Millburn Township Environmental Commission Special Meeting Minutes November 3, 2025 Minutes of the Special Meeting of the Environmental Commission of the Township of Millburn, in Essex County, New Jersey, held in the Bauer Community Center in Taylor Park starting at 7:00pm on the above date. Chair René Paparian called the meeting to order at 7:04pm and read the following statement: In accordance with Section 5 of the Open Public Meetings Act be advised that a notice of this meeting was made by posting on the bulletin board in town hall and forwarding to the officially designated newspapers, that this meeting would take place at the Bauer Community Center in Taylor Park at 7:00 p.m. on November 3, 2025. Meeting details and the draft agenda were also posted on our township website. The following commissioners were present: Chair René Paparian, Matthew Greller, Jude Huang, Debra Nevas, Vanita Gangwal. Commissioner Lixia Wu arrived at 7:40pm. Commissioners Bill Brazell and Alexander McConnell were absent. Also present was the Environmental Commission Secretary Alexis Lin. René Paparian motioned to amend the agenda to add a discussion of the $200 registration fee for landscapers pursuant to Ordinance 2714-25. Motion was seconded, and all voted in favor. There were no public comments during the public comment period. Resolution In Support Of The Acquisition Of 132 Millburn Avenue For The Creation Of A Pocket Park Chairperson René Paparian read the resolution aloud. Minor changes to wording were suggested and made. Matthew Greller motioned to adopt the resolution. Motion was seconded, and all voted in favor. See Appendix A for the adopted resolution. Landscaper Registration Fees in Section 4-43.5 of Ordinance 2714-25 The commissioners drafted a resolution stating that landscapers should not have to pay any fees to register with Millburn Township and recommending the complete removal of the fees described in Section 4-43.5 of Ordinance 2714-25. Debra Nevas motioned to adopt the resolution. Motion was seconded, and all voted in favor. See Appendix B for the adopted resolution. 1� Millburn Township Environmental Commission Special Meeting Minutes November 3, 2025 Chairperson René Paparian motioned to adjourn the meeting. Motion was seconded, and all voted in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 7:53pm. The next Millburn Environmental Commission Meeting will be on Tuesday, November 18, 2025 at 7:00pm. The venue is yet to be determined. 2� Appendix A Millburn Environmental Commission Resolution in Support of the Acquisition of 132 Millburn Ave for the Creation of a Pocket Park� MILLBURN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE ACQUISITION OF 132 MILLBURN AVENUE FOR THE CREATION OF A POCKET PARK November 3, 2025 WHEREAS, the Millburn Environmental Commission (the “Commission”) recognizes the significant benefits of acquisition, development and maintenance of lands by the Township for conservation purposes; among other purposes, and WHEREAS, the Commission acknowledges that advancing environmental sustainability and climate resiliency practices is advisable and advantageous in order to combat flooding and air and water pollution, and support native species diversity, and WHEREAS, there exists an unused property located at 132 Millburn Avenue (the “Property”), Millburn, familiarly known as the Former Exxon Site, at the entrance to the Township of Millburn (the “Township”), and WHEREAS, to further the Township’s objective of eliminating long-term vacant and/or unused properties in Millburn, the Township should seek and apply for any and all local, County, State and federal funding resources which may be available to pay, in part or in full, to conduct an Environmental Site Assessment of the Property to determine the condition of the soil and any other area of the Property which may require remediation due to the Property’s former use as a gas station, and/or any other reason, and WHEREAS, an Environmental Site Assessment would provide the Township with the information necessary to determine, among other things, the extent, type and cost of any desired and/or required remediation procedures, and WHEREAS, if based upon the assessment results the Township determines that it desires and has the ability to acquire the Property, or if the current owner of the Property agrees to conduct any and all remediation and bear the cost of doing so, the Township should, as soon as is practicable, discuss and decide if acquisition and use of the Property would provide benefits for all as an asset to the community, and WHEREAS, the Township, as soon as is practicable, must determine the purchase price of the Property from its current owner, and� WHEREAS, the Township should seek and apply for any and all local, County, State and federal funding (e.g. the Township’s Open Space Trust Fund and the State’s Green Acres program) that may be available to defray the cost of the acquisition and development of the Property, and WHEREAS, a “Pocket Park”, which is generally a public park space that occupies less than one acre of land, revitalizes an unused or vacant lot, and provides the immediate vicinity with opportunities for recreational, social, and public health benefits thereby turning it into an asset for a neighborhood, and WHEREAS, the history of Pocket Parks extends to the post-World War II reconstruction era in Europe, and more recently as an opportunity to create public commons by municipalities to increase park access, and WHEREAS, the Property is currently unused, has an impermeably covered surface, and is situated in an area that is known to flood, and WHEREAS, the principal purpose of the acquisition of the Property would be to convert a long unused property into a Pocket Park to gain the drainage benefits provided by permeable land cover that is landscaped with native plants and trees to improve stormwater management by absorbing and filtering water thereby reducing pollution from runo￾, and WHEREAS, these practices would also stabilize soil, prevent erosion, and contribute to cleaner air and water for Township residents. Additional benefits of converting the Property to a Pocket Park would be to support biodiversity through increased habitat and food for wildlife, and WHEREAS, creation of a Pocket Park landscaped with native species plants will require less water and maintenance than traditional landscaping, and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Commission recommends to the Millburn Township Committee that, as soon as is practicable, a Site Assessment Survey be conducted to determine the extent of contamination, if any, and the extent, type and cost of any remediation that would be required to bring about an environmentally acceptable condition which would make the Property ready to be an asset for the Township to acquire. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Commission further recommends that the Township Committee seek and apply for any and all local, County, State and federal financial resources for which the Township may be eligible to assist with the cost of acquisition and development of the Property. ADOPTED BY MILLBURN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION ON NOVEMBER 3, 2025� Appendix B Millburn Environmental Commission Resolution to Remove Landscaper Licensing Fees as Set Forth in Section 4-43.5 of Ordinance 2714-25� MILLBURN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RESOLUTION TO REMOVE LANDSCAPER LICENSING FEES AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 4-43.5 OF ORDINANCE 2714-25 November 3, 2025 WHEREAS the Millburn Environmental Commission understood the purpose of the landscaper registry to be the facilitation of communication and coordination with landscapers and promotion of compliance with Ordinance 2707-25, and WHEREAS the Millburn Environmental Commission clearly stated during the numerous public discussions at Township Committee meetings regarding Ordinance 2707-25 that there should not be a licensing fee, which was based on Millburn Environmental Commission meetings, discussions, and feedback received during their various community outreach e￾orts, and WHEREAS removing the licensing fee can foster greater goodwill with the landscaper community and facilitate more amenable business registration, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Millburn Environmental Commission disagrees with charging licensing fees as set forth in section 4-43.5 in Ordinance 2714-25, and strongly recommends their complete removal. ADOPTED BY MILLBURN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION ON NOVEMBER 3, 2025�