February 5, 2024 Meeting Minutes

STILLWATER TOWNSHIP
RECREATION COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
February 5, 2023

MEMBERS PRESENT: Mr. Sylvester, Mr. Reilly, Mr. Carovillano, Mrs. Tsadilas, Mrs. Minervino, Mrs. Falotico, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Richardson, and Mrs. Tosti
LIASION: Mrs. Delaney and Mr. Manser was in attendance
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
Mrs. Tosti called the meeting to order at 7:08 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 January 8, 2024, meeting, seconded by Mr. Carovillano.
Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Reilly, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Payment of Bills:
Mr. Sylvester made a motion to approve the payment of the following bills totaling $108.95, seconded by Mrs. Richardson.
Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Reilly, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, abstain

Tara Tosti Reimbursement (Gift Card Awards) – $108.95

Correspondence:
Mrs. Richardson noted that a resident, returned a Veteran form (“how they would like to receive Veteran related notifications”) and additionally thanked the committee for being a Veteran appreciative community and is looking forward to more events of this nature.

Open Public Session – Agenda Items Only:
The meeting was opened to the public at 7:13 p.m.

Field Use Application Approvals:

Kittatinny Youth Lacrosse (Jacqui Gely)
Veteran’s Park
5/1-6/8
Monday-Sunday
5:30 p.m. to dusk
Insurance – pending (that lists Stillwater)
Application Status – not complete (she will send Mrs. Tosti the application/insurance once insurance is finalized)

Mr. Carovillano made a motion to approve the Kittatinny Youth Lacrosse to use Veteran’s field for the dates, days, and times listed above pending insurance and application submission, seconded by Mrs. Minervino.
Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Reilly, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

North Jersey Co-Ed Softball (Stephen Dell)
Swartswood Park
3rd week in April
Monday-Friday (Tuesdays are a definite, looking to expand to additional days if possible) 5:30-8:00 p.m.
Insurance – still in effect until May. Insurance will be renewed after May and submitted.
Application Status – complete

Mrs. Tosti made a motion to approve the North Jersey Co-Ed Softball League to use Swartswood Field for the dates, days, and times listed above pending the review of Kittatinny Little League schedule (to ensure expansion of days does not interfere with Little League) and insurance renewal after May, seconded by Mr. Carovillano.
Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Reilly, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Soccer is Fun Summer Camp (Robert Molenet)
Volunteer Field
July-August (earliest middle of June)

Mr. Molenet is waiting to review other team schedules first before choosing dates and times for their summer camp. He will be in contact in May with further details.

Sussex County Youth Soccer League (Rebecca Wesley)
Volunteer Field
Practice will begin in March as their first game is on 4/20 PRACTICE: Monday-Thursday (Friday’s needed if there is rain) 1:00/1:30-4:30/6:30/7:00 p.m.
GAMES: Saturdays 8:00 a.m.
Insurance – pending
Application – not complete

Mrs. Tosti made a motion to approve the Sussex County Youth Soccer League to use Volunteer Field for the dates, days, and times listed above pending insurance and application submission, seconded by Mrs. Richardson.
Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Reilly, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

The meeting was closed to the public at 7:30 p.m.

Amendments to the Agenda:
Amendments were made to the agenda. Field Use Application Approvals were moved to Open Public Session.

Old Business:
No old business to report.

New Business:

Report from Budget Meeting w/ Town Committee and CFO
Mrs. Tosti and Mrs. Richardson attended the 1/27 Town Committee meeting. A quote for pickleball courts was requested and to be brought to the 1/27 meeting. The quote is as follows:

Alcar Tennis Court Construction (David Pierson) 1/20/2024
*Quote is good for 30 days
Proposal for Stillwater Recreation

Project 1: To restore the existing tennis/pickle ball court
– Pressure wash entire court
– Path 60lf of crack using Armor Crack Repair
– Apply two coats of acrylic resurfacer, two coats of color combination
– Install two in white lines for tennis and 2” blue lines for pickle ball

Cost: $17,500
*If only patching and painting the patch cost would be $3,000 (color will be close, but not match existing paint)

Project 2: Install new pickle ball courts
– Clear area 60×30 for each court
– Install 6’ x 180lf black chain link fence around perimeter
– Install net posts for pickle ball
– Install 5’ base, 3’ asphalt base, 2” top coat asphalt
– Apply two coats resurfacer, two coats color combination
– Install 2” white lines for pickle ball

Cost: $46,000 per court
*Quote is approximate to area to be cleared but may require more excavating than proposed. Multiple courts paved together could reduce cost.

Mr. Sylvester questioned whether obtaining this quote was discussed at any of our previous meetings. Mrs. Tosti responded that it was not, however we did discuss the need for pickle ball courts and voted on them. Our CFO requested a quote and Mrs. Tosti simply delivered. Mr. Sylvester mentioned that we discussed and voted on a Capital plan for paving parking lots and placing courts on top of the new pavement. This is cost effective and a dual use of our funds. We had also previously budgeted for portable nets, shed (for storage), and lines. This money has already been set aside from our funds. Mr. Sylvester is disappointed that we took the time to prepare a report to address the concerns of the public and now that plan seems to have been disregarded. Mr. Sylvester reiterated that if he is the only one who has a concern for our parks being properly maintained and making enhancements to what we offer our taxpayers, then please express your thoughts so that we can eliminate these discussions from future meetings. Mrs. Tosti commented that the quote was obtained because it is recommended from the professional – we cannot just place a pickle ball court on top of pavement. Doing so will result in frequent maintenance as they cannot withstand the wear and tear like a properly done court. Additional layers of asphalt are required to avoid the constant maintenance. We are trying to move forward on the requests. Our CFO mentioned that a Recreation grant could possibly pay for most of the project. This still needs to be verified and further discussed.

A lengthy discussion took place regarding the placement of the courts. Mrs. Tosti was informed that we cannot put the court at the top of the easement at Veteran’s since we obtained easement for walking trails. Mr. Sylvester said he can show a map of where the transition areas do in fact allow for courts to be placed there as these have been shown before.

Mrs. Delaney and Mrs. Tosti both verified that the parking lots were discussed at the Township Committee meeting and will be executed. Pickle ball courts were discussed, and it was agreed on that it was a nice vision that will be further discussed.

Time Limit on Discussions
Mrs. Tosti requested that each section be reported on and discussed for no longer than three minutes to allow our meetings to run smoothly and quickly. If further discussion is needed, we may revisit during Open Public Session at the end of our meeting.

Sub-Committee Reports:

Clean Up Day – Mrs. Tosti 4/20/2024
Mrs. Tosti is working with our CFO and Clean Communities Grant to prepare for the cleanup day. Mrs. Tosti will be sending out emails to our sports teams and other groups who have participated in the past.

Miss Stillwater, Little Miss and Mr. Stillwater – Chairperson to be determined
It was noted that Mrs. Minervino did an amazing job organizing the event binder – the binder will help navigate the chairperson of the event from start to finish. Mrs. Minervino put together an outline of event to-dos and deadlines. This event is to be combined with Stillwater Day again.

Stillwater Day/Fall Festival – Sub Committee for 2023 Mrs. Tosti/Mrs. Richardson 6/1/2024 Rain Date: 6/2/2024 Veteran’s Field

A date was set, and location options were discussed. The date was determined due to the lack of surrounding town events being held that day. Due to it being our first year holding Stillwater Day after a few years hiatus, we want to ensure there are no competing events to allow for better attendance. The committee is still deciding whether we should hold the event at Veteran’s Field or the school, but Mrs. Delaney reminded the commission that due to lack of electricity at Veteran’s we are limited to generators and day light. She suggested setting up the evening before (as we have always done) and having a start/stop time for the actual event day. If we wish to continue with an evening event such as a movie night to follow Stillwater Day celebrations, we can do so at Swartswood Park as this location worked great for our other movie events.

Mrs. Tsadilas made a motion to set Stillwater Day for June 1, 2024 with a rain date of June 2, 2024, seconded by Mrs. Richardson.
Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Reilly, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Workshop meetings will be utilized from February-May to further discuss and plan Stillwater Day to avoid lengthening our regular meetings.

Plant Exchange – Mrs. Tosti
No date set. Mr. Reilly would like to work with Mrs. Tosti on this event.

Garage Sale Weekend – Mrs. Wunder 5/18/2024 & 5/19/2024
Mrs. Wunder will contact The Township Journal to inquire about advertisement pricing. The Herald is getting costly. Members mentioned there are additional ways to advertise via online, elementary/high school newsletters, churches, etc.

Summer Camp – Mrs. Tosti
Week of 8/12/2024 & the week of 8/19/2024
We had previously voted yes to donating two free weeks of Summer Camp for the PTA Tricky Tray in March. Mrs. Tosti has been in contact with the PTA to verify.

Sussex County Day – Mrs. Richardson
No updates.

Decorating Contests (Holiday) – Mr. Reilly
Gift cards have been purchased. Names and addresses need to be relayed to the secretary for cards/prizes to be sent out.

Tree Lighting No updates.

Egg Hunt – Mrs. Falotico/Mrs. Martin 3/23/2024 Rain Date: 3/24/2024 Veteran’s Field
Although it was noon last year, 1:00 p.m. is preferred for this year. Volunteers will be needed. More organization will ensue this year as far as where events are set up on the field. Pre-filled eggs have been ordered – 1,000 with candy and 1,000 with toys. Face painting will be offered this year – if you know anyone who can do this, please contact Mrs. Martin or Mrs. Falotico

Field/Pavilion Application Approvals, Scheduling – Mrs. Tosti
Completed during Open Public Session.

Field Maintenance – Mr. Sylvester/Mr. Carovillano
Mr. Sylvester requested that the DPW purchase and spread clay at Veteran’s Field. Forty tons of clay to be ordered and spread on Veteran’s and Swartswood fields. It is requested that Veteran’s be delivered by 3/25 and Swartswood by June (AFTER Little League ends). Last year the DPW did a rough spread and it was a big help. The clay situation has improved. Veterans still require some care, but Swartswood looks good. Mrs. Delaney verified that this was discussed at the budget meeting on Mr. Sylvester’s Capital Plan. It will be getting done. Mr. Sylvester requested that the specific time frames be relayed due to our team schedules and set events. Mr. Sylvester and Mr. Carovillano will walk the fields as soon as possible to verify how much clay is needed – we do not want to over order.

Community Center Activities:

Senior Citizen Game Night – Mrs. Richardson 2/29/2024
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Community Center
Light refreshments will be offered. If anyone would like to volunteer, they are more than welcome to, but this is an easier event so it is not necessary.

Educational Activities:

Bus Trip – Mr. Reilly 2/17/2024

Our first casino trip is set for 2/17/2024 at Windcreek Casino. There are sixteen paid participants thus far. The bus will pick up at 9:30/9:45 a.m. and drop off at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Center. The bus trip costs $32.00 with a $25.00 voucher to gamble. If you are not a gambler, there is also a mini mall for shopping and the Steel Stacks. A member questioned what happens if a trip must be canceled due to inclement weather. Mr. Reilly said he spoke to the bus company, and they said if they’re not the ones canceling the trip, the trip is on. However, they did say with some notice they may be able to cancel with no penalties.

Discussion took place on possible sporting event bus trips. Mr. Reilly was in contact with the Yankees – they offer two options:
1) Group sale – They would need the money 45 days in advance. Bus money can be collected up until the week of trip. We would then be responsible for collecting two large sums of money.
2) Discount program – each attendee can buy their own ticket where they wish to sit. A code is given so they receive the discounted group rate, but we do not collect any money for a sporting event ticket. The committee agreed this is the best option for us being that we non-profit and lack the ability to fund empty seats.

Mr. Reilly noted that moving forward, sporting event pricing can now vary based on which teams are playing. It is something to keep in mind, as it may turn people away or it might require us to better research specific dates popular teams are playing to ensure the bus will be filled. Mr. Reilly will work on more concrete numbers and potential dates for our March meeting.

Veteran’s Event – Mrs. Minervino
No updates.

Sheriff’s Office – Mrs. Minervino

Should we do a monthly series? These will be offered during the day – Keep in mind these are geared toward Senior Citizens so attendance will not suffer due to the event being held during the day. All three of the below topics were of interest when these events were brought to our attention in 2023. Mrs. Minervino has been in contact with Hilary Manser to request a “safety series” offered over course of X amount of weeks (where the topics are similar in nature, but offer different avenues of safety) where residents are free to come to all or just some of the events that apply best to them.

February or March:
Emergency Preparedness for your Home

March or April:
Home Burglary Awareness/Prevention

May:
Project Lifesaver Program
– Identity theft
– Active shooter civilian response
– Fire Marshal’s office overview
– Crimestoppers overview
– Sussex County Sheriff’s Office overview
– Credit card scams
– Internet and telephone scams
– Contractor and home healthcare scams
– TRIAD wristband program
– Senior identification cards
– 911 communications center
– Fake news and how to spot it on the internet
– SWAP/SLAP program – postponed due to COVID

Mrs. Minervino will contact Mrs. Manser to set dates for these events.

Water Safety Fair – Mrs. Tsadilas 5/5/2024 Rain Date – to be determined 1:00-4:30 p.m.
Fairview Lake
Mrs. Tsadilas is still working on a rain date – she has not received a commitment yet. Things are moving ahead. Mrs. Tsadilas has been to the location several times and walked the area to familiarize herself with the grounds. There will be three to four different water demonstrations. Rowboats will be available for use – families will be able to utilize them for 20–30-minute time slots. Mrs. Tsadilas has been in contact with vendors and received responses already. Volunteers will be needed. A $450.00 donation has been given to the Water Safety Fair for anything that may be needed – thank you!

Spring Movie in the Park – Mrs. Falotico
Date to be determined. A lengthy discussion took place regarding the dates, weather (indoor movie possibility), and future movie possibilities/how they can be funded.

Fall Festival 10/12/2024
Mrs. Tosti just wanted to let the commission know she had spoken with Mrs. Drumm regarding pulling our budget back from Fall Festival to put it towards Stillwater Day. As mentioned previously, Stillwater Day was on hold for a few years due to COVID. During this time our Stillwater Day budget and efforts were put towards Fall Festival. There are no hard feelings as we are just returning to our previous Town event. We will be helping at Fall Festival and they will be helping at Stillwater Day just as we have always done.

Mrs. Martin asked that whoever is in charge of Miss Stillwater to let the winners know the date of the Fall Fest parade to avoid conflict of events.

Trunk or Treat October
No updates.

Open Public Session:
The meeting was opened to the public at 8:50 p.m.

Mrs. Martin –
Mrs. Martin mentioned that she has a contact with the Miner’s Baseball League. He can block off X amount seats and a link will be sent to purchase tickets individually to receive the group rate. We are not responsible for collecting money, but we are giving the community an opportunity to gather together. The commission agreed this was a great idea. Mrs. Martin will move forward with looking to set either 8/17/2024 or 8/31/2024.

Public session was closed at 9:06 p.m.

Committee Member Comments:
No committee member comments.

Liaison Report –

Mrs. Delaney

– New law firm chosen (Bernstein and Bernstein).
– Mayor (Lisa Chammings) Deputy Mayor (Vera Rumsey).
– Budget stages hearing and adoption 2/6/2024.
– Tax assessor and special counsel approved (Counsel to the County Mr. Mcbrier) (Recreation Liaison Mr. Manser).
– Recreation Grant 2024 in the works.
– Community Center fees are increasing, and a more detailed list will be provided to residents regarding what is expected prior to their entering the building and upon leaving the building.
– Mrs. Delaney, Mr., Manser, Mrs. Tosti, and Mrs. Richardson will be working on the 200th Anniversary with our CFO.
– It is preferred that any drop offs to the Community Center be done so at the Town Halls instead.

Mr. Manser

– He will be working with Mrs. Delaney, but Mr. Manser will be more field/grounds oriented.
– Changes will be made to how the fields are maintained and mowed. Volunteer will now be mowed by DPW. He will oversee the subcontractor who takes care of Veteran’s and Swartswood Fields. Details are still being finalized.
– Turf management proposal (Farmside) will be getting done.
– Property on Fairview Lake Road will be getting cleaned up/remediated and put to good use.

Executive Session/Session Actions:
None.

Adjournment:
Mr. Carovillano made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:23 p.m., seconded by Mr. Sylvester. A vote was taken, and all were in favor.

Respectfully Submitted,

Danielle Wunder, Secretary