guest at our event.

Mrs. Martin personally votes not to do Stillwater Day due to the chaos of having two events, especially for 2025 (200th Anniversary Celebration). She mentioned that in past years she has not heard anything positive regarding Stillwater Day (too spaced out, not enough vendors). Not all members agreed. Mr. Sylvester said it was previously offered at the State Park, but unfortunately, we were no longer able to hold the event there as families were going to be individually charged to attend. Eventually the event was revived but took place on Father’s Day weekend – not well attended, especially being that children are already out of school.

Being that we have different committee members, we may be able to better plan and execute Stillwater Day due to new perspectives and taking past concerns into consideration for a more successful event.
Dates would need to be determined and finalized in January to ensure it doesn’t conflict with other towns. Locations should be considered from now until our January meeting – be ready to discuss and set date and location during our January meeting.

Further discussion of our options will be put on the agenda for our reorganization meeting. Mrs. Tosti appreciates everyone’s comments and thoughts.

Garage Sale Weekend – Mrs. Wunder
No updates.

Summer Camp – Mrs. Tosti
No updates.

Sussex County Day – Mrs. Richardson
No updates.

Decorating Contests (Holiday) – Mr. Reilly
Mr. Reilly has given Mrs. Tosti the application and flyer for distribution. Mrs. Tosti will forward these to Mrs. Wunder for posting on the Stillwater website and social media page. Mrs. Tosti mentioned if you see someone with beautiful decorations, put an application in their mailbox – anything to circulate the word on this contest.

Tree Lighting
12/1/2023 Snow Date: 12/2/2023
Mrs. Tosti wanted to thank everyone who came and helped put together and execute this event. From the meeting on November 20th (planning details and activities) to the event day/evening. Although the rain was not ideal, the event was a success. Mr. Carovillano made a suggestion for next year – walkway lighting or something of that nature as it is difficult to see (especially before the tree is lit). Another suggestion was blocking off the first few parking spaces near the door to lessen congestion when entering or leaving the building. Mrs. Tosti will be sending a thank you to Lilly Richardson for her contribution of artistic ability on the beautiful hand painted photo cutout – the attention to detail was impeccable! Mrs. Martin suggested sending Lilly a gift certificate to Michael’s. All members agreed.

Mr. Sylvester made a motion to send Lilly Richardson a gift certificate in the amount of $25.00 for Michael’s, seconded by Mrs. Martin.
Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Tosti, abstain

Field/Pavilion Application Approvals, Scheduling – Mrs. Tosti
No updates.

Field Maintenance – Mr. Sylvester/Mr. Carovillano
Mr. Sylvester put together a proposed 2024 Capital/Maintenance/Equipment Plan for Stillwater Parks, which is to be passed along to our CFO, Clerk, and Liaison. This needs to be budgeted and put on the agenda. Capital requests for parking lots with striping in 2022 and 2023 were funded, but not completed. Money was set aside from the Open Space Fund and ordinance 2018.

Mr. Sylvester thanked Mrs. Delaney for relaying the message regarding the dead trees at Veteran’s. The trees were cut down a week following the meeting. There are still dead trees that may damage the bridge at Veteran’s.

Veteran’s Park Requested:
Capital
– Parking lot/Stripes
– Handicap accessible trails. These have also been advocated by Mrs. Tsadilas during her time on the Environmental Commission.
Equipment
– Pickle Nets/Pickle Court Lines
Maintenance *** NEEDS TO BE BUDGETED BY DPW
– 40 tons of clay needed for two fields @ $75.00 per ton
– Tree removal near bridge
– Weed control on bridge and trails
– Turf management (aeration/overseeding/infield weed control)
– Walking path maintenance/wood chips – Wood mulch on playground
– Two American flags/Military flags annually
Other *** NEEDS TO BE BUDGETED BY DPW
– ParTac Medium

Volunteer Field
Maintenance
– Turf management
– American Flag/Annually

Stillwater Park
Capital
– Parking lot/Stripes
Maintenance
– 40 tons of clay needed @ $75.00 per ton
– Wood mulch on playground
– American Flag
– Tennis court maintenance/sinkhole
Equipment
– Pickle Nets/Pickle Court lines
– 1 yard of QP for batting cage (this has been requested several times)
Other
– ParTac Medium

Mr. Sylvester made a motion to accept and forward the 2024 Capital/Maintenance/Equipment Plan for Stillwater Parks to the Township Committee, seconded by Mrs. Tsadilas.
Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mr. Reilly, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Mr. Carovillano has no updates regarding winterizing of the fields.

Mrs. Tosti will be reaching out to soccer again to move the nets on Volunteer Field. This field is also a medivac field. If the nets are not moved, they are in the way and may be damaged. This is best done before the ground freezes to further eliminate any damage the elements can do to the nets.

Community Center Activities:

Senior Citizen Christmas Tea – Mrs. Richardson
12/22/2023
There are 20 attendees thus far. The girl scouts will be caroling. Mrs. Richardson spoke to our CFO regarding purchasing supplies and obtaining the Shop Rite card. Mrs. Tsadilas will be providing a craft. There will be prizes with free tickets. Mr. Reilly’s daughters are available for volunteering. Mrs. Martin offered cooking/baking a dish if needed.

Educational Activities:

Toys for Tots – Steve Ackerman/Mrs. Minervino
Steve Ackerman is a contact for the marines for this event. However, Mrs. Minervino will also act as a drop off point/pick up person for anyone who cannot make it during business hours. The unwrapped gifts are collected and brought to Picatinny. They are distributed to the necessary locations from there. If there are any residents within our community in need, they will get first pick.

The deadline has been extended until December 10th. Boxes have been collected from Boomers, Community Center (3), and Town Hall. A local family (10 yr. girl, 5 yr. girl, 19 mo. boy, 4 mo. girl) in need will receive gifts first before the toys are brought to Picatinny. There are specific items requested. Mrs. Minervino will go through all donated toys to see if these items are there, if not she will email the requested items to members for donation.

Veteran’s Event – Mrs. Minervino 11/11/2023 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Community Center
The event was well attended. It gave everyone the chance to socialize. There was no speaker. Mrs. Minervino thanked Mrs. Tsadilas for her prizes/giveaways, Mrs. Falotico for her red/white/blue charcuterie board, Mrs. Tosti and Mrs. Richardson for their assistance and star shape cookies. Mr. Reilly, his two daughters (and their two friends) were a huge help during the entire event, and it gave Mrs. Minervino a chance to socialize with the attendees.

Mrs. Tosti applauded the teenagers who volunteer for all events, as they do so of their own free will. Volunteering is necessary in making these events come to life! Giving them the opportunity to volunteer as teenagers may lead to them volunteering as adults.

Mr. Reilly noted that a young veteran who recently came out of service and his girlfriend attended the event. His girlfriend noticed the flyer – they did not know anyone. Mr. Reilly wanted to acknowledge that this is a great event to aid in support and an opportunity to get involved.

Mrs. Minervino personally mailed coffee cards to attendees. These were intended to be given out at the event but were forgotten. In hindsight, this may have meant more as a follow-up thank you for attending the event.

Bus Trip – Mr. Reilly
12/17/2023
Christmas in the City
Pick up at Stillwater Town Hall. Drop off at Bryant Park. Time allotted in the city will be from 12:00-6:00
p.m. This is within walking distance of Rockefeller Center. You are free to plan your own itinerary – the bus provides a hassle-free way to get to and from the city. The cost is $32.00 per person. The bus holds 55 seats.

To date, there are 12 seats available. Mr. Reilly does not foresee a problem in filling the remaining 12 seats. Mrs. Tosti will post again on social media.

Pop Up Vendor Fair – Mrs. Tosti
12/10/2023
Community Center
Approximately 23 vendors thus far. Applications will be accepted up until Friday before the event. Mrs.
Tsadilas reached out to Dan (Church) letting him know there would be a vendor fair. We will let the Fire Department know as well since they will be having their Breakfast with Santa event that day as well.

Cookie Exchange –
12/10/2023
Drop off/Pick up time will be revisited.
2 dozen cookies with recipes will be required to participate. Coffee and tea are typically provided as well as boxes the cookies will be packed in.

Open Public Session: The meeting was opened to the public at 8:27 p.m.

Wish List of suggestions for items to be purchased with funds that have not been spent in 2023:
Quotes to be obtained by Mrs. Tosti and presented to our CFO.
– Movie screen/projector (not to exceed $1,000.00)
– Cotton candy machine (up to $300.00)
– Snow cone machine (up to $300.00)
– Hot dog roller (up to $300.00)
– Popcorn bags (not to exceed $50.00)
– Coffee thermos (up to $100.00)
– Shed Volunteer Field 2024 (Recreation Soccer League)

Mr. Carovillano made a motion to approve the wish list, seconded by Mrs. Tsadilas.
Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mr. Reilly, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Public session was closed at 8:53 p.m.

Committee Member Comments:
Mr. Sylvester updated the 2024 Capital/Maintenance/Equipment Plan for Stillwater Parks and distributed it electronically to Mrs. Tosti and Mrs. Wunder.

Liaison Report – Mrs. Delaney
No report.

Executive Session/Session Actions: None.

Adjournment:
Mrs. Tsadilas made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:55 p.m., seconded by Mr. Sylvester. A vote was taken, and all were in favor.

Respectfully Submitted,
Danielle Wunder, Secretary