May 5, 2025 REGULAR MEETING

STILLWATER TOWNSHIP
RECREATION COMMISSION
May 5, 2025 @ 7:00pm

MEMBERS PRESENT: Mrs. Minervino, Mrs. Falotico, Mrs. DiBattista, Mrs. Trotter, Mrs. Richardson, and Mrs. Tosti
LIASION: Mrs. Delaney and Mr. Manser were both 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. Tosti made a motion to approve the minutes of the April 7, 2025, meeting pending corrections, seconded by Mrs. Minervino. The Senior Wellness Program is open to all senior citizens, not just veteran senior citizens. There are five confirmed (paid) food vendors for Stillwater Day not twelve. Seven filled out applications, but yet to submit payment so they cannot be accounted for.

Roll Call Vote: Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. DiBattista, yes, Mrs. Trotter, abstain, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Payment of Bills:
Mrs. Richardson made a motion to approve the payment of the following bills totaling $479.57, seconded by Mrs. Minervino:
Septicare (April 2025 Porta John Rentals) – $290.00
Shop Rite (Senior Game Night Supplies) -$77.97
Tara Tosti Reimbursement (Egg Hunt Supplies) – $61.60

Roll Call Vote: Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. DiBattista, yes, Mrs. Trotter, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

Correspondence:
Mrs. Richardson relayed a memo from the finance office reviewing the budget status reports and what we have left to spend.

Open Public Session – Agenda Items Only:
The meeting was opened to the public at 7:12 p.m.

Water Safety Fair Update:
Mrs. Tsadilas was not present to speak on behalf of her event, however, anyone who is interested and able to volunteer for the event can contact Mrs. Tsadilas directly. The event will be held on 5/18/2025. Fairview Lake has been very helpful in assisting Mrs. Tsadilas with this event.

The meeting was closed to the public at 7:13 p.m.

Amendments to the Agenda:
There were no amendments made to the agenda.

Old Business:
Senior Wellness Program WISE – Dawn Tighe:
Open to all seniors 55 and older. This event has been advertised, but they have not reached the maximum participants yet. Please spread the word on this great event!

New Business:
There will be a Recreation Commission Workshop meeting held on 6/19/2025.

Sub-Committee Reports:
a. Clean Up Day 4/5/2025 – Mrs. Tosti:
There are no updates.

b. Miss Stillwater, Little Miss and Mr. Stillwater 6/1/2025 @ 3pm – Mrs. Minervino:
Judges have been chosen: a dentist, an oncology nurse/business owner, and a criminal justice student/intern. A fourth judge, a teacher, has also been contacted if one of the three other judges cannot be in attendance. The event flyer has been advertised in the school newsletter as well as submitted to the newspaper. There are applicants for all age groups except Miss Stillwater, which concerns Mrs. Minervino. She emailed all applicants who did not win, from the previous two years as a reminder to fill out an application if interested. Mrs. DiBattista did mention the contest to a large group of residents, but said to re-advertise as friendly reminder. It is a busy season
between the school year ending and Spring sports that people just simply forget to apply. Mrs. Minervino will put the order in for the crowns, sashes, and judges’ gifts.

c. Stillwater Day Bicentennial Celebration 6/7/2025 @ 2pm to Fireworks Show:
Mrs. Tosti asked Mrs. Delaney about the banners. Mrs. Delaney said she spoke to Glenn about purchasing two banners 2 ft by 8 ft in size. However, she thinks 3 ft by 6 ft would be a better fit for our needs. This would be $65.00 per banner. Mrs. Delaney mentioned that Recreation would pay for these two banners and the Historical Society will cover the cost of the smaller flags and large banner that will be displayed over the road. Mayor Chammings mentioned that sponsorship money from fireworks can go into Recreation funds and allocate more available funds moving forward. Mrs. Delaney said she will send the files in the morning regarding our banners and move forward with ordering.

Mrs. Tosti made a motion to allow Mrs. Delaney to order two banners of her dimensional preference up to $175.00, seconded by Mrs. Falotico.

Roll Call Vote: Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. DiBattista, yes, Mrs. Trotter, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

A brief run down was given to all members regarding timing of road closure for the parade, parade information, confirmation of events and highlights. Events and highlights mentioned were the frozen t-shirt contest, watermelon eating contest (for both kids and adults), Miss Stillwater introduction, 25 artisans, string band, Snake Oil Willy, Tommy Knucklehead, approval of the beer tent hosted by the Fire Department (still need confirmation on what they will be
cooking), school time capsule, and face painting/tattoos. A few other events such as a hay bale throwing contest and egg toss were mentioned, but will be further discussed and decided at our workshop meeting. Mayor Chamming offered to donate both eggs and hay bales if we choose to host these events. The haybales may also serve as secondary seating after the contest, which is an added bonus. Mrs. Delaney will speak to our CFO about any leftover Clean Communities T-shirts to be used for the frozen t-shirt contest. She also needs to confirm with Mayor Chammings that we will have access to the second stage she provided for us in the past. A resident sitting in on the meeting requested clarification on our schedule and the Historical Societies schedule. She mentioned she was unclear where the events were actually taking place, Main Street or Veteran’s. We let the resident know there are events at both locations. To eliminate any similar confusion from other residents, an all-inclusive flyer of both event locations and what they will be hosting will be made.

A motion was needed to pay for our entertainer, Tommy Knucklehead.
Mrs. Tosti made a motion to pay Tommy Knucklehead up to $600.00, seconded by Mrs. Trotter.

Roll Call Vote: Mrs. Minervino, yes, Mrs. Falotico, yes, Mrs. DiBattista, yes, Mrs. Trotter, yes, Mrs. Richardson, yes, Mrs. Tosti, yes

A Bicentennial workshop meeting will be held on 5/13/2025 in our OEM office at 6:00 p.m.

d. Garage Sale Weekend 5/17/2025 & 5/18/2025 – Mrs. Wunder:
Mrs. Wunder completed the list and map and gave it to Mrs. Delaney of Minisink Press to be printed. Mrs. Delaney offered to add any additional residents who may have missed the deadline up until 6/7/2025 at 4:00 p.m. The list and map is set to be available to the public by 6/12/2025. Signage has been updated and posted a key points around the area.

e. Summer Camp 8/11/2025-8/22/2025 – Mrs. Tosti:
There are two confirmed programs: turtles program and k9 program. We are still waiting on one more program.

f. Sussex County Day:
No updates

g. Decorating Contests (Holiday) – Mrs. Minervino:
No updates

h. Tree Lighting – Mrs. Tosti/Mrs. Richardson:
No updates

i. Egg Hunt 4/12/2025 RD: 4/13/2025 – Mrs. Falotico & Mrs. DiBattista:
It was a great turnout. The tickets in the eggs worked out much better than the golden egg. The prizes worked out great this year as well. Our volunteer for the bunny did a wonderful job. The egg return was a success, this will help to cut down some costs for next year. Thank you Mrs. DiBattista for all your creative touches to the event! It was discussed adding more eggs next year to accommodate this growing event.

j. Field/Pavilion Application Approvals, Scheduling – Mrs. Tosti:
Scheduling has been set. Inclement weather has closed some of the fields, but our groups are very accommodating.

k. Field Maintenance – Mr. Carovillano:
Fields are looking great, especially with DPW handling the mowing. They will be getting a new mower shortly. There are two reported cracks in our recently repaired pickleball courts. Mrs. Tosti will call Dave Pierson as soon as possible regarding this. It was also reported that the pickleball areas need to be cleaned of fallen debris (from trees). Rebecca, from soccer, did not send quotes for soccer nets, however, if these are received prior to our workshop meeting we can vote on them at that meeting. Mrs. Wunder emailed Mr. Carovillano regarding getting the quotes to our CFO once he receives them.

l. Senior Wellness Program – Dawn Tighe:
The WISE (Wellness Initiative for Senior Education) Vets Wellness Program is for all seniors 55 and older. It addresses veterans’ unique health challenges by providing educational tips on managing health, reducing disease risk, and improving overall well-being. Participants will benefit from interactive sessions covering the aging process, disease prevention, medication management, and strategies for a healthier lifestyle. The program also offers a platform for
veterans to connect with peers, share experiences, and learn about veteran-specific resources. Free lunch, educational discussions, activities, and guest speakers are included. Members of the Recreation Commission do not have to attend, but please relay this information to anyone who may be interested!

m. Senior Game Night 4/24/2025 @ 6-8pm Community Center – Mrs. Richardson:
There were approximately 50 attendees. It is always a well-attended event that our seniors look forward to. There are no upcoming events set in stone, but Mrs. Richardson is considering hosting an event in June or July.

n. Veteran’s Event 11/9/2025 @ Community Center – Mrs. Minervino:
No updates

o. Emergency Services 9/11 Recognition Luncheon 9/7/2025 – Mrs. Minervino:
No updates

p. Sheriff’s Office @ 1-2pm Community Center – Mrs. Minervino:
All are welcome

SCHEDULE:
5/13/25 – Senior ID Cards
7/15/25 – Phone Numbers to Know
August (during Summer Camp – date to be decided) – K-9 Demonstration
9/16/25 – 911 Center
11/18/25 – Car Theft Device

q. Trunk or Treat 10/26/2025 @ Veteran’s Field – Mrs. Trotter:
No updates

r. Pop Up Vendor Fair – Mrs. Tosti:
No updates

s. Plant Exchange – Mrs. Tosti:
No updates

Open Public Session:
The meeting was opened to the public at 8:05 p.m.

Forest Bathing Update:
Mrs. Minervino originally created a flyer to promote Leona’s Forest Bathing event, however, since there is a fee to attend this event Recreation cannot “host” the event or promote it as Recreation event since we are a non-profit. A field use form will need to be completed. Additionally, the event will need to be promoted by the host. Mrs. Minervino will let Leona know.

Mrs. Minervino read her letter of resignation to the Recreation Commission effective 6/8/2025. With regret, the letter was accepted. Thank you, Mrs. Minervino, for all that you do for our community!

The open public session was closed at 8:16 p.m.

Committee Member Comments:
There were no Committee member comments.

Liaison Report: Mr. Manser and Mrs. Delaney
Mr. Manser reported that the Egg Hunt was a success. He was happy that the rain date had to be utilized because he was able to attend the event.

Mr. Manser touched on Mrs. Minervino’s resignation, thanking her for her work and dedication to the Recreation as well as understanding it can be difficult to balance volunteering and regular life events.

The Budget has been set with very little tax increase.

The next Township Committee meeting will be held on May 6, 2025.

The master plan/affordable housing plans are coming to a close and everything is moving forward all in all.

There are some revisions for the Community Center plans – Mrs. Delaney and Mrs. Rumsey are on it.

Unfortunately, we were not chosen for the grant (designated for projects/improvements at the Community Center), but Stillwater School did receive the grant so at least it stayed within our community and for our children.

Adjournment:
Mrs. Tosti made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:21 p.m., seconded by Mrs. Richardson. A vote was taken, and all were in favor.

Respectfully Submitted,
Danielle Wunder, Secretary