I hope this message finds you and your family healthy and safe. I recognize that these are challenging times and I thank everyone for observing the stay at home order and social distancing guidelines. We are fortunate to be part of a community in which residents generously support one another, whether through organized efforts or just small acts of kindness. – Marjorie Fox
The next Common Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 28 at its regular time of 7:30PM. Once again, members of the public will be able to view the meeting by remote access. Members of Common Council, Mayor Radest, and city staff will be participating electronically in this meeting. Every Common Council meeting is broadcast live on HTTV Verizon channel 30 and Comcast channels 36 and 34. The meeting will also be broadcast live on the city’s YouTube Channel.
To provide for public input, Common Council will accept comments and questions in advance of the meeting and during the meeting by email at cityclerk@cityofsummit.org.To have a question read during the meeting, the full name of the sender must be listed in the body of the email. If possible, include a few words indicating the topic of the question or comment in the subject line of the email. Only emails properly identified with the full name of the sender will be read publicly during the meeting.
Our agenda will be brief as we are only addressing matters necessary for the continuing operation of government at these remote meetings.
Once again, we will have a brief presentation from our Office of Emergency Management on the city’s COVID-19 response.
The Safety and Health Committee will introduce three resolutions. First, council will be voting to confirm the Mayor’s appointment of a new Police Chief. As you may know, Police Chief Robert Weck has announced his retirement effective June 1. We thank Chief Weck for 10 years of excellent leadership and service to our community and look forward to working with his successor. The second resolution will amend the date and location for the Summit Farmer’s Market to comply with social distancing guidelines. The market will be relocated to the Park and Shop Lot #1 on Deforest Avenue at the corner of Woodland Avenue on Sundays beginning May 10. The larger lot will allow for a better flow of shoppers and new procedures will be put in place to minimize contact. The third resolution authorizes submission of a New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety Pedestrian Safety, Enforcement and Education Fund grant application for $15,000 to fund additional officer details and educational materials to promote pedestrian safety.
The Community Programs and Parking Services Committee will introduce a resolution to extend the city’s temporary parking rules, which were originally approved from March 24, to April 28. This extension will continue through May 26, 2020, in an effort to assist the community at large and to support our local businesses in the Central Retail Business District. As before, the rules will waive parking fees at all city lots and meters. Parking time limits will continue to be enforced and vehicles parked in an unsafe manner will still be ticketed.
Lastly, the Capital Projects and Community Services Committee will introduce two resolutions. The first is to award the bid in the Safe Streets to Transit Project. This grant-funded project includes safety improvements to four intersections approaching the New Jersey Transit Train Station -- Summit Avenue and Franklin Place, Broad Street and Summit Avenue, Maple Street and Union Place and Maple Street and Railroad Avenue. The second resolution authorizes the Environmental Commission to submit a grant application for $1500 to the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) Open Space Stewardship Grants program. This grant would support the installation of a rain gardens at the Summit Community Center. This project will also feature an educational and outreach component to engage the public in topics related to environmental stewardship and sustainability.
To view the complete Common Council agenda, go to https://www.cityofsummit.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/463?fileID=21121
Next Council Meeting: Tuesday, May 12, 2020.
https://www.cityofsummit.org/DocumentCenter/View/4085/Council-President-Agenda-Preview-042820