BOROUGH OF RARITAN
REGULAR MEETING
Oct 12, 2010
The Regular Meeting of the Borough of Raritan Council was held on October 12, 2010 in the Municipal Building,
22 First Street, Raritan, NJ 08869 at 8:12 pm.
Mayor Jo-Ann Liptak presided and stated: Notice of this meeting has been made by advising The Courier News and
the Star Ledger of the time, date and place of this meeting, posting a notice on the official bulletin board,
on the Raritan Borough website, filing a copy in the Borough Clerk’s office and including this statement in the minutes.
ROLL CALL
Present: Victor Laggini, Maureen Wilson, John Lamaestra, Stefanie Gara, Greg Lobell and Denise Carra
Absent: None
Also Present: Mayor Jo-Ann Liptak; Daniel Jaxel, Borough Administrator; Mark Anderson, Borough Attorney,
Stanley J. Schrek, Borough Engineer and Rayna E. Harris, Borough Clerk
Councilman Victor Laggini presented the invocation and flag salute. He asked for a moment of silence in
memory of his uncle Angelo Laggini, a former Borough employee.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
September 28, 2010 Agenda Meeting Minutes were presented for approval. Motion was made by
Councilwoman Wilson to approve, seconded by Councilwoman Gara. Motion carried on the following roll call vote.
MOTION SECOND NAME YEAS NAYS ABSTAIN ABSENT
X Gara X
Lobell X
Carra X
Laggini X
X Wilson X
Lamaestra X
September 28, 2010 Executive Session Minutes were presented for approval. Motion was made by Councilwoman Gara
to approve, seconded by Councilman Laggini. Motion carried on the following roll call vote.
MOTION SECOND NAME YEAS NAYS ABSTAIN ABSENT
X Gara X
Lobell X
Carra X
X Laggini X
Wilson X
Lamaestra X
September 28, 2010 Regular Meeting Minutes were presented for approval. Motion was made by Council President Carra
to approve, seconded by Councilwoman Wilson. Motion carried on the following roll call vote.
MOTION SECOND NAME YEAS NAYS ABSTAIN ABSENT
Gara X
Lobell X
X Carra X
Laggini X
X Wilson X
Lamaestra X
PUBLIC COMMENTS
At this point the Borough Council welcomes comments from any member of the public. To help facilitate an orderly
meeting and to permit the opportunity for anyone who wishes to be heard, speakers are asked to limit their comments
to 5 minutes. If reading from a prepared statement, please provide a copy and email a copy to the Clerk’s Office
after making your comments.
Anthony De Cicco, 10 Anderson Street: Stated his concerns regarding the Elizabeth Avenue extension project,
particularly the financing of the project. He noted that developers should bear the responsibility for financing
the extension. Mr. De Cicco stated that the taxpayers should not have to pay for developers’ construction.
Michael Patente, 30 Glaser Avenue: Questioned signage regarding oil spills and “No Right Turn”. He also
questioned an application to the Planning Board from the learning center. Mr. Patente expressed his concern
regarding the cell tower erection and stated that the process did not consider affects on the community.
He handed out three (3) articles on cell tower exposure to the Governing Body. Mr. Patente stated his concerns
regarding the current Police staffing levels and the correlation to the crime rate.
Councilwoman Gara responded that she is waiting for documents to be prepared in the signage.
Mayor Liptak responded that the Police are walking the streets and active with the D.A.R.E. program around town.
Anthony Soriano, 215 Frelinghuysen Avenue: He asked if the meeting agendas could be posted on the Borough website
prior to minutes.
ORDINANCES: PUBLIC HEARING AND FINAL ADOPTION
Ordinance 2010-11
Council President Denise Carra moved and Councilman Greg Lobell seconded the opening of the public hearing on
Ordinance 2010-11. Motion carried.
Stanley J. Schrek, Borough Engineer stated that the church should be asked to provide a bond.
Council President Denise Carra moved and Councilman Victor Laggini seconded the closing of the public hearing
on Ordinance 2010-11. Motion carried.
Council President Denise Carra moved and Councilman Greg Lobell seconded the adoption of Ordinance 2010-11 on
second and final reading. Motion carried on the following roll call vote.
AN ORDINANCE PERMITTING THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEPS WITHIN
THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY AT 45 ANDERSON STREET
SECTION ONE:
WHEARAS, pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S. 40:67-1d, the Borough Council may by ordinance regulate the erection
and construction of any stoop, step, platform, or any erection or projection in, over or upon any street or highway;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Borough Council of the Borough of Raritan in the County of Somerset as follows:
The Catholic Church of St. Ann, 45 Anderson Street, Raritan, New Jersey, is permitted to construct steps encroaching
139 square feet into the public right of way as follows:
Beginning at a point on the westerly sideline of Anderson St. (60’ ROW), said point distant 19.34 ft. as measured
northerly along said sideline from its intersection with the northerly sideline of Second St. (60’ ROW) and from the
Beginning point running
1. Along Anderson St., North 00°-01’-00” West, 46.49 ft. to a point; thence
2. Into the Anderson St. right of way, North 89°-59’-00” East, 3.00 ft. to a point; thence
3. Through Anderson St., parallel to the first course, South 00°-01’-00” East, 46.49 ft. to a point; thence
4. Continuing through Anderson St., South 89°-59’-00” West, 3.00 ft. to the point and place of Beginning.
SECTION TWO:
This Ordinance shall take effect upon its final passage and publication according to law.
MOTION SECOND NAME YEAS NAYS ABSTAIN ABSENT
Gara X
X Lobell X
X Carra X
Laggini X
Wilson X
Lamaestra X
Ordinance 2010-12
Councilwoman Stefanie Gara moved and Councilman Victor Laggini seconded the opening of the public hearing on
Ordinance 2010-12. Motion carried.
No one spoke.
Councilwoman Stefanie Gara moved and Councilwoman Maureen Wilson seconded the closing of the public hearing on
Ordinance 2010-12. Motion carried.
Councilwoman Stefanie Gara moved and Councilman Greg Lobell seconded the adoption of Ordinance 2010-12 on second
and final reading. Motion carried on the following roll call vote.
B-3 ZONE USE CHANGE
BE IT ORDAINED by the Borough Council of the Borough of Raritan, County of Somerset, State of New Jersey, that
the Borough Code is hereby amended as follows:
SECTION ONE:
Section 42-9, which contains definitions, is hereby amended by amending the definition of “School, commercial”
to read as follows:
School, commercial – The activity of a person or business engaged in the instruction of children or adults for
personal gain. The term “commercial school” shall include such uses as dancing and music schools, art schools and
studios, auto driving schools, secretarial schools and business colleges, nursery and play schools,
private kindergartens, schools for the development of skills of artisans, martial arts studios, and after
school learning or tutoring centers.
SECTION TWO:
Section 42-133, which is entitled “B-1 Central Business District”, is hereby amended by amending paragraph
42-133.A.(3)(m) to read as follows:
(m) Commercial schools.
SECTION THREE:
Section 42-133, which is entitled “B-1 Central Business District”, is hereby amended by amending paragraph
42-133.C.(1) to read as follows:
(1) Public, private and vocational schools.
SECTION FOUR:
Section 42-135, which is entitled “B-3 Highway Business District”, is hereby amended by adding a new paragraph
42-135.(A).(18) to read as follows:
(18) Commercial schools.
SECTION FIVE:
Section 42-136, which is entitled “B-4 Neighborhood Business District”, is hereby amended by amending paragraph
42-136.A.(9)(m) to read as follows:
(m) Commercial schools.
SECTION SIX:
Section 42-136, which is entitled “B-4 Neighborhood Business District”, is hereby amended by amending paragraph
42-136.C.(1) to read as follows:
(1) Public, private and vocational schools.
SECTION SEVEN:
This Ordinance shall take effect upon its final passage and publication according to law.
MOTION SECOND NAME YEAS NAYS ABSTAIN ABSENT
X Gara X
X Lobell X
Carra X
Laggini X
Wilson X
Lamaestra X
INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES
Ordinance 2010-13
Councilwoman Gara and Councilman Lobell seconded the adoption of Ordinance 2010-13 on First Reading.
Motion carried on the following roll call vote.
HOUSING ORDINANCE
Public Hearing will be held on November 9, 2010 at 8:00 pm.
MOTION SECOND NAME YEAS NAYS ABSTAIN ABSENT
X Gara X
X Lobell X
Carra X
Laggini X
Wilson X
Lamaestra X
Ordinance 2010-14
Council President Carra and Councilman Lobell seconded the adoption of Ordinance 2010-14 on First Reading.
Motion carried on the following roll call vote.
BOND ORDINANCE PROVIDING AN APPROPRIATION OF $386,636 FOR VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS AND PURPOSES FOR AND BY THE
BOROUGH OF RARITAN, IN THE COUNTY OF SOMERSET, NEW JERSEY, APPROPRIATING $367,304 THEREOF AND AUTHORIZING THE
ISSUANCE OF BONDS OR NOTES OF THE BOROUGH TO FINANCE PART OF THE COST THEREOF.
Public Hearing will be held on November 9, 2010 at 8:00 pm.
MOTION SECOND NAME YEAS NAYS ABSTAIN ABSENT
Gara X
X Lobell X
X Carra X
Laggini X
Wilson X
Lamaestra X
RESOLUTIONS
2010 RESOLUTION
NEW JERSEY HISTORIC TRUST GARDEN STATE
HISTORIC PRESERVATION TRUST FUND
Councilman Lamaestra moved to approve the following resolution and was seconded by Councilwoman Gara.
Motion carried on the following roll call vote.
BE IT RESOLVED by the Borough Council of the Borough of Raritan that the New Jersey Historic Trust Garden State
Historic Preservation Trust Fund 2010 Capital Preservation Level II Grant Application requesting the amount of
$322,492 for Phase 3 Repair and Restoration (project total cost of $644,985) of the Relief Hose No. 2 Firehouse
located at 16 Anderson Street (a.k.a. 16 Anderson Street Firehouse) is hereby endorsed and approved for submittal
to the New Jersey Historic Trust.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Borough Council that the Borough of Raritan certifies that it has matching funds in hand,
as required by the application, in the amount of $322,584.
MOTION SECOND NAME YEAS NAYS ABSTAIN ABSENT
X Gara X
Lobell X
Carra X
Laggini X
Wilson X
X Lamaestra
RESOLUTION
RAILROAD MONTHLY PARKING REFUND
Councilman Lobell moved to approve the following resolution and was seconded by Councilman Laggini.
Motion carried on the following roll call vote.
WHEREAS, the Administrator has informed the CFO that the purchaser of a monthly parking decal sticker has returned
the unused portion of the sticker and has requested that his/her money be refunded.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Raritan Borough Council that the CFO is hereby authorized to refund monthly
Railroad Parking Decals to the following commuters:
Michael Reeder, 12 Seminde Road, Skillman, NJ 08558 Oct. to Dec. 2010 = $120.00
Gao Xun Wu, 12 Colmart Way, Bridgewater, NJ 08807 Oct. to Dec. 2010 = $120.00
Helen Gucwa, 741 Holmdel Road, Holmdel, NJ 07733 Oct. to Dec. 2010 = $120.00
Robert Colonna, 588 Cabot Hill Road, Bridgewater, NJ 08807 Oct. to Dec. 2010 = $120.00
MOTION SECOND NAME YEAS NAYS ABSTAIN ABSENT
Gara X
X Lobell X
Carra X
X Laggini X
Wilson X
Lamaestra X
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Council President Carra reported for the Finance, Environmental Commission and Courts. She noted the 2010 Added
Assessments totaled $1,038,459.00. Council President reported on the discussion of the addition of an environmental
sustainability element to the Master Plan and the Somerset County recycling program.
Councilman Laggini made a motion to approve the purchase order request relating to Meet Your Neighbor Day.
The motion was seconded by Council President Carra. Motion carried.
MOTION SECOND NAME YEAS NAYS ABSTAIN ABSENT
Gara X
Lobell X
X Carra X
X Laggini X
Wilson X
Lamaestra X
Councilman Laggini reported for the Fire Department and thanked the Fire, Police, and Public Works Departments for
all their efforts on Meet Your Neighbor Day. He also thanked the volunteers and contributors of donations.
Councilwoman Wilson reported for the Board of Health, Vital Statistics office and the Somerset County Health Department.
She noted that the Raritan Flu Shot clinic will be held on October 20, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Councilwoman Wilson acknowledged October as Breast Cancer Awareness month. She congratulated Councilman Laggini and
the Meet Your Neighbor Day committee on a great job.
Councilman Lamaestra offered the Department of Public Works report. He explained the DPW staff encountered a large
sewer rat and referenced a picture. Councilman Lamaestra congratulated Councilman Laggini and the Meet Your
Neighbor Day committee on the success of the event.
Councilwoman Gara:
POLICE
Congratulations to Sergeant David Malina who completed Traffic Crash Reconstruction on Friday October 1, 2010 at
the Middlesex County Fire Academy. This class was taught by The Institute of Police Technology and Management
which is a direct support organization of the University of North Florida. The class started on September 20th 2010
and ended on October 1, 2010 with a 5 hour final exam. Sgt Malina received training in understanding vehicle
dynamics, time and distance calculations, angular momentum and impact speed calculations using momentum equations.
Prior to attending this training Sgt Malina had to receive training in Accident Crash 1 (2 week course),
Accident Crash 2 (2 week course) and Vehicle Dynamics (1 week course) all taught by the Northwestern University
Traffic Institute. Sgt Malina is currently a member of the Somerset County Fatal Crash Unit which responds to
motor vehicle crashes within the county that involve a fatality or serious bodily injury. Congratulations again to him.
A special commendation was awarded to Det Thomas Fisher by the Raritan Borough Police Department for assisting
in the apprehension of a wanted individual. Det Fisher who was off duty at the time received information of
the whereabouts of an individual and diligently forwarded this information to the proper authorities.
This information led to the arrest of this suspect. Det Fisher showed his commitment to his profession by performing
his service as a police office even while off duty. He deserves to be commended for his actions.
“The safety of our children is vital and having your child's car safety seat checked is something the Raritan
Police Department and the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department take seriously. It doesn’t take much time but it
could make a big difference in the event of a crash. On October 7, 2010 Lt Robert Ludwig assisted the Somerset
County Sheriff’s Department with a second planned Child Safety Seat Inspection between the hours of 1pm and 4pm
at Washington School. Even though the amount of participation from the public was light the police department
still feels the event was a success. If one life can be saved due to a seat being properly installed then we
accomplished our sought after goals.
On October 7th at 6pm Lt Robert Ludwig, Chief Mark Ciesla along with the Honorable Mayor Jo-Ann Liptak attended
the Candlelight Vigil for Victims of Domestic Abuse to commemorate those who have died as a result of domestic
abuse in Somerset County and to celebrate those who have survived. This year marked the 22nd Anniversary of the
Vigil. Mayor Jo-Ann Liptak and Chief Mark Ciesla were asked to be speakers at the Vigil as well as victims of
domestic abuse and family members who have witnessed the tragedy in the lives of loved ones. The program took
place in the Somerset County Jury Assembly Room and was followed by a candlelight procession to the steps of
the Historical Court House in Somerville. The program was sponsored by The Resource Center of Somerset which
is a private, nonprofit agency which has been serving people affected by domestic abuse in Somerset County for
over 30 years. Founded by a small group of volunteers who provided emergency shelter for women escaping abusive
relationships, the Resource Center of Somerset provides services to survivors of domestic abuse, women and children,
free of charge, and has expanded services to include not only emergency shelter but legal advocacy, outreach
counseling, community education, volunteer Domestic Violence Response Teams working with local police departments,
transitional housing and more. Domestic Abuse needs to end and with joint efforts between law enforcement and
agencies like the Resource Center of Somerset great progress has already been achieved.
Over the past several years, our nation has experienced a growing trend of mass violence committed by individuals.
These episodes, described as “active shooter” incidents, are unique in that the suspect or suspects’ behavior
differs from that typically associated with other violent attacks. These suspect(s) generally begin to shoot
at, injure, and kill numbers of people without warning. The motives for these behaviors can range from rage
to vengeance, or may be a result of mental dysfunction. Mandatory Policy and Training was instituted by the
New Jersey State Attorney General’s Office in 2007 for all law enforcement to follow. In April of 2010
Raritan Borough Police Lt Kenneth McCormick attended training in the Response to An Active Shooter (train the trainer)
at the Somerset County Police Academy. Training consisted of 40 hrs of classroom and tactical maneuvers.
On Saturday October 9th 2010 ten (10) members of the Raritan Borough Police Department participated in an 8 hr training
session with Lt McCormick at a Somerset County Facility in Hillsborough NJ. A second such training session is
scheduled for later in the week for the remainder of police department personnel.
On Sunday October 10, 2010 between 12pm and 4pm members of the Raritan Police Department participated in the
5th Annual Meet Your Neighbor Day which was held at the Frelinghuysen Park on Sherman Ave. The Police Department
continues to educate residents on bicycle safety and Safety Helmets were given to individuals who needed them
along with coloring books for the children. The helmets were left over from our bicycle safety week campaign in
July of this past summer. Thanks again to Tracy Noble of AAA who donated these helmets to the police department
at the beginning of the summer. Wearing helmets can save lives and prevent injuries. The event was a success
and compliments of a job well done are extended to Councilman Laggini and all who participated and helped
planning this event.
CHAMBER
The Chamber wants to invite all residents to come “Visit with Santa” in the Quick Check parking lot on
Sunday, December 5, 2010, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please save the date.
PLANNING BOARD
No news to report.
Councilwoman Gara made a motion to approve the purchase order request for Lawman Supply Co. of NJ in the amount
of $1,766.88. The motion was seconded by Councilman Lobell. Motion carried.
MOTION SECOND NAME YEAS NAYS ABSTAIN ABSENT
X Gara X
X Lobell X
Carra X
Laggini X
Wilson X
Lamaestra X
Councilman Lobell reported for Recreation, Basilone Parade Committee, and the Library Board of Trustees.
He thanked the Police and Public Works Departments for their assistance during the Basilone Parade weekend events.
Mayor Liptak noted the Mayor Liptak reported on various items of correspondence.
She thanked the Resource Center of Somerset County for including her in the Candle Light Vigil for
Victims of Domestic Abuse.
Mayor Liptak encouraged everyone to participate in the Adopt-A-Family program for Thanksgiving.
OLD BUSINESS
None
NEW BUSINESS
None
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Michael Patente, 30 Glaser Avenue: Apologized for his limited number of copies of the articles.
Anthony De Cicco, 10 Anderson Street: He questioned the status of Willow Walk.
Councilwoman Gara and Stanley J. Schrek noted the site plan needs to be submitted.
Adele: She expressed her concern regarding the painting of crosswalks and pedestrian safety on Thompson & Orlando,
Busky Lane & Orlando, and Wall Street.
Jim Foohey, 710 Rhine Blvd.: He questioned the status of the Cell tower approval.
ADJOURNMENT
Councilwoman Gara moved to adjourn the meeting and seconded by Councilman Lobell. Motion carried.
Meeting adjourned at 9:08 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Rayna E. Harris, RMC
Borough Clerk