STILLWATER TOWNSHIP

RECREATION COMMISSION

MEETING MINUTES

March 4, 2023

 

 

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

LIASION: Mr. Manser was in attendance

MEMBERS ABSENT: Mr. Reilly

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. Martin made a motion to approve the minutes from the February 5, 2024, meeting pending corrections, 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. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Approval of Workshop Meeting Minutes:

Mrs. Tosti made a motion to approve the workshop meeting minutes from the February 19, 2024, meeting, seconded by Mrs. Tsadilas.

Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, 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. Tsadilas made a motion to approve the payment of the following bills totaling $1,874.21, seconded by Mrs. Martin.

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

 

Septicare (November/December 2023) – $260.00

Lakeland Bus Lines (Additional funds beyond tickets sold) – $180.00

Lakeland Bus Lines – $1,120.00

Amazon (Water Safety Fair Supplies) – $314.21

 

Correspondence:

Mrs. Minervino read a Facebook post from Pat Yardley expressing her gratitude for the use of the Community Center, especially for supporting persons with disabilities as they did a food pantry drive there. It is also a great place for seniors to gather – they are seeing more and more new faces every day.

Mrs. Minervino also received a thank you from Hilary Manser on the great job we are doing and how lucky the community is to have volunteers.

 

Open Public Session – Agenda Items Only:

The meeting was opened to the public at 7:15 p.m.

 

Field Use Application Approvals:

 

Kittatinny Softball Pre-K through 8^th Grade`

Veteran’s Park

After 4/1

Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday

No set time yet

Insurance – yes

Application Status – complete

 

Mr. Carovillano made a motion to approve the Kittatinny Softball to use Veteran’s field for the dates, days, and times listed above, seconded by Mr. Sylvester.

Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Commission notified Kittatinny Softball about Stillwater Day dates that field will be unavailable.

 

Kittatinny Soccer Club (Oscar Fernandez)

Volunteer Field

3/11-6/21

One day per week (day not specified)

No set times yet

Insurance – yes

Application Status – complete

 

Mrs. Tsadilas made a motion to approve the Kittatinny Soccer Club to use Volunteer Field for the dates, days, and times listed above pending fields are ready, 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. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Mr. Sylvester shared a previous concern the commission had for getting on the fields too early, which could cause damage. Mr. Sylvester suggested we let the Soccer Club know when the field is safe to play on. The commission agreed. Mrs. Tosti will relay the message to Mr. Fernandez.

 

Kittatinny Little League (Mike Carovillano)

Swartswood Field/Veteran’s Field

Monday-Friday (will work with other teams’ schedules)

4/1-8/1

Insurance – yes

Application – complete

 

Mrs. Tosti made a motion to approve the Kittatinny Little League to use Swartswood Park/Veteran’s Field for the dates, days, and times listed above, seconded by Mrs. Tsadilas.

Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Carovillano, abstain, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Mr. Dolittle (a resident) was curious about the status on pickle ball court proposal and potential locations.

Mrs. Tosti reiterated the proposal, quote, and location options that were previously discussed at the last meeting. Mr. Sylvester mentioned the previous plan that had been discussed and approved (painting lines over new pavement and portable nets), but realizes the town may pursue a different avenue. He compared the two plans to a Chevy and Cadillac (financially speaking). While the Cadillac is much preferred, the Chevy will get us to where we need to go. He hopes that the initial plan will be approved and executed this year since the more involved proposal will take more time leaving residents in question for longer. Locations were discussed and potential pros/cons of each. Mr. Dolittle said he is seeing more and more activity on the courts and believes residents would be very grateful for the improvements.

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:

Mrs. Tosti has been in contact with a chair yoga instructor, Karen Felix. She would like to offer this program at the Community Center, which will be open to all (not just Stillwater residents). Mrs. Tosti will speak to our CFO regarding how payment would be received, but it is likely that Mrs. Felix would collect the fee and we would simply allow the use of the Community Center. Mrs. Felix will be sending Mrs. Tosti the fee amount. The Committee agreed that this would be a great program to offer to the community. Mrs. Tosti will have more information at the next meeting.

 

New Business:

None.

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 this week to our sports teams and other groups who have participated in the past.

 

Miss Stillwater, Little Miss and Mr. Stillwater – Mrs. Minervino

Mrs. Minervino reported that applications and flyer are ready for review. A time still needs to be decided, but she put in 1:00 p.m. for now. Times were discussed amongst the group. It was decided that the contestants should arrive at 12:00 p.m. and the contest will officially begin at 12:30 p.m. The deadline is set for 5/17. Judges are secured.

 

Stillwater Day:

6/1/2024 Rain Date: 6/2/2024

Talent show – Mr. Sylvester

Mr. Sylvester said Mr. Reilly will be his co-chair and Mrs. Richardson offered to help with anything additional. Time to be announced. Acts are limited to five minutes per act. Participants are aware that there is limited electrical power. Although there is no set time for the talent show yet (it depends on what time Miss Stillwater ends), participants should be aware of what time they need to arrive. Prizes – to be discussed at a later meeting. Mr. Sylvester would like to get the information circulated to the schools by tomorrow. Mrs. Tosti would like to advertise Stillwater Day first before the talent show is advertised. Mr. Sylvester will wait until Stillwater Day is advertised – he plans to advertise via the schools, churches, and scouts.

A discussion took place on whether or not the participants should be limited to Stillwater residents only or if it should be open to everyone.

Mrs. Falotico made a motion to open the talent show to all residents, however at least one person in each act must be a Stillwater resident to avoid limiting our participation, seconded by Mrs. Minervino.

Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Vendors – Mrs. Tosti

Letter and applications will be going out this week. Vendor fee will stay at $25.00.

Mrs. Minervino reported that there may be a few available food trucks offering the following types of food:

Ice Cream

Mexican Food

Lobster/Crab Cakes

Veggie Burgers

Frozen Fruit/Smoothies

Activities – Mrs. Falotico

Fishing contest

Parade

Pie eating contest

Donut on a rope

Build a boat (and race on stream)

Duck race

BBQ competition (may be too big for Stillwater Day, could be an event in its own)

Cake walk

Cornhole tournament

Dunk tank

Story time

Face painting/tattoos

Farming activity

Vendor scavenger hunt

Mr. Sylvester suggested Mrs. Falotico narrow the list down by the next workshop meeting to better plan the timing for each event. If anyone has any other suggestions, please reach out to Mrs. Falotico.

Mrs. Richardson researched different acts/shows that would be a good fit for Stillwater Day entertainment.

Bubble Show – very interactive, music, magic. $500 for 30 minutes. $650 for 45 minutes.

Foam Party (may not work with Stillwater Day due to children needing a change of clothes) – $550 for 60 minutes.

Although this seems expensive, it seems to be the going rate for these types of acts. Mrs. Richardson reached out to four other options, and all were booked for our event date. Mrs. Richardson will reach out to Kittatinny’s Marching Band as well as dance group (fire dancers, hip hop, etc.) for other avenues of entertainment.

Bounce houses – Mr. Sylvester

All access will be providing the stage.

Tri County has a 30×65 tent available for $495. Starwars bounce house $575. Small bounce house (for smaller children, which will need to be supervised) $350. Other bounce houses ranged from $325-$375. Portable generator on wheels (one will run four bounce houses) $225. They are also very quiet, which is a bonus. We will need to lock these in asap, so a decision must be made by the next meeting. The rough estimate on cost in this department was $2,570 (out of our $5,000 budget). We can ask the DPW and Fire Department about generators.

Sound system – Mrs. Tosti

Rick as his own sound system. He just needs a generator. He would be happy to MC anything we need him to do. Pay scale was discussed. Mrs. Tosti suggested $300.00. She will research going rates and discuss during our next meeting.

Plant Exchange – Mrs. Tosti/Mr. Reilly

No date set.

 

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. Applications and advertisement banner will be updated for approval asap.

 

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

No updates.

 

Tree Lighting – Mrs. Tosti/Mrs. Richardson

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. 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. A volunteered has been secured for face painting and tattoos. Coloring sheets will be available. Mrs. Tosti will provide signage for age groups. The bunny will be there again. Volunteers are needed the day of event.

Mrs. Tsadilas made a motion not to exceed $250.00 for the Easter Egg Hunt, 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. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

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.

UPDATE:

The fields still need to be walked, but when this is done Mr. Sylvester and Mr. Carovillano will coordinate clay delivery with the liaison and DPW.

Community Center Activities:

 

Senior Citizen Game Night – Mrs. Richardson 2/29/2024

6:00-8:00 p.m.

Community Center

It was a great turnout – at least 50 to 60 seniors. Mrs. Tosti and Mrs. Minervino volunteered.

Event still needs to be set for April. Details to follow.

Educational Activities:

 

Bus Trip – Mr. Reilly

2/17/2024

 

Event was a success – attendees were very happy with the trip.

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 April meeting.

Veteran’s Event – Mrs. Minervino

Mrs. Minervino will submit a form now since Veteran’s Day falls on a Monday for 2024. Mrs. Minervino will look to reserve the Community Center on Saturday, November 9, 2024. More details to follow.

 

Water Safety Fair – Mrs. Tsadilas

5/5/2024 Rain Date – to be determined 1:00-4:30 p.m.

Fairview Lake

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. There is a new book out geared towards older children – H20 Tunes. We received 200 copies for free. Boating books are also free. Coloring books and crayons have been ordered. Mr. Sylvester secured 200 Stillwater Safety Shark Stickers. A fishing pole and two life jackets have been donated to be used as prize giveaways. All asks have been sent, but there have been no responses yet. Our copy of liability insurance is needed. Mrs. Tsadilas will have everything, plus a map, for the next meeting.

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. The Lorax must be used by July. It was questioned whether we should utilize this movie for Stillwater Day. Our CFO would like us to consider doing is around clean-up day since it was paid for by Clean Communities. In this case it would have to be indoors, which is not ideal. The Committee likes the idea of it being outdoors. Tara will speak to CFO regarding this, and we will discuss further at workshop meeting. Hampton reached out about working together – this will save money since we can share the cost and divide the movies. A member from Hampton Recreation was present at the meeting. A discussion took place on how the collaboration would work. They will be in touch.

Sheriff’s Office – Mrs. Minervino

3/20, 4/11, 5/16

1:00-2:00 p.m.

Community Center

All are welcome to these events! There is a game (Q&A) from cert that would tie in well with each of the events. It can be offered after each session, and it would reinforce what residents had just learned.

3/20 – Emergency Preparedness for your Home

4/11 – Home Burglary Awareness/Prevention

5/16 – Project Lifesaver

 

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. Fall Festival meetings will resume on 3/16. Historical Society meetings are the third Saturday of every month.

 

Trunk or Treat

October

No updates.

 

Open Public Session:

The meeting was opened to the public at 9:02 p.m.

Recreation Facebook Page – Mrs. Tosti

Mrs. Tosti received an email from the CFO regarding the need to remove our Facebook page by 3/29. The cost is high to maintain the Facebook pages. Mrs. Tosti is in the process of seeing what we are able to do on our own. We can no longer use the Stillwater Logo, so we need to brainstorm a new Recreation Logo. Mr. Sylvester recommended making sure the page stays positive, since it will be open to the public for commenting. Mrs. Martin said that the admin can change the settings to approve all comments before posting to ensure there is no negativity.

Walkie Talkies – Mrs. Tosti

Mrs. Tosti spoke to our CFO regarding purchasing walkie talkies to assist in communication during our events. There are three different options:

Set of 10 (includes individual chargers and earpieces) – $165.00

Set of 6 (one charger for all six and each had their own earpiece) – $178.00 (for two sets)

Set of 6 – $140 (for two sets)

It will benefit so many different events. It will be taken out of the budget line the CFO chooses.

Mrs. Martin made a motion not to exceed $200.00 on the purchase of walkie talkies, seconded by Mrs. Minervino.

Roll Call Vote: Mr. Sylvester, yes, Mr. Carovillano, yes, Mrs. Tsadilas, yes, Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. Martin, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Mr. Sylvester –

Mr. Sylvester wanted to clear up any confusion and misinformation circulating about what we can and cannot do at Veteran’s Park. He brought to the meeting an approved plan of development for Veteran’s Park. It showed the fields constructed from 2005 and the approval from the state and from the county engineer department. It showed ways the area can be utilized and how it currently stands. The upper parking lot is there, and it has been approved. Re-application can in fact be used. Mr. Sylvester displayed this in the hopes that it will end discussion on where we can and cannot put parking lots. It is to be kept for our records so in case there is any question it can be utilized as a resource.

Miners Baseball Game – Mrs. Martin

The Miners Baseball game is set for 8/17 (Firework night). One hundred seats will be blocked off and a link will be sent with a discounted rate ($14.00 for Saturday’s). If we need additional seats, the block can be extended. We are not responsible for collecting money, but we are giving the community an opportunity to gather together. The flyer will be created asap.

Mrs. Tsadilas –

As of last month, Mrs. Tsadilas became the cert program coordinator. She will be looking to recruit volunteers. If you know of anyone (they do not have to live in Stillwater) please contact Mrs. Tsadilas. Extensive training is taking place currently.

Mrs. Minervino –

Mrs. Minervino wanted to follow up on Mayor Chammings request to review the “Open Space and Recreation Plan” for any changes that need to be made. Mrs. Minervino took the time to review this and printed out the pages that pertained to us. Although it does not look like there need to be any changes made, it is encouraged members look over to verify. Thank you, Mrs. Minervino!

 

Public session was closed at 9:21 p.m.

 

Committee Member Comments:

No committee member comments.

 

Liaison Report –

 

Mr. Manser

 

• Mr. Manser will take notes from tonight to the Township meeting tomorrow.
• Pickleball Courts (discussed extensively at budget and regular meetings).
• Repairs to Crandon Lakes dam (has to be done before the lake has to be brought up).
• Purchasing used bucket truck. With proper training of employees, we will be able to complete some tree work (minimally) ourselves. Has limitations but will be very helpful.
• Working on Fairview Lake Road property and grant. The grant will hopefully allow for total clean-up. Purpose to be decided.
• There are several small properties around town that we own. Some are large enough to possibly build on. More discussion will take place at tomorrow evening’s meeting.
• A movie company is filming a documentary on Bob Dylan at a log cabin located on Old Schoolhouse Road. The cabin closely resembles his childhood home.

 

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