EAST AMWELL PLANNING BOARD MINUTES
January 9, 2008 at 7:30 PM East Amwell
Municipal Building
Call to Order, Attendance and Pledge of Allegiance
This meeting of the East
Amwell Planning Board was opened on January 9, 2008 at 7:30 PM. The following
notice was read, “In compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act, this is a
regularly scheduled meeting and reorganization meeting pursuant to the annual
meeting notice as published in the January 25, 2007 and December 20, 2007 issue
of the Hunterdon County Democrat, a copy of the agenda for this meeting was
forwarded to the Hunterdon County Democrat, filed in the Township Clerk’s
Office and posted on the bulletin board on January 3, 2008.”
Present: Roberta Canfield
Fred
Gardner
Gail
Glashoff
Linda Lenox
Don
Reilly, Chairman
Dart
Sageser
Michael
Weis
Joe
Wolfgang
Roger
DeLay
Excused: Robert Gilbert
Bela
Kamensky
Administrative Officer
Andrews introduced new Board members: Roberta Canfield and Roger DeLay. The Board welcomed them.
Ms. Andrews asked for
nominations for the Board’s Chair. A motion by Gail Glashoff, seconded by Linda
Lenox to nominate Don Reilly as the Board Chair was made. Hearing no other
nominations, a motion by Fred Gardner, seconded by Michael Weis to close the nominations
was approved. The Board unanimously approved Mr. Reilly’s nomination and congratulated
him. Chair Reilly took over the meeting.
Chair Reilly asked for
nominations for the Board’s Vice Chair. A motion by Linda Lenox, seconded by
Dart Sageser to nominate Fred Gardner was made. Hearing no other nominations, a
motion by Gail Glashoff, seconded by Linda Lenox to close the nominations was
approved. The Board unanimously approved Mr. Gardner’s nomination and
congratulated him.
The Application Review Committee
(ARC) will be chaired by Michael Weis. Fred Gardner will be Vice Chair, and
Gail Glashoff will serve on the Committee with Dart Sageser and Roberta
Canfield serving as alternates.
A motion by Gail Glashoff,
seconded by Linda Lenox to appoint Maria Andrews as the Board’s Administrative
Officer was unanimously approved.
East Amwell Township Planning Board Minutes – January
9, 2008
A motion by Michael Weis,
seconded by Gail Glashoff to appoint Chris Norman as the Board’s Attorney and
approve his contract was unanimously approved.
A motion by Fred Gardner,
seconded by Linda Lenox to appoint Frank Banisch as the Board’s Planner and
approve his contract was unanimously approved.
A motion by Roberta Canfield,
seconded by Dart Sageser to appoint Dennis O’Neal as the Board’s Engineer and
approve his contract was unanimously approved.
A motion by Linda Lenox,
seconded by Michael Weis to appoint Joe Skupien/Stormwater Management
Consulting, Inc. as the Board’s stormwater consultant and approve his contract
was unanimously approved.
A motion by Gail Glashoff,
seconded by Linda Lenox to adopt the Robert’s Rules of Order with the exception
that occasionally a member of the public is recognized to provide information
out of turn was unanimously approved.
A motion by Dart Sageser,
seconded by Fred Gardner to approve the Board’s 2008 meeting schedule was
unanimously approved.
Citizens’ Privilege to Speak on Items Not on the
Agenda
There was no public present
at the meeting.
Review of Minutes
A motion by Gail Glashoff,
seconded by Fred Gardner to approve the Board’s December 19, 2007 minutes was
approved with no revisions noted.
New Business – Other
Adoption of Board’s Goals/Priorities for 2008
There was some discussion on
the land use along Route 31 and about the standards regarding the open lands
ratio in the Amwell Valley Agricultural District. It was noted that Chair
Reilly will have a finalized list of goals and priorities completed for the
next Board meeting.
Selection/Appointment of Ad Hoc Committees/Representatives
Smart Growth II Project –
Bela Kamensky
Environmental Commission –
Dart Sageser
FOSPC Liaison – Linda Lenox
Sourland Mountain Regional
Stormwater Smart Growth Project – To be determined
East Amwell Stormwater
Committee – Joe Wolfgang
Zoning Ordinances Review
Subcommittee – Michael Weis, Fred Gardner & Gail Glashoff
Discussion: Conflicts of Interest
This discussion was focused
on a memo generated by Clerk Stahl for the benefit of all volunteers serving on
the Boards. Chair Reilly addressed the importance of Board members recognizing
when there is a legitimate conflict of interest and when they should recuse
themselves for a discussion/public hearing. Mr. Weis asked what the process was
for determining whether or not a conflict exists. Chair Reilly suggested Board
members first speak to him and then to the Board Attorney if need be.
East Amwell Township Planning Board Minutes – January
9, 2008
The responsibilities of Board
Members was also discussed. It was noted that attendance at all meetings is
very important and anyone who can’t make a meeting should notify the Board
Administrator and/or the Chair as soon as a schedule conflict becomes known.
With regard to emails, it was noted that email should only be used for
communicating facts for informational purposes. Email should not be used to
discuss, debate or decide anything.
Chair Reilly also commented
that he prefers no Board member abstains from voting. He stressed the
importance of debating and expressing different points of view and noted it was
perfectly acceptable to not always have a unanimous vote.
Oral Reports
There were no oral reports
given except for the Chairman’s report. Chair Reilly commented on his role as
the Board Chair. He explained he will facilitate debate and help the Board
reach a consensus. It was noted that it has been past practice for the Board to
allow the Chair to meet with applicants if they request a meeting. It was the
consensus of the Board to allow Chair Reilly to continue this practice.
Correspondence
Chair Reilly provided a copy
of three articles he thought may be of interest, for Ms. Andrews to provide in
the Board member’s next month’s packets. The articles were regarding a Board of
Adjustment applicant, the growing popularity of horses and The Ridge at Back
Brook.
Open to the Public
There was no public present
at the meeting.
Presentation of Vouchers
A motion by Fred Gardner,
seconded by Gail Glashoff to approve the vouchers for payment as listed on the
agenda was unanimously approved.
A motion by Dart Sageser,
seconded by Gail Glashoff to adjourn the meeting was unanimously approved.
The meeting adjourned at 9:06
PM.
________________________________
Maria Andrews, Administrative
Officer