Franklin Township Council Regular Meeting - April 25, 2023
Franklin Township Council Regular Meeting - April 25, 2023
The Franklin Township Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at 7:00 PM in the Municipal Building Council Chambers. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation by Councilwoman Crystal Pruitt, followed by roll call. Key items included four proclamations, extensive public testimony regarding the proposed B9 Schoolhouse warehouse development, and unanimous approval of the consent agenda, ordinances, and warrants.
Commendations & Proclamations
- Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust Proclamation: Mayor Philip Kramer read the proclamation for April 16–23, 2023. Rabbi Yosef Carlebach spoke, emphasizing the significance of Yom Hashoah and the need to combat hatred. A community member, Toby Kramer, whose parents were Holocaust survivors, expressed thanks.
- Police Department Accreditation Certificate: Representatives from NJSACOP presented an accreditation certificate to Public Safety Director Quovella Maeweather and Detective Robert Young. The department exceeded 112 state standards and has maintained accreditation for years.
- 2023 Arbor Day Proclamation: Councilman James Vassanella read the proclamation, designating April 29, 2023, as Arbor Day in Franklin Township. The Shade Tree Commission noted a tree planting event at Franklin High School on April 29 from 1–3 PM and highlighted the township's 21 years as a Tree City USA.
- Sierra Leone Anniversary Proclamation: Councilman Charles Oni Jaka read the proclamation declaring April 27, 2023, as Sierra Leone Day. Members of the Sierra Leone community spoke, emphasizing unity and thanking the township for ongoing support. A moment of silence was observed for community leader Kadi Mansaray, who died of COVID-19.
Public Comments & Testimony
Public comments focused heavily on the proposed B9 Schoolhouse warehouse development near Canal Walk. Key speakers and points:
- Toby Kramer (55 Bryan Court): Thanked council for the Holocaust proclamation; her parents were survivors.
- Canal Walk resident (name not given): Criticized Howard Cohen, the HOA representative, for negotiating with the developer and township without resident input. She said over 500 residents signed petitions opposing Cohen's role. She objected to Cohen's letter claiming he secured mitigation, including tree replacement payments to the township tree fund, and argued the residents were excluded from meetings. Mayor Kramer responded that Cohen met with township staff and the developer to seek concessions (e.g., no-stopping zones, signage) and that residents should take concerns to their HOA board.
- Michael Bryan (40 Bryan Court): Asked for clarification on whether mitigation proposals were submitted to the Planning Board. Mayor Kramer stated they were never submitted or rejected; meetings were facilitated between the HOA attorney and developer to incorporate design changes. The Township Manager added that no written agreement existed.
- Joe Hoffman (5 Congress Court): Claimed Cohen attempted to present a resolution at a January 4 Planning Board meeting but was told by Chairman Orsini that the items were already in the application.
- Marlon Kwan (28 J's Corner): Criticized the council for the December 2020 rezoning that led to many warehouse applications, alleging false testimony. He argued that staff should be held accountable. Mayor Kramer denied any conspiracy and noted the B9 site had been zoned for industrial use since the 1990s.
- Johnny Tibbs (25 Parkside): Thanked the police, the Sierra Leone community, and the newspaper. He demanded township job creation for at-risk youth in the Fourth Ward, warning of a dangerous summer. He also defended his newspaper from perceived pressure.
- Terry Thorson (18 Labed Drive): Proposed ordinances requiring more EV charging stations and mandating solar panels on new flat-roof buildings.
- Sudir Shah (74 Bryan Court, Canal Walk): Noted the irony of celebrating Arbor Day while B9 would remove 850 trees. He questioned whether township professionals recommended the mitigation listed in Cohen's letter. He argued that senior communities pay significant taxes and receive little, and urged the council to stop the warehouse.
- Eleanor Ogan (9 Republic Rose): Shared a personal story about family members affected by industrial pollution (coal mining, asbestos). She pleaded with the town to act against pollution from warehouses.
- Canal Walk resident (name not given): Cited a Bridgewater zoning change case where health and safety exceptions were allowed to bypass the "time of application" rule. She asked why the council could not use a similar approach to stop B9. Mayor Kramer clarified that zoning amendments are different from health and safety ordinances and that the Bridgewater case is under appeal.
Council Comments & Reports
- Councilwoman Udin: Encouraged residents to reach out for accurate information and noted upcoming traffic studies funded in the budget.
- Councilman Vassanella: Emphasized that government's priority should be protecting public health and safety. He recalled the strong West African community bonds.
- Deputy Mayor Embarrasson: Addressed youth employment by promoting CDL training programs funded through CDBG grants. He also highlighted Dream Cricket Academy and the Franklin Food Bank fundraiser on April 30.
- Mayor Kramer: Warned of a severe tick season and recommended updated COVID bivalent vaccines for older adults.
- Township Manager: Promoted a Meadows Foundation tea leaf reading event on May 7 at the Hageman House and responded to an email from a resident (Mrs. Brandt) clarifying that the township never directed Premier Development to abandon their congregate care plan; the developer chose to sell due to pandemic impacts.
- Councilwoman Francois: Announced the one-year anniversary of the Youth Center on May 20, from 12–2 PM (ceremony) and 3–7 PM (festival).
Key Outcomes
- Approval of Minutes: Unanimously approved the work session/regular meeting minutes of April 11, 2023.
- Approval of Warrants: Unanimously approved warrants totaling $2,185,192.56 for April 25, 2023.
- Public Hearing & Adoption of Ordinance on Second Reading: Ordinance No. 4407-23 (CAP budget) was unanimously adopted.
- Ordinance on Introduction & First Reading: Ordinance No. 4408-23 (conservation easement from EL-ION Franklin Development Group) was introduced unanimously. Public hearing set for May 9, 2023.
- Consent Agenda (Resolutions #23-126 through #23-164): Unanimously approved, including:
- Award of bid for Equator Ave Area Resurfacing ($746,683.95)
- Tax title lien redemptions
- Refund of water overpayments
- Tax appeal refund for 101 Pierce Street ($49,653.80 total)
- Refunds for construction water meter escrows ($877.66 and $158.61)
- Release of planning review escrows for three properties ($2,520.50, $1,838.53, $7,061.46)
- Authorization for out-of-state conference (Denver, June 8–12)
- Two grant applications for COPS Hiring FY2023 and COPS Community Policing Development
- Special event permits for Everytown for Gun Safety (June 3), Snyder's Farm (April 29), St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church (June 9–11), Apna Bazar Farmers Market (May 6), Praise Presbyterian Church (July 9)
- Person-to-person liquor license transfer (Somerset Hotel Manager LLC)
- Stormwater detention facility maintenance agreements for two properties
- Fireworks display at The Palace at Somerset Park (May 2023)
- Award of state contract for police ammunition ($59,233.81)
- Police Department Annual Report: Postponed.
- No Executive Session: Meeting adjourned at approximately 9:20 PM.
Meeting Transcript
The Open Public Meeting Act of the State of New Jersey, adequate notice of this work session regular meeting of the Franklin Township Council was made by the posting on the bulletin board in the municipal building. The township website electronically transmitted to the officially designated newspapers, indicating that this work session regular meeting would take place in the municipal building. Council chambers at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25th, 2023. Thank you. If we could all stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for the invocation by Councilman Francois. Hear our supplications and through thy infinite love and mercy, graciously grant us the strength and power in our thoughts and our decisions. Amen. Councilwoman Francois here. Mayor Kramer. Here. Councilman Oni Jaka? Yeah. Councilmember Botasnik. Councilwoman Pruitt. Councilwoman Udin. Councilman Vassanella. Councilman. Well played, Councilman Vassanella. We're now on to proclamations and commendations. I'm going to do them a little bit out of order to accommodate some people. If we could do the days of remembrance for victims of the Holocaust first. So I'll read the proclamation, and then I'm going to ask the rabbi to speak. Whereas the Holocaust was a state-sponsored systematic persecution and annihilation of European Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945. And whereas Jews were the primary victim of the Holocaust, with six million people murdered, millions of others targeted because of race, ethnicity, physical and developmental disabilities, sexuality, or nationality, Soviet prisoners of war and political dissidents also suffered oppression and death under the Nazi tyranny. And whereas the days of remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust have been set aside for the people of Franklin Township to remember the inhumanity of those who perpetuated the Holocaust as well as to reflect upon the need for respect of all people, and whereas the township of Franklin joins the nation in commemorating the victims of the Holocaust, the survivors and their liberators, and encourages our community to strike out to overcome intolerance and indifference throughout through learning and remembrance. Now therefore I, Philip Kramer, mayor of the Township of Franklin, County of Somerset State of New Jersey, on behalf of the Township Council do hereby proclaim April 16th through 23rd 2023 as days of remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust in the Township of Franklin and commend its observance to all citizens. Thank you very much. Mayor Kramer, on behalf of Franklin's Jewish community, I expressed my profound appreciation for this proclamation. And thank you also to the members of the Township Council. You may be wondering, or you may not be, why there are two Holocaust Remembrance Days. They chose that date because that was when the Russians liberated the Auschwitz Birkenau death camp. The Knesset, the Parliament of the State of Israel, established a different day, the 27th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan, or what we call Yom Hashoa de Hagvura, Holocaust and Heroes Memorial Day. The Knesset chose this date because that is the Hebrew date of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which began on that day, April 19th, 1943. On that day, the Nazis were planning to evacuate the Warsaw ghetto and send everybody en masse to Auschwitz. With a handful of smuggled weapons, the participants in the uprising managed to kill about 150 Nazis, which in itself was miraculous. It gave Jews a precious shred of dignity in the darkest days of the war. The uprising, of course, was a hopeless cause from the start. The participants all knew that. And nearly every Jew who participated was murdered immediately. Nonetheless, the date is symbolically important because it is one of the days that Jews stood up and fought and refused to go like lambs to the slaughter. The uprising gives us a tiny bit of sucor in light of the now clear historical fact that the Allies knew exactly what was happening for years and years and did absolutely nothing. FDR wanted no Jewish refugees, so no refugees were saved. These two Holocaust days, one in January, one in the spring, are very different. The United Nations date in winter remembers Jews whom the Nazis killed as if they were insects. The Jewish Yohashoa Day in the spring remembers not only these victims, but the heroes as well, those who stood up and used their last bit of energy to scream no before dying as martyrs. In the Torah, Exodus chapter 34, verse 6, Moses describes God as compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the southern to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. I read that verse, and I often consider God's patience in amazement. The world, in my opinion, does not really deserve such divine patience. I think about the Ten Commandments, and I envision God saying, I said, do not murder.
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