Newly updated USRTODAY.ORG borough website: Mayor Arman Fardanesh announced the recent refresh of the borough’s website: usrtoday.org. He urged residents to familiarize themselves with it.
Annual Audit: The borough’s annual audit for the 2022 fiscal year was certified by the mayor and council.
In Memoriam Adita R. Salas: With great respect, Mayor Arman Fardanesh announced that USR Volunteer Ambulance Corps Life Member, past President, Captain, Trustee, and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Lieutenant, Adita R. Salas, passed away on August 13, 2023. An instructor, as well, in CPR and First Aid, Mrs. Salas served the borough for more than two decades and participated in 2,110 ambulance calls to residences in Upper Saddle River. The mayor said of Mrs. Salas who had been a resident of USR for many years, “She will be missed. She truly touched the lives of so many.”
Bills Paid: Bills in the amount of $7,089,465.13 were approved by the council. School information was not available.
License Plate Reader: The approval of a state contract to purchase a license plate reading system was approved by the council in the consent agenda. The cost approved was $60,750 for the camera and server.
Approved Tax Map Special Emergency Appropriation: A special appropriation of $30,000 was approved by the mayor and council for tax maps for all real property in the borough by the council in the consent agenda. This was also approved in Borough Ordinance #10-23. This appropriation will be financed over the next 5 budget years at $6,000/year.
Change Order $734,918 and $55,604 for One Lake Street Athletic Complex: $734,918 was approved by the mayor and council in the form of a change order to Applied Landscape Technologies to cover expenses at the One Lake Street Athletic Complex including turf field lighting, pickleball court lighting, additional landscaping, striping for the field, and an exhaust fan for the concession stand. This approved amount increases the overall contract for the complex.
In addition, $55,604 was also approved to be paid to Applied Landscape Technologies for Electrical Service Changes. This approved amount also increases the overall contract for the complex.
Ordinance 11-23 Introduced to Amend Chapter 98 of the Borough Code Covering the Use of One Lake Street Fields and Courts: Permits are required for the use of the pickle ball courts and the multi-purpose fields. The borough’s Recreation Director will have discretion over the approval of these permit requests.
Ordinance 12-23 was Introduced which Requires Only One Principal Use Per Lot in the Borough: This ordinance amends chapter 150 of the borough code.
Public Comments:
A resident, Wayne Duglin, commented that he was not permitted to turn onto Brook Road to get to his home because of a large funeral at a Hillside Avenue cemetery. It took him 20 minutes, he said, to turn around and get home after that.
William Spencer thanked the mayor and council for their continued focus on the border issues.
Sheryl Romano commented that the Zoom links for a recent Planning Board meeting did not work. She requested that the published links be updated.
Frank Sonnenberg thanked the mayor and council for their efforts on the water issue.
Eric Friis said that it would be nice if people in town could know what the borough departments and agencies are doing. Mayor Fardanesh said, in response, “We can work to share the police department, fire department and EMS department reports on the new USR Today website.”
Mr. Friis also asked what was happening at the TANNEC Teterboro Airport meetings that some of our council members are attending regarding air traffic. Councilwoman Drennan and Florio and Borough Administrator Preusch have been attending every meeting, Ms. Drennan stated, and she added that there need to be more noise complaints by borough residents for changes in air traffic routes to be changed. Friis also mentioned that several heritage trees had been cut down by Hardwood Trees, the principal of which is on our Shade Tree Commission.
The meeting adjourned at 8:39 pm.