BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MEETING

 

MINUTES

JANUARY 5, 2005

 

REORGANIZATION MEETING

&

REGULAR MEETING

 

OPENING STATEMENT:  Read by Mayor Warren Hagstrom.

 

This is a Reorganization and Regular Meeting of the Wanaque Board of Adjustment and adequate notice has been duly advertised by the mailing of a notice to the Suburban Trends and the Herald & News on the 3rd day of December 2004 and a notice thereof has been posted on the bulletin board in the Municipal Building and a copy thereof is on file with the Borough Clerk.

 

ROLL CALL:  Jack Dunning, William Grygus, Frank Covelli, Peter Hoffman, Ted Roberto, John Shutte, Lee Smith, Attorney Ralph Faasse and Engineer William Gregor.

 

MEMBERS ABSENT:  Don Ludwig and Chris Demetriou

 

 Mayor Hagstrom announced that William Grygus and Frank Covelli have been sworn in as Members again to the Board.

 

NOMINATION FOR CHAIRMAN: The name Jack Dunning was presented by Member Grygus, seconded by Member Covelli, no other names were presented.

 

ROLL CALL ON NOMINATION FOR CHAIRMAN: Voting yes were Members Grygus, Covelli, Hoffman, Roberto, Schutte and Smith.

 

At this point in the meeting, Chairman Dunning took over.

 

NOMINATION FOR VICE CHAIRMAN:  The name Ted Roberto was presented by Member Covelli, seconded by Member Grygus, no other names were presented.

 

ROLL CALL ON NOMINATION FOR VICE CHAIRMAN:  Voting yes were Chairman Dunning, Members Grygus, Covelli, Hoffman, Shutte and Smith.

 

NOMINATION FOR BOARD ENGINEER: The name Eng. William R. Gregor was presented by Member Covelli, seconded by Member Shutte, no other names were presented.

 

ROLL CALL ON NOMINATION FOR BOARD ENGINEER: Voting yes were Chairman Dunning, Members Grygus, Covelli, Hoffman, Roberto, Shutte and Smith.

 

NOMINATION FOR BOARD ATTORNEY: The name Ralph Faasse, Esq. was presented by Member Roberto, seconded by Member Smith, no other names were presented.

 

ROLL CALL ON NOMINATION FOR BOARD ATTORNEY:  Voting yes were Chairman Dunning, Members Grygus, Covelli, Hoffman, Roberto, Shutte and Smith.

 

ADOPTION OF EXISTING PROCEDURES AND BY-LAWS: To continue as already exists.

 

MOTION TO MAINTAIN THE EXISTING BY-LAWS: made by Member Roberto, seconded by Member Grygus, voting yes were Chairman Dunning, Members Grygus, Covelli, Hoffman, Roberto, Shutte and Smith.

 

ADOPTION OF EXISTING MEETING DATES TO CONTINUE ON THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH, AND ADOPTION OF SITE VISITS TO BE CONDUCTED THE SATURDAY PRECEDING THE MONTHLY MEETING AT 10:00 A.M.:

 

MOTION TO MAINTAIN THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH FOR THE REGULAR MEETING WITH A 7:30 P.M. WORKSHOP AND THE REGULAR MEETING WILL FOLLOW AT 8:00 P.M. AND THE SATURDAY PRIOR TO THAT MEETING FOR SITE VISITS AT 10:00 A.M.: made by Member Grygus, seconded by Member Roberto, voting yes were Chairman Dunning, Members Grygus, Covelli, Hoffman, Roberto, Shutte and Smith.

 

ADOPTION OF NEWSPAPERS: To continue with the Suburban Trends and the Herald & News:

 

MOTION TO ACCEPT AND ADOPT THE SUBURBAN TRENDS AND THE HERALD & NEWS AS THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPERS: made by Member Grygus, seconded by Member Roberto, voting yes were Chairman Dunning, Members Grygus, Covelli, Hoffman, Roberto, Shutte and Smith.

 

MOTION TO ACCEPT AND DIRECT THE BOARD SECRETARY TO ADVERTISE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT TO GIVE NOTICE OF THE MEETING DATES FOR 2005: made by Member Roberto, seconded by Member Grygus, voting yes were Chairman Dunning, Members Grygus, Covelli, Hoffman, Roberto, Shutte and Smith.

 

REGULAR MEETING

 

Salute to Flag:

 

ROLL CALL:  Chairman Jack Dunning, Members Bruce Grygus, Frank Covelli, Peter Hoffman, Ted Roberto, John Shutte, Lee Smith, Attorney Ralph Faasse and Engineer William Gregor.

 

APPLICATION #15-04 “MKR” Enterprises/Tree Tavern, 17 Park Street, Block 240 Lot 3 Bulk & Use Variance:

The Board Secretary was faxed a letter on January 4, 2005 from William P. Bartel, Esq. requesting to carry the application.

 

MOTION TO CARRY APPLICATION TO THE FEBRUARY 2, 2005 MEETING: made by Member Roberto, seconded by Member Shutte, voting yes were Chairman Dunning, Members Grygus, Covelli, Hoffman, Roberto, Shutte and Smith.

 

APPLICATION #02-04 Stanislaw & Olga Tokarz, 48 Furnace Ave., Block 219 Lot 1.01 Bulk & Use Variance:

Mr. Tokarz and John P. Miceli, Land Surveyor, 31 Locust St., Haskell, N.J.  came forward. Mr. Miceli said he came tonight in order to clear up a few problems on this application. Atty. Faasse proceeded to swear in Mr. Miceli. Mr. Miceli said he was a Licensed Surveyor in the State of N.J.

Mr. Miceli told the Board, they have the latest plans that he has prepared along with Engineer Rotonda’s dated December 22, 2004. Chairman Dunning said these plans weren’t received to the Borough until December 29, 2004, which is not 10 days before the meeting. Mr. Miceli said they had a problem with Gene Rotonda who is Engineer Rotonda’s brother who usually does Mr. Miceli’s engineering. Mr. Miceli said he finally got in touch with another brother Nick Rotonda and asked him to do these plans as a favor to Mr. Miceli. Mr. Miceli expressed mailed the plans to Engineer Gregor and to the Borough as quickly as he could.

Chairman Dunning said the third revision from the architect is dated November 2004 and Eng. Gregor said the copy he received is not sealed. Mr. Miceli told the Board what happened with the original plans from the architect. The architect had used a copy of the previous survey to get the distances on the existing house. Mr. Miceli went out there and double checked his distances and sent the architect a copy of this survey with the corrected existing distances on it and Mr. Miceli assumed he added to these plans. Mr. Miceli went on to say that the correct distances should be on the existing part of the house now. Eng. Gregor said, unfortunately, what the architect did on the revised plans is that he took all the distances off. Eng. Gregor said for the existing house, the only thing he has is one dimension. Mr. Miceli apologized and said he will have to make another phone call to him and send him the information again and also

send him another copy of the survey that shows the existing distances on the house that he can add to the plan. Mr. Miceli said on the new plan which the Board has, his engineer took the parking and re-did the parking, did the Storm water Management Plan and put it all on one map which the Board has in front of them. Eng. Gregor asked if the two plans are different? Mr. Miceli said, the little site plan on the front of the architectural plan he would just disregard. Then what the applicant is proposing, Eng. Gregor said, is the layout for the garage and parking as shown on Mr. Miceli’s plan and Mr. Rotonda’s plan.

Eng. Gregor said the driveway is shown as a proposed driveway with parking space 1 & 2 is in the proposed garage. Eng. Gregor asked that the parking spaces be dimensioned so the Board knows the size of them. Mr. Miceli said those spaces are 10 X 20. Eng. Gregor also added, that the macadam driveway should be labeled on both drawings. Eng. Gregor said the architect is showing the existing and proposed drainage conditions and showing the delta “Q” and showing that the pit is sized adequately to handle the delta “Q”, but he doesn’t indicate where the water is coming from and that should also be noted on the drawing. Eng. Gregor mentioned the steps for the new addition facing away from the driveway. Eng. Gregor added, that there is no impervious sidewalk or landing shown there and wanted to know what the applicant is proposing to do. Mr. Miceli asked Mr. Tokarz what he was planning on putting there and Mr. Tokarz said just a slab. Eng. Gregor wanted to know if the slab was going to the street, existing center sidewalk or to the proposed driveway and that should be shown on the drawings. Mr. Tokarz said the slab would be going out to the driveway.

Chairman Dunning said, on sheet A-04, there is a detail showing the deck in the back and the balcony above and probably a 4 x 4 coming down right through the center of the deck below. If you were to align this all up you would be walking out of the patio doors and walk into a 4 X 4 column. Mr. Miceli said he didn’t have those plans Chairman Dunning was referring to and would bring that up with the architect. Chairman Dunning also asked if the doors upstairs were patio doors to the balcony and Mr. Tokarz said yes.

Mr. Miceli said he assumes they will have to change the parking to something that works. Mr. Miceli asked if the Board would rather have the parking that is shown on the architectural plan or the parking on the left side of the garage with the garage next to the property line? Chairman Dunning said the Board needs a workable plan and it’s really up to Mr. Tokarz to figure out what he wants his backyard to look like.

Eng. Gregor added, that Mr. Miceli believes he can make either one work, the garage on the left or on the right. Eng. Gregor asked if there was a curb in front of the property? Mr. Miceli said he didn’t think so and any curb that is there is kind of broken up. Eng. Gregor asked Mr. Miceli to make sure the depressed curb is labeled on the drainage plans.

 

Atty. Faasse said that the engineer, architect and the land surveyor should have a meeting with the applicant and take care of all the inconsistencies and present one unified plan for the Board. Member Grygus asked that the Zoning Block on the plans should include Lot Coverage.

Eng. Gregor told Mr. Miceli that if the architect is going to show a location plan on the architectural, make sure it agrees with the site plan and if he’s not going to show a location plan then please refer to the corrected site plan. Eng. Gregor also told Mr. Miceli that the location of the seepage pit is not shown to scale on the Grading Plan

and would like that corrected.

Chairman Dunning asked Mr. Tokarz to sign another 90-Day Extension Letter because the time on his application runs out the end of February.

 

MOTION TO CARRY APPLICATION TO THE FEBRUARY 2, 2005 MEETING: made by Member Roberto, seconded by Member Covelli, voting yes were Chairman Dunning, Members Grygus, Covelli, Hoffman, Roberto, Shutte and Smith.

 

PUBLIC DISCUSSION: None/Closed

 

RESOLUTIONS: None

 

CORRESPONDENCE: A letter dated December 30, 2004 from Attorney James La Sala (all members received a copy) with regard to the Estate of Mary Biggio. Atty. Faasse said he had no idea why Attorney La Sala would be writing the Board.

 

VOUCHERS:  None

 

MINUTES:  from the December 1, 2004 Meeting.  Atty. Faasse mentioned that on Page 1 of the minutes, Application #15-04 “MKR” Enterprises/Tree Tavern, the Board Secretary typed in “asking for a 120 day extension”, it should be “granting a 120 day extension”. This should be corrected.

 

MOTION TO APPROVE WITH CORRECTION: made by Member Smith, seconded by Member Grygus, voting yes were Chairman Dunning, Members Grygus, Covelli, Hoffman, Roberto, Shutte and Smith.

 

ENGINEER’S REPORT: Eng. Gregor said he received calculations on Applications Raoul, Hulahan and Sheehan/Biggs for Storm Water Management. Member Grygus told the Board that the pit for Raoul was never put in. Eng. Gregor added that the Board’s Resolution clearly indicated that one of the conditions for granting the variance was the applicant agreed to install a seepage pit. Member Shutte asked if there is an ordinance in town that there has to be Storm-water Management for every

construction. Eng. Gregor said it is not an ordinance but the state has revised and the

municipalities have to have a Storm-water Management Plan within one year of February 20, 2004 for a total Storm-water Management and Water Quality Control.

Eng. Gregor also mentioned he received correspondence for “CVS” Pharmacy for an Electronic Sign.

Eng. Gregor still hasn’t received anything on “Lakeland Health Care” and the “David Donus Application”.

 

MOTION TO ADJOURN AT 9:20 P.M.: made by Member Hoffman, seconded by Member Grygus, carried by a voice vote.

 

                       

_______________________________

Gerri Marotta

Secretary to Board of Adjustment