September 11, 2019 Regular Meeting

STILLWATER TOWNSHIP RECREATION COMMISSION

The regular meeting of the Stillwater Township Recreation Commission was held on Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at 7:03 pm at the Stillwater Municipal Building, Stillwater, NJ. The meeting was called to order by Commission Chairman David Manser with the Open Public Meetings Statement and the flag salute.

Members Present: Mrs. Connelly, Mrs. Degen, Ms. Hess, Mr. Reilly, Mr. Sylvester, Mr. Manser

Alternates Present: Mrs. Stark, Mrs. Davenport

Members Absent/Excused: Mrs. Delaney

MINUTES

Motion by Mrs. Stark, second by Mrs. Davenport that the minutes from the August 5, 2019 meeting be approved with corrections by Mr. Sylvester. Motion carried with 3 abstentions. Motion by Mrs. Davenport, seconded by Mrs. Stark that the minutes of the August 5, 2019 executive session be approved. Motion carried with 3 abstentions.

August 5 minutes correction – Mr. Sylvester requested that the minutes reflect that the letter sent to the Environmental Commission by the Recreation Commission did not require them to attend a Rec. Comm. meeting but to communicate if they wanted to participate in creating handicap accessible trails for Veterans Memorial Park.

BILLS

The following bills were presented: Septicare for Jan – July $ 1,555.00; Pat Bodensieck – summer camp refund $ 70.00; Arlean Konar – summer camp refund $ 105.00; Summer Camp Counselors (Tara Tosti $800.00, R. Durso $360.00, D. Redshaw $360.00, K. Peter $348.75, G. Richardson $288.00, T. Kramer $252.00, J. Kramer $216.00, P. Franco $180.00, M. Hornung $180.00, K. Ogar $180.00, C. Waldo $180.00) $ 3,344.75 for a total of $ 5,074.75

CORRESPONDENCE

There was a letter from Terry Beshada with an application attached expressing an interest in the Rec. Commission. It was decided that a letter be sent thanking her for her interest, however we currently have a full Commission including our required 2 alternates but that we will keep her application on file if an opening comes up.

Also, there was correspondence between the insurance agent, the Playground co. and the Town that there are some issues with the playground that need to be discussed. There was a lot of discussion on this and Ms. Hess requested that it be held over until that topic comes up on the agenda.

OPEN PUBLIC SESSION – Agenda Items Only – 7:20 – 7:25

Mrs. Tosti – Camp Counselor spoke on summer camp. It was a very successful season. We had 62 enrolled in week 1 and 52 in week 2 for a total of 114. She also has a new contract that she made up for her counselors to impress upon them their responsibilities and expectations. This is a job, yes fun, but still a job to be taken seriously. She supplied a copy for our files. Also, she will be continuing with the monthly program. Mrs. Stark presented Tara with a framed composite of pictures.

AMENDMENTS TO THE AGENDA none

SUB COMMITTEES

1. Clean Up Day – No report.

2. Stillwater Day – No report.

3. Garage Sale Weekend – No report.

4. Summer Camp – Handled under open public session – no additional report

6. Decorating Contests (Halloween and Holiday) – Ms. Hess will make the flyers and get them to Town for placement on the website and copies in the Town Hall. There was discussion on the dates for both Halloween and Holiday. It was decided that the deadline for Halloween be Oct. 28. We will vote on the winners at the Nov. 4 meeting. Starks have offered to take pictures and put them on the TV at the Nov. meeting in case anyone was unable to get to see them. Next discussion was on the Holiday Decorating. Mrs. Gardner (921 Millbrook Rd.) suggested that perhaps we could put a place on the application for special notes (ie: must be viewed during the day, go all the way up the driveway to the house, etc.). Then it was decided to put on the flyer which catagory they wanted to be judged in. It was decided to use Most traditional, Most Original / Creative and Most elegant. The deadline for the Holiday Decorating was set for Dec. 20 with voting taking place on Jan. 6. Motion by Ms. Hess, seconded by Mrs. Connelly that both the Halloween and Holiday prizes should be $25.00 ea catagory for a total of $75.00 ea contest. Motion carried.

7. Tree Lighting – Mrs. Connelly was hoping that we would have the Swartswood building for the tree lighting but it doesn’t appear that is in the near future. Therefore, it appears we will be back at the School. Mrs. Tosti and Mrs. Gardner will again work on this with Mrs. Connelly. They will have the children make ornaments again. Motion by Ms. Hess, second by Mr. Manser to allow Mrs. Connelly to spend $100.00 for refreshments. Motion carried.

8. Field Maintenance – Mr. Sylvester was asking if we had an update on the Turf Mgmt. with Pinnacle. He suggested that perhaps it should go through the DPW in the future so they can oversee it and also to make sure that a smoother transition happens with future payments, etc. Mr. Manser will speak to the Liaison re: this.

9. Playground – Ms. Hess reported on several issues that were noticed in the installation and are being handled with the Insurance carrier (George Morville) and the State Representative (Mr. Ivan Cohen). They have scheduled a meeting at the playground to have the inspection done and recommendations so that it can be opened back up. There was a total lack of communication and Ms. Hess apologized as this all came up while she was out of the country and unable to communicate better. This will improve in the future. There were a lot of rumors going around. Mr. Manser and Ms. Hess will be at the meeting and will report to all after the meeting will keep everyone informed as to the results. There was some discussion about holding money for a period of time. It was explained that they haven’t been paid in full and that once we are satisfied with the installation, we can release that payment. We are not permitted to withhold payment for an extended period of time for “in case” situations.

OLD BUSINESS

1. Field Use Applications – The following application was submitted – Stillwater Rec. League Soccer for Volunteer Field – Sept. – Nov. – weekdays 4-7pm and weekends 8a – 4p. All paperwork is in order. Motion by Mr. Sylvester, second by Mr. Manser to approve. Motion carried.

2. Green Acres – There was some discussion as to why the Environmental Commission was placed on the agenda. Ms. Hess looked back at it was discussed with Kathy Wunder (sec. of Env. Comm.) through email. Mr. Sylvester was cc:d on the emails. He did attend their meeting on Aug. 12. They wanted to know specifics – costs, types of materials, etc. Mr. Sylvester explained that it was a concept and that the Rec. Commission wanted to see about working with and collaborating with the Environmental Commission. He suggested a joint Ad-Hoc committee. He explained that Netcong has received multiple grants for handicap accessible trails, for boardwalk around the lake including fishing and boating access. There is funding through Handicap Accessible and Sr. Citizens. They requested that Mr. Sylvester study to see if there is a need; create a survey. Mr. Sylvester again asked if anyone was interested in working with the Rec. Commission and there was no volunteers. The Environmental Commission wanted accessibility on the active side only. He requested a written response to the Rec. Commission. He is not interested in pursuing this any further. Mrs. Degen mentioned that she might be interested in looking into this further.

NEW BUSINESS

1. Sussex County Day – CERT is going to represent Stillwater at Sussex County Day and we were asked if we wanted them to sell the blankets. There was some discussion as to why we weren’t asked to participate. Ms. Hess mentioned that in the past we only get about 1-2 weeks notice and that when it was brought up at a meeting, no one was available. Again this year, only a short notice and our meeting was later than normal. Motion by Mrs. Connelly, second by Mrs. Degen to have CERT sell our blankets with Thanks. Motion carried.

OPEN PUBLIC SESSION – 8:36pm – 8:43pm

1. Mr. Stark – Someone needs to make a public announcement about the playground. Mr. Manser will speak with the Clerk about putting something out.

2. Mrs. Gardner – She mentioned the trash at both Veteran’s Park and Stillwater Park. She will discuss this with the DPW since they are the ones that empty the cans there.

COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS

Mr. Sylvester – First he mentioned that he doesn’t want to be involved in Group Chats. He also asked the Chairman to check with the Clerk on whether we can take a vote on something by text. (Ms. Hess has since discussed this with the Clerk and was informed that YES we can do that). He then discussed having the agenda out several days prior to the meeting so it can be looked at and changed ahead if needed. Motion by Mr. Sylvester, second by Mrs. Degen that agendas be sent 3-4 days prior to the meeting. Motion carried. Finally, Mr. Sylvester apologized to Mrs. Degen for the way she was replaced on the County Fair. She responded that she appreciated it.

Mrs. Degen once again reiterated the importance of communication. All will do better in the future.

LIAISON REPORT No report.

EXECUTIVE SESSION None

ADJOURNMENT

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There being no further business, motion by Mr. Manser, second by Mr. Reilly to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 pm. Motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,

Michele Hess

Secretary