March 20, 2023 Workshop Meeting

STILLWATER TOWNSHIP

RECREATION COMMISSION

WORKSHOP MEETING MINUTES

March 20, 2023

MEMBERS PRESENT: Mrs. Minervino, Mr. Reilly, Mrs. Richardson, Mr. Sylvester, Mrs. Tsadilas, Mrs. Falotico, Mrs. Martin, and Mrs. Tosti

LIASION: Mrs. Delaney was in attendance

MEMBERS ABSENT: Mr. Carovillano

Mrs. Tosti called the meeting to order at 7:10 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.

Easter Egg Hunt: Mrs. Falotico/Mrs. Martin

4/2 (Rain or Shine)

12:00 p.m.

Veteran’s Park

This event has been well advertised and residents seem excited that the egg hunt is returning. The Easter bunny will be arriving via fire truck. It is not likely there will be refreshments offered during this event. Easter baskets (prize purposes) were donated by Mr. Reilly – Thank you. Mrs. Martin has already picked up a few items to be added to the baskets, however her and Mrs. Falotico will be finalizing baskets this upcoming weekend. A few additional eggs may be donated from the Recreation Commission with candy or stickers. Mrs. Tsadilas offered to donate stickers. Mrs. Falotico and Mrs. Martin will also be meeting with Bill Hues. Volunteers will be needed to aide in stuffing the eggs – date to be determined. Additional volunteers will be needed to assist the day of to help keep the event organized. There will be an option to return eggs before leaving the event in an effort to decrease the expense for the following year.

Water Fair: Mrs. Tsadilas

5/7 (Rain or Shine)

12:00-4:00 p.m.

Swartswood State Park

The event has been well advertised. Mrs. Tsadilas is hoping to get a lot of support in this event since it is so near and dear to her heart. All ask letters have all gone out to which some have already responded. Home Depot and Weis will be donating. There are 11 organization and presenters (all educational) covering all aspects of water safety. Mrs. Tsadilas is still waiting to hear back from the Fire Department. Water drills will be done consistently throughout the event. If you know anyone interested, please have them reach out to Mrs. Tsadilas and she will send over the necessary paperwork.

Still Needed:

• Volunteers for the day of event, especially since there will be so many children around the water. Mrs. Tsadilas needs help getting in touch with high schools in order to get teams to sign up for volunteer hours. Mr. Sylvester, Mrs. Falotico, and Mr. Reilly will all assist this.
• A snow cone/popcorn machine. Mr. Reilly offered to lend out his for the event.
• A dunking booth (weather permitting).
• Help setting up lap top/extension cord/screen to show movie (will run every 30 minutes). Mrs. Tosti will be helping with set up and Mr. Reilly offered to lend screen for the event.
• A volunteer to hand out family bag/movie tickets as the vehicles pull in to park. That is the only way to get a final headcount for who was in attendance.

Clay Spreading: Mr. Sylvester/Mr. Carovillano

Mr. Sylvester reported that Mr. Carovillano is coordinating and it is to be determined.

New Ideas Presented:

Mr. Reilly –

• Events of Travel: This could include sporting events, casino, concert, activities outside the area, Broadway shows, etc. Mr. Reilly contacted busing companies to gather information regarding scheduling and cost. Lakeland Bus Company got back to Mr. Reilly. They do casino trips/flower festivals/etc. They offer package deals. Unfortunately, the closest pick up location is in Panther Valley and they already have set days. However, it may be possible to change pick up location and days for our needs. Lakeland would need a waiver of deposit up front. Since we are a nonprofit, this is difficult to do, but they may be willing to work with us. Overall, it is very cost effective to take a bus rather than paying for fuel/parking, especially for trips to the city. We can also reach out to surrounding districts to fill the bus, so we won’t be limited to just depending on Stillwater residents.
• Cookie Exchange: We can start with a Christmas cookie exchange and from there build to other events of the same nature (chili cook off, children’s bake off, pie contest, etc.). Although these can be included in events we already host, it was decided that they should be their own separate event.

Mrs. Falotico –

• Movie/Music in the Park: We can choose one location or several to hold events at. Attendees can bring their own lawn chairs/blankets. Water or light refreshments can be sold. It would be a great event to begin in June to kick off the summer. Contacts need to be gathered for performers. We would also have to see about movie rights. Mrs. Delaney mentioned we could buy a key and you have access to the film for X amount of time – We need to find out the cost involved in doing that. Mrs. Tosti offered to give her contact information to Mrs. Falotico to begin making calls, so that by the next meeting we can discuss this event further. Mrs. Minervino offered to help with this event if need be.
• Paws in the Park: Residents can bring their pets (all types of pets’ welcome) to the park to enjoy local vendors (pet shop for example), pet parade, silly competitions (turtle race). Since there is an ordinance in place that does not allow pets in our parks, we would need to see if we could get permission to do so for the day. Mrs. Delaney will verify if that is a possibility. Proof of pet vaccinations are a requirement for safety.
• Craft/Vendor Fair
• Trunk or Treat: Tentative date is 10/21 (rain date 10/22). Tentative location – Community Center. A strict time must be set for the trunk or treat itself so that cars are not moving while the children are moving. Permission to use the church parking lot for additional parking would allow for a more open and safe space in the Community Center’s parking lot. Crafts and activities (pumpkin painting) can be held inside. We need to contact Stillwater, Fredon, and Hampton schools to see if they have any similar events planned in that time frame to avoid stepping on any toes. Mrs. Martin will reach out to Katie Schneider (President of PTA) to find out if they have any events planned.

Fall Festival:

The first meeting for this event will be held on 3/23 to further discuss event details.

Adjournment:

Mrs. Tosti made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:32 p.m., seconded by Mrs. Tsadilas. A vote was taken and all were in favor.

Respectfully Submitted,

Danielle Wunder, Secretary