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Residents press council on pool hours, truck enforcement, meters and speech restrictions at public comment
Summary
Public-commenters urged longer pool hours at Crystal Springs, enforcement against overweight trucks, repainted road lines, raised questions about smart meters and EMF exposure, and debated restrictions on political speech and the town's sister-city relationship.
Multiple residents used the public-comment portion of the July 28 meeting to press the council on neighborhood quality-of-life issues, meter replacements and free-speech concerns.
Anthony Cersiello, a longtime resident, asked the council to consider returning Crystal Springs pool hours to 8 p.m. to allow evening swimming; he also asked whether landscapers are allowed to start work at 7 a.m., reported faded yellow centerline paint on several roads (including Church Lane) and urged targeted enforcement against 18-wheel trucks using Dunhams and other residential streets. "They're destructive to the roads," he said, and council members asked traffic safety to review enforcement and follow up.
Joseph Schmidt raised technical and religious-accommodation questions about newly issued utility meters, referencing debates in neighboring communities and a lawsuit (Children's Health Defense v. FCC) addressing radiofrequency emissions. Staff said the utility company offers meter options for customers who require non-transmitting meters.
Zahit Mahmud urged the council not to conflate principled political speech with hate speech and urged public debate about the township's sister-city relationship (the council previously approved the sister-city resolution in November 2022). He also reported repeated incidents at his home (dog feces and confetti) that he characterized as targeted harassment and said he wants police reports to record such incidents as hate acts; he said he has reported occurrences to police and has asked for better documentation.
Another resident and a later commenter described rising visible-quality-of-life problems around Route 18 and new apartment developments, citing more panhandling, shoplifting and loitering and asking the council to weigh development decisions against infrastructure and public-safety needs.
Council members responded to some requests with follow-up steps: traffic safety will review enforcement on Dunhams, the lieutenant in charge of traffic safety was available to follow up with residents, and staff said the town and utilities have accommodated some meter alternatives. Council President Makavoy invited residents to provide contact information for follow-up calls.
No formal council action was taken on the public comments at the meeting; items raised were referred to staff for follow-up.
