July 30, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

56 (Pages 218 to 221) Page 218 1 nonresidents, allowed to use this property under the 2 settlement agreement -- 3 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Absolutely. 4 MR. DAVIS: -- or -- 5 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Absolutely. 6 MR. DAVIS: -- even though -- 7 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Under the Open 8 Public Meetings Act, absolutely. 9 MR. DAVIS: Okay. Thank you. 10 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Welcome. State your 11 name and spell your last name for the record, 12 please. 13 MR. REDWINE: My name's Jonathan 14 Redwine, R-E-D-W-I-N-E. I live in West Orange. 15 MR. FAGAN: Mr. Chairman, pardon the 16 interruption. Pardon the interruption, Mr. Redwine. 17 Mr. Chairman, our Zoom video feed went blank. We 18 are still recording audio. So I just want to point 19 out to the Zoom audience that I'm trying to correct, 20 restore the Zoom video feed, but I don't know if 21 that's possible, but the meeting is still continuing 22 and recording audio and I'm sorry for the 23 interruption, Mr. Chairman. 24 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Okay. Thank you. 25 Yes, sir. Page 219 1 MR. REDWINE: And just so the record's 2 clear, I'm also a member of the Environmental 3 Commission here in town. I have a few questions 4 about some of the testimony and other questions that 5 I've heard tonight. 6 MS. DePALMA: Put the mic to your 7 mouth. 8 MR. REDWINE: One thing I haven't 9 heard is whether there's an analysis of particular 10 plants that are present at the site. 11 MR. ANDERSON: We haven't done an 12 inventory of the existing plants. There's probably 13 many invasive plants associated with it, but I don't 14 have a list of them. 15 MR. REDWINE: Has there been any 16 analysis of native species that are present? 17 MR. ANDERSON: No, not by my office. 18 MR. REDWINE: Or any analysis of 19 plants that may be threatened or endangered that are 20 present on the site? 21 MR. ANDERSON: Not by my office. 22 MR. REDWINE: Okay, I had heard some 23 questions and commentary about the animals that are 24 on the site and recently one of the questions was 25 about a plan for the animals that are currently on Page 220 1 the site, what would happen with them. I understand 2 your testimony to be that there isn't currently a 3 plan to move or displace the animals that are 4 currently there relying on the forest. 5 MR. ANDERSON: Well, we would not have 6 them inside the gated area but there's a lot of 7 possibilities with the deer fencing where it's big 8 enough, has

re 4 currently there relying on the forest. 5 MR. ANDERSON: Well, we would not have 6 them inside the gated area but there's a lot of 7 possibilities with the deer fencing where it's big 8 enough, has a mesh big enough for -- to keep the 9 deer out but to let the other animals enter, so 10 there's possibilities like that that have not been 11 fleshed out in terms of complete design. 12 MR. REDWINE: Okay, and the deer fence 13 is intended to regenerate the forest that's 14 surrounded by that fencing, correct? 15 MR. ANDERSON: Allow for seeds to drop 16 from adjacent areas from the plantings that we're 17 doing and, you know, and adjacent developments and 18 to seed that area with understory. 19 MR. REDWINE: So assuming that the 20 deer and other animals that are there would move to 21 adjacent properties, has there been an analysis of 22 the damage that could reasonably be anticipated from 23 the movement of those animals and feeding on the 24 plants that are present on other properties? 25 MR. ANDERSON: Not by my office. Page 221 1 MR. REDWINE: On the DEP applications, 2 the permits and applications that are before the 3 DEP, is there a schedule for public comment that 4 you're aware of or meetings that the public could 5 attend to similarly ask questions or make comments? 6 MR. ANDERSON: I don't know of any 7 scheduled meetings. I'm sure you can make comments 8 at any time regarding our application. It seems 9 like they get comments regularly. 10 MR. REDWINE: And then the last thing 11 that I have is really addressed to you, Mr. 12 Chairman. The Environmental Commission sent a 13 letter to the Planning Board and I would ask 14 permission to read it into the record, if it's 15 appropriate at this time to do that. 16 MS. McGOVERN: Well, I remember that 17 we got it, but I don't know that it's appropriate to 18 read a letter. If it's your testimony -- 19 MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC: We can't hear 20 you. 21 MR. REDWINE: So just to clarify, I'm 22 not the Chairman of the Environmental Commission. 23 He advised me that it was sent to the members of the 24 Planning Board today. 25 MS. McGOVERN: Oh, today? The