Several topics were discussed during the conference meeting of the Township Council, held both before and after the regular meeting on Monday, January 23.
Pools
Adiscussion of the township pools was listed on the agenda, though the Council stated during the regular meeting that they would not be discussing it during the conference meeting, as they wanted Council member Shawn Klein, who was absent Monday, to be present for the talks.
Still, the topic was discussed for about a half hour during the conference following the meeting.
Members collectively remain undecided on several key decisions, including if the town should move forward with one or two community pools; which pool to keep if they choose to proceed with just one; what a new pool complex would entail; and if the town should pay for repairs to make sure water runs this season at Northland while a decision is being made. It has already been decided that only Haines will open to the public this summer.
While no substantial progress was made on any of these topics Monday evening, the Council decided that a public forum on what to do with the pools will be held in about a month.
DPW Building
Foundation could be poured for the new Department of Public Works building, to be built on Industrial Parkway, as soon as late summer, township manager Barry Lewis said.
The property was selected as the site for the new DPW building years ago, and though preliminary work has started, including clearing trees and brush from the area, the project was largely put on pause since the start of the pandemic due to high construction costs.
There is still a long way to go before DPW workers will be able to move out of their dilapidated building on South Livingston Avenue and into the new facility, but requests for proposals for the work are expected to be posted in the coming weeks. Should a proposal be accepted in the .rst round and the township not have to go out to bid again, that could mean foundational work could begin by late summer or early fall. But if the job cannot begin before winter, the added costs of working with the cold ground could push the start of construction until spring of 2024.
Once the foundation is completed, though, Lewis said that the steel building would be able to go up quickly, and that work could be done during the winter.
Pocket Park
The township owns a vacant piece of property on Franklin Place ou of East McClellan Avenue that is in need of upkeep. Ovcials were not previously aware that the parcel was township-owned.
The Council discussed potentially turning the property into a “pocket park.” A playground and basketball court were also briefly discussed, though those options would likely necessitate a parking lot, for which there is no room.
Rolls and Curries
Reema Hussain, the owner of Rolls and Curries, an Indian and Pakistani restaurant located at 113 South Livingston Avenue, asked the Council to permit additional promotional material for her business. She spoke at the meeting with her husband, Pramod Mayak.
Hussain said that due to their location in a strip mall situated perpendicular to the roadway, some people are unaware of the business. Others, Mayak said, do not know when to turn to get to their shop until it is too late. Hussain said Rolls and Curries, which opened in September of 2022, is currently not turning a profit and could be forced to close in a few months if business does not improve.
Hussain noted, however, that when she put a flag near the street promoting the restaurant, business noticeably improved. That type of signage, however, is not permitted by the township. She requested that an exception be made for them to draw attention to their restaurant.
Township manager Lewis said that the town is aware of this issue, has discussed it with the Business Improvement District, and is trying to develop solutions.There are three or four “sideways strip malls” in Livingston, and new ones are no longer allowed to be built in town.
The Council said that they would discuss making special exceptions for advertising for businesses that are in these sideways strip malls. Hussain asked if she could put signs up immediately, but the Council told her that a change to township regulations would first need to be formally passed at a future meeting. Township attorney Jarrid Kantor noted that the township codes existed when they rented the space, and it was priced at a rate that accounted for its location; such factors needed to be considered, he said, when weighing making any permanent changes.
