[00:00:10]
AND AS THEY'RE COMING IN, I'LL GIVE MY BRIEF REMARKS.MAKE SURE MY TIMER IS OFF. SO THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN WILL BE HOSTING ITS WOMEN'S CELEBRATION ON THIS SATURDAY. WE WILL BE CELEBRATING AND HONORING FOUR PHENOMENAL WOMEN THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
EXCUSE ME, OUR GUEST SPEAKER IS BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN FROM CD 12.
WE ALSO LATE LAST MONTH, EARLY PART OF FEBRUARY AND PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT OUR OWN JOHN MCDONALD, WHO IS OUR PROSECUTOR, WAS HONORED WITH AN AWARD FOR PUBLIC SAFETY APPRECIATION, AND THE THEME WAS TOGETHER IN SERVICE AND CELEBRATING COURAGE, COMMITMENT AND COMMUNITY.
AND AGAIN, THIS RECOGNITION IS A POWERFUL TESTAMENT TO HIS EXEMPLARY LEADERSHIP, UNWAVERING INTEGRITY, AND STEADFAST COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND JUSTICE.
IT WAS HILARIOUS. OUR OWN SHERIFF DID NOT PLAY, BUT HE TRIED TO HOLD THE BALL FROM US AND WE GOT ON DEFENSE AND WE STOLE THE BALL A COUPLE OF TIMES. WE DID A COUPLE OF LAYUPS AND FINGER ROLLS, SO IT WAS A GREAT TIME BY ALL.
OF COURSE, THE YOUNG PEOPLE, THE STUDENTS WON BY A LANDSLIDE.
BUT I WASN'T GOING TO SAY IT. BUT CERTAINLY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO PLAY AGAINST OUR SHERIFF'S OFFICERS AND INTERACT IN THE COMMUNITY ABLE TO COME OUT AND ENJOY THE FESTIVITIES.
AND THEN LET'S BE REMINDED THAT THE SOMERSET PATRIOTS OPENING DAY IS APRIL 3RD.
SO DID YOU DO THE DRAWING FOR THE COMMUNITY BOX? I DID. OKAY. SO OUR DEPUTY DIRECTOR HAS DONE THE DRAWINGS, AND WE WILL BE ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE SOMERSET COUNTY BOX. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO ANOTHER GREAT SEASON.
YEAH. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE. SO. THANK YOU.
SO WE HAVE A COUPLE OF PROCLAMATIONS. ONE OF THEM IS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AWARENESS MONTH.
IS THAT THE FIRST ONE WE'RE DOING? I THINK SO. OKAY. SO HI.
HI THERE. I'M LIZ. NICE TO MEET YOU. NICE TO MEET YOU. NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO. AND YOU'RE FROM? I AM REPRESENTING THE NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY AS THE NEARLY 1 MILLION PEOPLE WHO LIVE WITH MS. I AM ONE OF THEM. OKAY. WORLDWIDE. MICROPHONE.
OH, SORRY. NO. NO WORRIES. OH, SURE. SURE. OF COURSE.
I JUST PUT THAT DOWN. SO WORLDWIDE, THERE'S ALMOST 3 MILLION PEOPLE LIVING WITH MS. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU. IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE TO RECEIVE THE PROCLAMATION.
THIS WEEK IS NATIONAL MS AWARENESS WEEK, AS WELL AS MARCH BEING NATIONAL MS AWARENESS MONTH.
I'M GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT. THE RECOGNITION AND THE PROCLAMATION REALLY JUST MAKES IT VERY APPARENT THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE STANDING BEHIND US, RIGHT? ADVOCATING FOR US. FOR BOTH THE WARRIORS WHO ARE FIGHTING THE DISEASE.
THE DISEASE IS OFTEN NOTED AS THE UNSEEN DISEASE BECAUSE IT'S VERY DIFFERENT IN EVERY PERSON WHO'S EXPERIENCING MS. AND WE'RE OFTEN REFERRED TO AS WARRIORS AND OUR CAREGIVERS ARE WARRIORS AS WELL.
AND TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU, DIRECTOR ROBINSON AND EVERYBODY ELSE HERE FOR THE RECOGNITION AND ALLOWING ME TO ACCEPT THAT RECOGNITION. VICKY, IT'S AN HONOR TO HAVE YOU HERE.
[00:05:04]
SYSTEM, AFFECTING NEARLY 1 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES ALONE, AND MOST PEOPLE ARE DIAGNOSED WITH MS BETWEEN AGES 20 AND 50.AN ESTIMATED 10,000 CHILDREN LIVE WITH MS WORLDWIDE.
THE EXACT CAUSE IS UNKNOWN AND NO CURE CURRENTLY EXISTS.
SINCE 1946, THE NATIONAL MS SOCIETY HAS BEEN COMMITTED TO A WORLD FREE OF MS. RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT THE DISEASE AND ELEVATING THE VOICES OF THOSE AFFECTED BY US, AND HAS INVESTED MORE THAN $1 BILLION IN GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH.
SOMERSET COUNTY RECOGNIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF FINDING THE CAUSE AND CURES FOR MS, AND EXPRESSES ITS APPRECIATION FOR THE DEDICATION THAT THE NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY, NEW JERSEY, METRO CHAPTER HAS SHOWN TOWARD CREATING A WORLD FREE OF.
MS.. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. WANT TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THAT? AND OUR NEXT WELL IS THE NEXT ONE IS LIVING WELL MONTH WITH THE RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION.
IS IN RECOGNITION OF LIVING WELL MONTH TO THE RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION.
WHEREAS RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION OF SOMERSET COUNTY, A UNIT OF THE NEW JERSEY AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTAL STATION AT RUTGERS UNIVERSITY AND A DEPARTMENT UNDER THE HUMAN SERVICES DIVISION, PROVIDES RESEARCH BASED EDUCATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON ISSUES AFFECTING PEOPLE'S LIVES IN AGRICULTURE, THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, FOOD SECURITY, NUTRITION, HEALTH AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. AND RCE PROVIDES RESOURCES THAT PROMOTE PHYSICAL HEALTH, EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE, STRONG RELATIONSHIPS, LIFELONG LEARNING, FINANCIAL WELL-BEING, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, WORKPLACE READINESS, AND THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE STRENGTH OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND CONTRIBUTE TO AN IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE ACROSS THE LIFESPAN. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO WELL-BEING RECOGNIZES THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF THE EIGHT COMPONENTS OF WELLNESS.
INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WHO ARE SUPPORTED IN THESE AREAS ARE BETTER EQUIPPED TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS, ADAPT TO LIFE'S CHALLENGES, AND CONTRIBUTE POSITIVELY TO THEIR COMMUNITIES.
WHEREAS, THE DESIGNATION OF EXTENSION LIVING WELL MONTH RECOGNIZES THE RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION FAMILY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH SCIENCES PROFESSIONALS WHO WORK TO ENHANCE WELL-BEING AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGH EDUCATION GROUNDED IN THE EIGHT COMPONENTS OF WELLNESS.
SO THIS IS FOR YOU GUYS. YOU'RE WELCOME. SO IF YOU GUYS WANT TO SPEAK.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO COLLABORATE. AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YES.
WE HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO THE PLANNING BOARD, R26-553 LAMBDA.
[APPOINTMENTS]
IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE. SO MOVED. SECOND.ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMISSIONER GRANER? YES. COMMISSIONER MARANO? YES. COMMISSIONER SOOY? YES. DEPUTY DIRECTOR DRAKE? YES. DIRECTOR ROBINSON? YES. IS THERE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM OUR FEBRUARY 24TH MEETING?
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
SECOND. ROLL CALL, PLEASE. COMMISSIONER GRANER? YES. COMMISSIONER MARANO? YES. COMMISSIONER SOOY? YES. DEPUTY DIRECTOR DRAKE? YES. DIRECTOR ROBINSON? YES. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTIONS 26-500 THROUGH 26-508?[CONSENT AGENDA]
[00:10:01]
SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMISSIONER GRANER? YES. COMMISSIONER MARANO? YES. COMMISSIONER SOOY? YES. DEPUTY DIRECTOR DRAKE? YES. DIRECTOR ROBINSON? YES. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTIONS 26-509 THROUGH 26-517?[AWARD OF CONTRACTS]
SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMISSIONER GRANER? YES. COMMISSIONER MARANO? YES. COMMISSIONER SOOY? YES. DEPUTY DIRECTOR DRAKE? YES. DIRECTOR ROBINSON? YES. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTIONS 26-518 THROUGH 26-552?[FINANCE]
SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMISSIONER GRANER? YES. COMMISSIONER MARANO? YES. COMMISSIONER SOOY? YES. DEPUTY DIRECTOR DRAKE? YES. DIRECTOR ROBINSON? YES. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTIONS 26-554 THROUGH 26-558?[ITEMS ADDED FROM THE MARCH 10, 2026 WORK SESSION TO BE ADOPTED TONIGHT]
SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMISSIONER GRANER? YES. COMMISSIONER MARANO? YES. COMMISSIONER SOOY? YES. DEPUTY DIRECTOR DRAKE? YES. DIRECTOR ROBINSON? YES. IS THERE A MOTION TO OPEN TO THE PUBLIC THIS PORTION OF OUR MEETING?[PUBLIC]
MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? ALL IN FAVOR? YEAH.ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC WISHING TO SPEAK? COME FORWARD.
FIVE MINUTES. NO YIELDING, NO TIME, NO COMING UP A SECOND TIME.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD.
MY NAME IS ELLEN MELVIN, I COUNTY IN TERMS OF THANK YOU. WE ACTUALLY DID THE TRUST ACT. WE DID THAT RESOLUTION ALREADY.
SO THAT'S HALF THE BATTLE. AND WE WILL CONSIDER WITH THE COUNTY PROPERTIES AND FACILITIES AND OR BUILDINGS, SO UNDER ADVISEMENT. SO THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME.
ANYONE ELSE? NO ONE ELSE. ALL RIGHT. SEEING NO ONE ELSE.
IS THERE A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC PORTION OF THIS MEETING? MOTION.
SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYES HAVE IT. WE DO HAVE EXECUTIVE SESSION.
[EXECUTIVE]
COUNTY COUNCIL. WE DO, WE NEED A MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS MATTERS UNDER THE EXCLUDED FROM THE PROVISIONS OF THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT.SPECIFICALLY A GRANT FOR APPLICATION FOR PUBLIC LAND IN GLADSTONE AND THE CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS, POTENTIAL FINANCING OF C-PACE FUNDING FOR THE NATIRAR 90-ACRE PARCEL OF THE PARK. WE WILL NOT TAKE ANY PUBLIC ACTION AND ADJOURN DIRECTLY THEREFROM.
SO MOVED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYES HAVE IT.
GOOD NIGHT AND BE WELL.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.