T.F. appoints members to new committee
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS — The Borough Council approved the appointment of members of the newly formed Community Activities Committee at the March 17 meeting.
Three public members, four alternate members and borough representatives were appointed.
Duane Morrill will serve as the council liaison. Joining Morrill will be Beth Hessek, Christina Warren and Emily Peck as the public members of the committee. Sherri Eisele, recreation superintendent, will serve as the borough representative.
Alternate members include Robert Harvey, Claude Campbell, John Diezman and Nicole Mayer.
"All these members have participated to this point, attending meetings and they are active in the community," said Tinton Falls Mayor Peter Maclearie. "We have a number of people that are ready to serve below them in subcommittees."
The council voted unanimously, 4-0, to approve the appointments. Councilman Andrew Mayer abstained from voting as his daughter Nicole was one of the appointees.
The appointments are for staggered terms, expiring either on Dec. 31, or Dec. 31, 2010.
The borough approved an ordinance to create the committee on Feb 17 after numerous private citizens inquired about volunteering for community activities.
Director of Law James Berube explained that this would possibly provide a method of raising private funds for civic activities and the opportunity for private partnerships.
According to the ordinance, the Community Activities Committee is being created "for the purpose of enabling volunteers to assist with the dissemination of information and coordinate volunteer opportunities to enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors to the borough of Tinton Falls."
The committee will mainly serve as an advisory committee and will collect and disseminate information on borough and community activities. It will also coordinate volunteer needs that are communicated to the committee by different civic and community organizations.
"It's really only an advisory committee to the council, and a committee to collect and disseminate information as well as potentially soliciting donations for civic purposes," Berube said.
The committee will hold meetings open to the public on the last Monday of every month.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
T.F. budget looks to offset state aid cut
T.F. budget looks to offset state aid cut
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS — Borough officials found out last week that state aid to the borough would be cut by $44,000, but are determined not to raise taxes and to find a way to offset the decrease.
The total municipal budget proposed is $21,843,286, a 4.10 percent increase over last year's budget of $20,945,693.
Last year, the borough received $1,921,000 in municipal aid from the state. For 2009 it will receive $1,873,831.
"When you have a $21 million budget, $44,000 isn't a death sentence," Finance Director Stephen Pfeffer said. "We will look for ways to fine tune the budget so that we don't raise taxes."
The 2009 budget calls for a tax levy of $10,605,992. Pfeffer said the municipal portion of the tax rate will remain flat at $0 .353 per $100 of assessed valuation.
He said the owner of an average home in Tinton Falls valued at $343,915 will pay $1,213 in municipal taxes under the budget as proposed.
The state deadline for introducing the municipal budget is March 31 and for approval, is May 12.
That timeline isn't expected to play out for Tinton Falls though.
"The way I see it happening is that we will discuss it at the next meeting [April 7]," Pfeffer said. "Then on May 5 we will introduce the budget. Then 28 days must pass, and we will approve it in June."
There was some talk at the March 17 council meeting of holding a special meeting to comply with the state mandated deadline, but the council finally agreed on the schedule Pfeffer outlined.
"There are about 30 municipalities across the state that haven't passed their budget yet and their year ends June 30," Pfeffer said. "Our year ends Dec. 31, so that deadline doesn't pose a big problem."
Some of the increases in the budget include salaries and state pension payments. The borough changed medical insurance carriers in 2009 to stabilize that cost. The increase in the group insurance budget is approximately 2.2 percent.
"There are no crazy changes," Pfeffer said. "The surplus remains the same, miscellaneous revenues are up, state aid is down."
Pfeffer said he will meet with different departments to see where they can cut spending.
"There are different ways we can do this without cutting funding for services," Pfeffer said.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS — Borough officials found out last week that state aid to the borough would be cut by $44,000, but are determined not to raise taxes and to find a way to offset the decrease.
The total municipal budget proposed is $21,843,286, a 4.10 percent increase over last year's budget of $20,945,693.
Last year, the borough received $1,921,000 in municipal aid from the state. For 2009 it will receive $1,873,831.
"When you have a $21 million budget, $44,000 isn't a death sentence," Finance Director Stephen Pfeffer said. "We will look for ways to fine tune the budget so that we don't raise taxes."
The 2009 budget calls for a tax levy of $10,605,992. Pfeffer said the municipal portion of the tax rate will remain flat at $0 .353 per $100 of assessed valuation.
He said the owner of an average home in Tinton Falls valued at $343,915 will pay $1,213 in municipal taxes under the budget as proposed.
The state deadline for introducing the municipal budget is March 31 and for approval, is May 12.
That timeline isn't expected to play out for Tinton Falls though.
"The way I see it happening is that we will discuss it at the next meeting [April 7]," Pfeffer said. "Then on May 5 we will introduce the budget. Then 28 days must pass, and we will approve it in June."
There was some talk at the March 17 council meeting of holding a special meeting to comply with the state mandated deadline, but the council finally agreed on the schedule Pfeffer outlined.
"There are about 30 municipalities across the state that haven't passed their budget yet and their year ends June 30," Pfeffer said. "Our year ends Dec. 31, so that deadline doesn't pose a big problem."
Some of the increases in the budget include salaries and state pension payments. The borough changed medical insurance carriers in 2009 to stabilize that cost. The increase in the group insurance budget is approximately 2.2 percent.
"There are no crazy changes," Pfeffer said. "The surplus remains the same, miscellaneous revenues are up, state aid is down."
Pfeffer said he will meet with different departments to see where they can cut spending.
"There are different ways we can do this without cutting funding for services," Pfeffer said.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Slates set for April 21 school board elections
Slates set for April 21 school board elections
BY DANIEL HOWLEY and KENNETH WALTER Staff Writers
School board elections are approaching, and candidates are poised for the April 21 vote. In some local towns, races are contested, while in others, candidates are running unopposed. The most heated contest appears to be for school board seats in Eatontown, where seven candidates are vying for three open seats on the Board of Education.
This year, candidates had extra time to file their petitions to run for school board seats after Gov. Jon S. Corzine extended the deadline by two days, to March 4, after a heavy snowstorm caused most municipal offices to be closed March 2.
Long Branch
The race for seats on the Long Branch Public School District Board of Education will be uncontested, as three incumbents are running unopposed for the three open seats. Each seat is for a three-year term. The incumbents seeking re-election are: Mary George, who is seeking a sixth term on the board; Lucy Perez, who is seeking her fifth term; and Lorenzo Dangler, who is seeking a second term.
Ocean Township
In Ocean Township there are three seats on the district Board of Education to be filled with the three incumbent candidates who submitted nominating petitions. They are Denise Parlamas and Anne Marie Sparaco, who are both running for their third terms; and Michael Beson, who is running for a second, full three-year term.
Eatontown
In Eatontown there is a contest among seven candidates for three open seats, and another two candidates are vying for one open seat for an unexpired two-year term on the board.
Incumbents Fredric Naimoli, Julie Robertson and George Marcouiller are being challenged by newcomers Pete Siino, Carl Lawson, Bob English and Vito Palantonio for the three open seats on the board. Each seat is for a three-year term.
Incumbent Donna Mazzella-Diedrichsen is being challenged by newcomer James Eggleston to fill the seat for the unexpired two-year term.
West Long Branch
In West Long Branch, three candidates are running for the three open seats on the Board of Education. Seeking re-election is incumbent Mary E. Orendorff-Gassman. Also running is Dr. Edwin T. Hunter, who has served on the board in previous years, and newcomer Erin K. Hegglin.
Monmouth Regional High School
The Monmouth Regional High School District, which is made up of students from Eatontown, Shrewsbury Township and Tinton Falls, has six candidates vying for three open seats on the district's Board of Education.
For Eatontown, newcomers John Carretta and Edmund Fitterer Jr. are seeking to challenge incumbent candidates Yvonne Hicks and Linda Thatcher for two open seats on the regional board.
For Tinton Falls, newcomer Mason Lewis is challenging incumbent candidate Johnathan Cohen for one open seat on the board.
Shrewsbury Township does not have an open seat on the board this year.
Shore Regional High School
Made up of students from West Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport and Sea Bright, the Shore Regional High School District has four incumbent candidates running unopposed for four seats on its Board of Education. Each of the corresponding open positions on the board represents one of the school's four representative towns.
The candidates include: Elizabeth Garrigal, of West Long Branch; Paul Rolleri, of Oceanport; Anthony Moro, of Monmouth Beach, and Nancy DeScenza, of Sea Bright.
BY DANIEL HOWLEY and KENNETH WALTER Staff Writers
School board elections are approaching, and candidates are poised for the April 21 vote. In some local towns, races are contested, while in others, candidates are running unopposed. The most heated contest appears to be for school board seats in Eatontown, where seven candidates are vying for three open seats on the Board of Education.
This year, candidates had extra time to file their petitions to run for school board seats after Gov. Jon S. Corzine extended the deadline by two days, to March 4, after a heavy snowstorm caused most municipal offices to be closed March 2.
Long Branch
The race for seats on the Long Branch Public School District Board of Education will be uncontested, as three incumbents are running unopposed for the three open seats. Each seat is for a three-year term. The incumbents seeking re-election are: Mary George, who is seeking a sixth term on the board; Lucy Perez, who is seeking her fifth term; and Lorenzo Dangler, who is seeking a second term.
Ocean Township
In Ocean Township there are three seats on the district Board of Education to be filled with the three incumbent candidates who submitted nominating petitions. They are Denise Parlamas and Anne Marie Sparaco, who are both running for their third terms; and Michael Beson, who is running for a second, full three-year term.
Eatontown
In Eatontown there is a contest among seven candidates for three open seats, and another two candidates are vying for one open seat for an unexpired two-year term on the board.
Incumbents Fredric Naimoli, Julie Robertson and George Marcouiller are being challenged by newcomers Pete Siino, Carl Lawson, Bob English and Vito Palantonio for the three open seats on the board. Each seat is for a three-year term.
Incumbent Donna Mazzella-Diedrichsen is being challenged by newcomer James Eggleston to fill the seat for the unexpired two-year term.
West Long Branch
In West Long Branch, three candidates are running for the three open seats on the Board of Education. Seeking re-election is incumbent Mary E. Orendorff-Gassman. Also running is Dr. Edwin T. Hunter, who has served on the board in previous years, and newcomer Erin K. Hegglin.
Monmouth Regional High School
The Monmouth Regional High School District, which is made up of students from Eatontown, Shrewsbury Township and Tinton Falls, has six candidates vying for three open seats on the district's Board of Education.
For Eatontown, newcomers John Carretta and Edmund Fitterer Jr. are seeking to challenge incumbent candidates Yvonne Hicks and Linda Thatcher for two open seats on the regional board.
For Tinton Falls, newcomer Mason Lewis is challenging incumbent candidate Johnathan Cohen for one open seat on the board.
Shrewsbury Township does not have an open seat on the board this year.
Shore Regional High School
Made up of students from West Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport and Sea Bright, the Shore Regional High School District has four incumbent candidates running unopposed for four seats on its Board of Education. Each of the corresponding open positions on the board represents one of the school's four representative towns.
The candidates include: Elizabeth Garrigal, of West Long Branch; Paul Rolleri, of Oceanport; Anthony Moro, of Monmouth Beach, and Nancy DeScenza, of Sea Bright.
L.B. to bond $950k for design work on pier
L.B. to bond $950K for design work on pier
Giordano: Project will use public, not taxpayer, funding
BY KEN WALTER Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — The City Council approved an ordinance allocating $1 million for the pier redevelopment project at its March 10 meeting.
The ordinance authorizes a $50,000 down payment and $950,000 in bonds to finance the design of a pier and ferry terminal. The funds will pay for the preliminary design and engineering plans, but do not cover administrative costs.
"The purpose of this is to get the engineer design work off the ground," Councilman Anthony Giordano said.
The ordinance was approved by a 4-0 vote, with Councilman Brian Unger absent due to a scheduling conflict.
During the public hearing portion, some residents expressed concerns about the ordinance. The council tried to dispel those concerns by saying the taxpayer portion of the pier project ends with the bond.
"The city is not going to ever bond $89 million to build the pier," Giordano said.
"The $89 million is the anticipated total cost of the project, and that would only be able to be done if the city would be able to obtain significant amounts of public funding," he said, adding, "either state sources or federal sources."
In 1987, a fire destroyed the Long Branch pier, and since that time the city has acquired redevelopment rights and is ready to rebuild the pier and other amenities, including retail, restaurants, an amphitheater and a children's play area along the oceanfront.
The pier project is divided into the following three components:
The Core Pier, which will be the main structure and will cost approximately $36.3 million. Plans call for the pier to extend 900 feet from the boardwalk into the Atlantic Ocean.
The high-speed ferry terminal and docking facility, slated to cost $20.2 million, would provide a direct route from the Long Branch region to lower Manhattan at a travel time of 40 minutes. The pier will contain a docking system, as well as the ticketing and waiting areas required for the ferry operation.
The final component is the amenity uses at an estimated cost of $32.5 million, which includes retail, restaurants, event space, a public winter garden, outdoor amphitheater, entertainment space, fishing area and a children's play area.
Giordano also reiterated just how important federal stimulus money is for the project, saying that if the city doesn't receive stimulus money, then the project most likely will not be viable.
Diana Multare, of North Bath Avenue, told the council she has seen the list of towns applying for stimulus money for projects, and Long Branch was nowhere to be found.
Multare cited municipalities from across the state that have applied for stimulus money, including 60 projects in Elizabeth and 12 in Edison.
She went on to add that these projects would most likely come before the ferry and pier project.
Councilwoman Mary Jane Celli said that the project is more likely to receive stimulus money in the future, once the project is "shovel ready."
Multare, however, doesn't believe the project will ever really get off the ground.
"It's a pipedream," Multare said. "This pier, I've looked at it. It looks and sounds great, but it's totally unrealistic."
Other residents want a chance to vote on the matter.
"Why don't you put it on the agenda?" Bernard Gorcey, of Second Avenue, asked. "Let the taxpayers decide whether to move forward with it."
Contact Ken Walter at kwalter@gmnews.com.
Giordano: Project will use public, not taxpayer, funding
BY KEN WALTER Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — The City Council approved an ordinance allocating $1 million for the pier redevelopment project at its March 10 meeting.
The ordinance authorizes a $50,000 down payment and $950,000 in bonds to finance the design of a pier and ferry terminal. The funds will pay for the preliminary design and engineering plans, but do not cover administrative costs.
"The purpose of this is to get the engineer design work off the ground," Councilman Anthony Giordano said.
The ordinance was approved by a 4-0 vote, with Councilman Brian Unger absent due to a scheduling conflict.
During the public hearing portion, some residents expressed concerns about the ordinance. The council tried to dispel those concerns by saying the taxpayer portion of the pier project ends with the bond.
"The city is not going to ever bond $89 million to build the pier," Giordano said.
"The $89 million is the anticipated total cost of the project, and that would only be able to be done if the city would be able to obtain significant amounts of public funding," he said, adding, "either state sources or federal sources."
In 1987, a fire destroyed the Long Branch pier, and since that time the city has acquired redevelopment rights and is ready to rebuild the pier and other amenities, including retail, restaurants, an amphitheater and a children's play area along the oceanfront.
The pier project is divided into the following three components:
The Core Pier, which will be the main structure and will cost approximately $36.3 million. Plans call for the pier to extend 900 feet from the boardwalk into the Atlantic Ocean.
The high-speed ferry terminal and docking facility, slated to cost $20.2 million, would provide a direct route from the Long Branch region to lower Manhattan at a travel time of 40 minutes. The pier will contain a docking system, as well as the ticketing and waiting areas required for the ferry operation.
The final component is the amenity uses at an estimated cost of $32.5 million, which includes retail, restaurants, event space, a public winter garden, outdoor amphitheater, entertainment space, fishing area and a children's play area.
Giordano also reiterated just how important federal stimulus money is for the project, saying that if the city doesn't receive stimulus money, then the project most likely will not be viable.
Diana Multare, of North Bath Avenue, told the council she has seen the list of towns applying for stimulus money for projects, and Long Branch was nowhere to be found.
Multare cited municipalities from across the state that have applied for stimulus money, including 60 projects in Elizabeth and 12 in Edison.
She went on to add that these projects would most likely come before the ferry and pier project.
Councilwoman Mary Jane Celli said that the project is more likely to receive stimulus money in the future, once the project is "shovel ready."
Multare, however, doesn't believe the project will ever really get off the ground.
"It's a pipedream," Multare said. "This pier, I've looked at it. It looks and sounds great, but it's totally unrealistic."
Other residents want a chance to vote on the matter.
"Why don't you put it on the agenda?" Bernard Gorcey, of Second Avenue, asked. "Let the taxpayers decide whether to move forward with it."
Contact Ken Walter at kwalter@gmnews.com.
Appeal will challenge ruling on home's value
Appeal will challenge ruling on home's value
BY KEN WALTER Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — The attorney representing a Long Branch homeowner said last week he will appeal a jury's decision that the home is worth about half of the $1.2 million his client is seeking from the city. William J. Ward, of Carlin & Ward in Florham Park, said last week that after some procedural steps, he will file an appeal of a March 4 state Superior Court jury decision that set the value of the oceanfront home formerly owned by Frances DeLuca in the city's Beachfront North Phase II redevelopment zone at $650,000.
In the condemnation trial to determine the value of DeLuca's home, Ward was seeking $1.2 million for the home, which he argued is what the home was worth in 2005 when the city filed its notice to take the property.
Last week, Ward said DeLuca owes the city $100,000, which is the difference between what the city paid her and what the jury said the house is worth. A portion of that amount will be offset because the city owes DeLuca in interest accrued from December 2005 to May 2007.
"I don't know what the final number will be, but I expect it to be around $65,000-70,000," he said.
The next step before filing an appeal, according to Ward, is to file a motion for a new trial. He said this is a strictly procedural move and that it is unlikely that a new trial would be granted. Should the new trial be denied, an appeal will be filed.
Ward said he has until March 20 to file the motion. After Paul V. Fernicola, who represents the city, signs the final judgment, Ward will have 45 days to file an appeal.
"We have to file the motion for a new trial first," Ward said. "We do this so when we file the appeal we can argue that weight of the evidence presented."
Two main points of contention for Ward and DeLuca are the comparable value of her home and a blight study for the area dating to 1995-1996.
"During the trial the jury ignored what we presented about the value of the home comparable to the main location of it," Ward said. "Also, the blight study was done over 10 years ago and we don't feel it is relevant now."
The house is located near the ocean in what has come to be known as the MTOTSA (Marine Terrace and Ocean Terrace and Seaview Avenue) neighborhood, which Ward called a "solid neighborhood."
The condemnation trial began on Feb. 26 in Freehold before Superior Court Judge Louis F. Locascio. The eight-member jury delivered the verdict March 4, voting 7-1.
"It is significantly less than what we were asking. We were expecting them to come in around $850,000-$900,000. So $650,000 was quite low," Ward said at the time of the verdict. "We were very disappointed."
The city had initially offered to set the value of the home at $557,000 and then increased the 2005 value of the home to $612,000, according to Ward, who said the jury's valuation did come in a bit higher than the city's offer, but it was still much less than the amount sought.
A panel of condemnation commissioners had previously set the value of the home at $750,000.
DeLuca's neighbors have fought the city's legal maneuvers to take their homes by eminent domain and formed the MTOTSA alliance, but DeLuca declined to join and chose to sell her home instead.
Contact Ken Walter at Kwalter@gmnews.com
BY KEN WALTER Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — The attorney representing a Long Branch homeowner said last week he will appeal a jury's decision that the home is worth about half of the $1.2 million his client is seeking from the city. William J. Ward, of Carlin & Ward in Florham Park, said last week that after some procedural steps, he will file an appeal of a March 4 state Superior Court jury decision that set the value of the oceanfront home formerly owned by Frances DeLuca in the city's Beachfront North Phase II redevelopment zone at $650,000.
In the condemnation trial to determine the value of DeLuca's home, Ward was seeking $1.2 million for the home, which he argued is what the home was worth in 2005 when the city filed its notice to take the property.
Last week, Ward said DeLuca owes the city $100,000, which is the difference between what the city paid her and what the jury said the house is worth. A portion of that amount will be offset because the city owes DeLuca in interest accrued from December 2005 to May 2007.
"I don't know what the final number will be, but I expect it to be around $65,000-70,000," he said.
The next step before filing an appeal, according to Ward, is to file a motion for a new trial. He said this is a strictly procedural move and that it is unlikely that a new trial would be granted. Should the new trial be denied, an appeal will be filed.
Ward said he has until March 20 to file the motion. After Paul V. Fernicola, who represents the city, signs the final judgment, Ward will have 45 days to file an appeal.
"We have to file the motion for a new trial first," Ward said. "We do this so when we file the appeal we can argue that weight of the evidence presented."
Two main points of contention for Ward and DeLuca are the comparable value of her home and a blight study for the area dating to 1995-1996.
"During the trial the jury ignored what we presented about the value of the home comparable to the main location of it," Ward said. "Also, the blight study was done over 10 years ago and we don't feel it is relevant now."
The house is located near the ocean in what has come to be known as the MTOTSA (Marine Terrace and Ocean Terrace and Seaview Avenue) neighborhood, which Ward called a "solid neighborhood."
The condemnation trial began on Feb. 26 in Freehold before Superior Court Judge Louis F. Locascio. The eight-member jury delivered the verdict March 4, voting 7-1.
"It is significantly less than what we were asking. We were expecting them to come in around $850,000-$900,000. So $650,000 was quite low," Ward said at the time of the verdict. "We were very disappointed."
The city had initially offered to set the value of the home at $557,000 and then increased the 2005 value of the home to $612,000, according to Ward, who said the jury's valuation did come in a bit higher than the city's offer, but it was still much less than the amount sought.
A panel of condemnation commissioners had previously set the value of the home at $750,000.
DeLuca's neighbors have fought the city's legal maneuvers to take their homes by eminent domain and formed the MTOTSA alliance, but DeLuca declined to join and chose to sell her home instead.
Contact Ken Walter at Kwalter@gmnews.com
City, MTOTSA talk future of neighborhood
City, MTOTSA talk future of neighborhood
BY KEN WALTER Staff Writer
Long Branch officials and residents of MTOTSA and their attorneys were scheduled to meet yesterday to discuss zoning changes that would permit the homes in the three-street neighborhood to remain in the Beachfront North Phase II redevelopment zone.
Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider and attorneys for MTOTSA confirmed last week that the meeting was to take place March 18 with city planner Pratap Talwar in attendance.
"We have been in negotiations since November," Schneider said last week. "We have met several times since January and feel like we are making progress and working toward a compromise."
Schneider also indicated a shift in the city's plans for the phase II redevelopment, saying that the hope is that the developers would utilize the land for "less obtrusive" projects.
"We don't want a four-story structure on each side of a small, single-family home," he said. "We want to maintain the balance between the buildings in the area."
Plans for Beachfront North Phase II have called for the neighborhood to be razed to make way for construction of three buildings with 185 upscale condom inium units.
Scott Bullock, senior attorney with the Institute for Justice in Ar l ington, Va., which is co-counsel for a group of some 17 residents of Marine and Ocean terraces and Seaview Avenue, an area that has come to be known as MTOTSA, confirmed he would be present at the meeting.
"We will be hearing what the city has to say about the future of the area," Bullock said last week. "We hope to gain a better understanding of the future."
Peter H. Wegener, of Bathgate Wegener and Wolf in Lakewood, who is representing the MTOTSA group with IJ as co-counsel, was also set to be at the meeting. William J. Ward, of Carlin & Ward in Florham Park, who is representing some residents of the embattled beachfront neighborhood, confirmed that he would also be at the meeting.
Both Schneider and Bullock said that one of the main issues is the residents of MTOTSA would be able to keep and maintain their homes.
"We want to allow them [MTOTSA] to be able to keep and improve their homes," Schneider said.
Bullock also revealed that while Wednesday's meeting is going to be a presentation, a mediation meeting is scheduled for March 27.
Bullock said the main goal for the group is for the residents to keep their homes. Schneider also said the goal is for the residents to keep and improve their homes.
"We are open for a productive, informative meeting," Bullock said.
"This area has a lot of smaller, singlefamily homes on smaller pieces of land. If a settlement is reached, then the zoning regulations will be 'relaxed' and these families will be able to keep their homes."
The talks come after a decade-long battle by the MTOTSA residents to save their homes from the condemnation action of the city, which sought to clear the zone to make way for private, upscale redevelopment.
"We are working hard toward a compromise," Schneider said.
Contact Ken Walter at kwalter@gmnews.com
BY KEN WALTER Staff Writer
Long Branch officials and residents of MTOTSA and their attorneys were scheduled to meet yesterday to discuss zoning changes that would permit the homes in the three-street neighborhood to remain in the Beachfront North Phase II redevelopment zone.
Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider and attorneys for MTOTSA confirmed last week that the meeting was to take place March 18 with city planner Pratap Talwar in attendance.
"We have been in negotiations since November," Schneider said last week. "We have met several times since January and feel like we are making progress and working toward a compromise."
Schneider also indicated a shift in the city's plans for the phase II redevelopment, saying that the hope is that the developers would utilize the land for "less obtrusive" projects.
"We don't want a four-story structure on each side of a small, single-family home," he said. "We want to maintain the balance between the buildings in the area."
Plans for Beachfront North Phase II have called for the neighborhood to be razed to make way for construction of three buildings with 185 upscale condom inium units.
Scott Bullock, senior attorney with the Institute for Justice in Ar l ington, Va., which is co-counsel for a group of some 17 residents of Marine and Ocean terraces and Seaview Avenue, an area that has come to be known as MTOTSA, confirmed he would be present at the meeting.
"We will be hearing what the city has to say about the future of the area," Bullock said last week. "We hope to gain a better understanding of the future."
Peter H. Wegener, of Bathgate Wegener and Wolf in Lakewood, who is representing the MTOTSA group with IJ as co-counsel, was also set to be at the meeting. William J. Ward, of Carlin & Ward in Florham Park, who is representing some residents of the embattled beachfront neighborhood, confirmed that he would also be at the meeting.
Both Schneider and Bullock said that one of the main issues is the residents of MTOTSA would be able to keep and maintain their homes.
"We want to allow them [MTOTSA] to be able to keep and improve their homes," Schneider said.
Bullock also revealed that while Wednesday's meeting is going to be a presentation, a mediation meeting is scheduled for March 27.
Bullock said the main goal for the group is for the residents to keep their homes. Schneider also said the goal is for the residents to keep and improve their homes.
"We are open for a productive, informative meeting," Bullock said.
"This area has a lot of smaller, singlefamily homes on smaller pieces of land. If a settlement is reached, then the zoning regulations will be 'relaxed' and these families will be able to keep their homes."
The talks come after a decade-long battle by the MTOTSA residents to save their homes from the condemnation action of the city, which sought to clear the zone to make way for private, upscale redevelopment.
"We are working hard toward a compromise," Schneider said.
Contact Ken Walter at kwalter@gmnews.com
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Trailer will boost CERT team's response time
Trailer will boost CERT team's response time
State OEM awards new trailer to assist in emergencies
BY KEN WALTER Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY staff The Tinton Falls CERT Team has been awarded this trailer by the state Office of Emergency Management.
TINTON FALLS — The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) of Tinton Falls has been awarded a new trailer by the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (OEM).
The state OEM announced March 5 that Tinton Falls would be one of six New Jersey CERT programs to receive one of the trailers.
The trailers, valued at around $3,400 each, will be located at the Tinton Falls police headquarters and will be used to transport emergency equipment and to pick up supplies in the event of a disaster, according to Tinton Falls CERT coordinator Beth Hessek.
The trailers came equipped with some supplies and a $1,500 grant to buy more equipment, she said last week. The only requirement for the funds is that the team purchase a 3,000-watt generator, which is valued at around $500-$600.
The rest of the money will be used to purchase supplies like gloves, first aid kits, masks, tents and triage tape.
"At the end of each year CERT provides a list of activities they participated in the past year to the Monmouth County Emergency Management Office," Hessek explained. "They then in turn submit a report to the state. The State Citizens Corps Council then reviews these reports and determines what groups to award trailers."
The purpose of CERT is to provide aid during a crisis. The various missions include search and rescue for missing persons, aid and cleanup during snow and ice storms, administeringminor first aid, and other disaster relief efforts.
"The role of CERT is to give an extra set of hands," Hessek said. "We basically free up the professionals to do the more important jobs. The CERT trailers are intended to allow the team quicker and more efficient emergency response."
The borough received the trailers on March 5, but Hessek expects it to take about 120 days before they can be implemented.
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"We need to buy the equipment for it and go through the proper training program before we can start using them," she said. "We are in the process of evaluating what equipment we need to go out and buy."
The Tinton Falls CERT, which has 69 members, has been an active team since 2004, when Hessek became the CERT coordinator.
"We received this trailer because we are an active team," Hessek said. "Not only do we do things in town, but we've assisted other towns as well. Tinton Falls has responded every time we've received a call from the county OEM."
The Tinton Falls CERT has worked with other local municipalities in the past. When a water main broke on Newman Springs Road in Red Bank in 2004, the Tinton Falls unit responded by handing out water to those in need. Parts of Tinton Falls, Red Bank, Oceanport and Shrewsbury were affected by the emergency.
Shortly after the incident, a Shrewsbury CERT was organized.
In recent years there have been CERT programs implemented in many Monmouth County towns, including Shrewsbury, Oceanport and Red Bank.
"It is very important that we stay involved with other teams in our area," Hessek said. "Just last Saturday we participated in a search-and-rescue training with the team from Manalapan."
Although there were no calls placed to the Tinton Falls CERT last year, the team has stayed active by participating in many county drills and programs run by the police and fire departments.
Requirements to join a CERT program include completing an 18-20 hour training program over a period of six to eight weeks. For more information, call 1-877-CERT-411.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
State OEM awards new trailer to assist in emergencies
BY KEN WALTER Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY staff The Tinton Falls CERT Team has been awarded this trailer by the state Office of Emergency Management.
TINTON FALLS — The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) of Tinton Falls has been awarded a new trailer by the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (OEM).
The state OEM announced March 5 that Tinton Falls would be one of six New Jersey CERT programs to receive one of the trailers.
The trailers, valued at around $3,400 each, will be located at the Tinton Falls police headquarters and will be used to transport emergency equipment and to pick up supplies in the event of a disaster, according to Tinton Falls CERT coordinator Beth Hessek.
The trailers came equipped with some supplies and a $1,500 grant to buy more equipment, she said last week. The only requirement for the funds is that the team purchase a 3,000-watt generator, which is valued at around $500-$600.
The rest of the money will be used to purchase supplies like gloves, first aid kits, masks, tents and triage tape.
"At the end of each year CERT provides a list of activities they participated in the past year to the Monmouth County Emergency Management Office," Hessek explained. "They then in turn submit a report to the state. The State Citizens Corps Council then reviews these reports and determines what groups to award trailers."
The purpose of CERT is to provide aid during a crisis. The various missions include search and rescue for missing persons, aid and cleanup during snow and ice storms, administeringminor first aid, and other disaster relief efforts.
"The role of CERT is to give an extra set of hands," Hessek said. "We basically free up the professionals to do the more important jobs. The CERT trailers are intended to allow the team quicker and more efficient emergency response."
The borough received the trailers on March 5, but Hessek expects it to take about 120 days before they can be implemented.
To join our mailing list
and receive notification on
special events, breaking community news and promotions, enter email address here:
"We need to buy the equipment for it and go through the proper training program before we can start using them," she said. "We are in the process of evaluating what equipment we need to go out and buy."
The Tinton Falls CERT, which has 69 members, has been an active team since 2004, when Hessek became the CERT coordinator.
"We received this trailer because we are an active team," Hessek said. "Not only do we do things in town, but we've assisted other towns as well. Tinton Falls has responded every time we've received a call from the county OEM."
The Tinton Falls CERT has worked with other local municipalities in the past. When a water main broke on Newman Springs Road in Red Bank in 2004, the Tinton Falls unit responded by handing out water to those in need. Parts of Tinton Falls, Red Bank, Oceanport and Shrewsbury were affected by the emergency.
Shortly after the incident, a Shrewsbury CERT was organized.
In recent years there have been CERT programs implemented in many Monmouth County towns, including Shrewsbury, Oceanport and Red Bank.
"It is very important that we stay involved with other teams in our area," Hessek said. "Just last Saturday we participated in a search-and-rescue training with the team from Manalapan."
Although there were no calls placed to the Tinton Falls CERT last year, the team has stayed active by participating in many county drills and programs run by the police and fire departments.
Requirements to join a CERT program include completing an 18-20 hour training program over a period of six to eight weeks. For more information, call 1-877-CERT-411.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
TF Library Could have Funds Slashed
T.F. library could have funds slashed
BY KENNETH WALTER Staff Writer
The Tinton Falls Public Library is one of many municipal libraries statewide that may lose as much as half of their municipal funding if a proposed bill becomes law.
Assembly bill A-3753 was introduced on Feb. 9 by Assemblyman Vincent Prieto (D-32nd District).
With a recession looming, Tinton Falls Library Director Rosemary Tunnicliffe sees the library as a resource that people need now more than ever.
"We have more people coming in since the economy went bad," Tunnicliffe said. "We have more people using the Internet here than ever before."
The current state funding formula mandates that each town spend at least "onethird of a mil" on their municipal library.
A mil is equal to one-thousandth of the town's total assessed property value. While towns are able to go over one-third of a mil to fund their libraries, one-third of a mil is the bare minimum. The proposed bill would drop the minimum to one-sixth of a mil.
The Tinton Falls library currently receives $125,000 a year in municipal funding, but Tunnicliffe is unsure about the future.
"The borough approved our budget for 2009; we don't know what will happen for 2010," Tunnicliffe said.
The New Jersey Library Association argues that if the proposed bill were adopted into law, it "would lead to largescale cutbacks in library services in … communities at a time when library usage is growing and is needed more than ever," according to a press release issued by the New Jersey Library Association.
The release states that libraries that do not suffer funding cuts may have to make up for services lost at other libraries that have their funding cut.
"Libraries funded above the minimum funding level would see their own services stretched as New Jersey residents seek out neighboring libraries to provide needed services which their local libraries could no longer offer," the release states.
While the proposed bill would cut library funding in towns like Tinton Falls, NJLA Executive Director Pat Tumulty does not see it moving forward anytime soon.
"At this point, [Prieto] is talking to us, and we don't perceive [the bill] going forward in the immediate future," Tumulty said.
State officials passed a law in 2007 that required municipalities to fund their libraries based on their municipal tax levy cap, Tumulty said.
"The cap law was passed in 2007, and that is why there has been so much confusion about this, because under previous cap laws, [libraries] were exempted, but under this law, [libraries] are added, and that's what makes it very difficult," Tumulty said.
"Our feeling is [libraries] should be exempt from the levy or given their own tax," she added.
Tunnicliffe also expressed the need for a new library in Tinton Falls, especially with the increased popularity of the branch in recent months.
"The Tinton Falls library has been around for 48 years, and we've been in this building for over 30 years," Tunnicliffe said. "We are celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2011, and we hoped that we would have a new building by then, but it doesn't look like we will."
Contact Ken Walter at kwalter@gmnews.com.
BY KENNETH WALTER Staff Writer
The Tinton Falls Public Library is one of many municipal libraries statewide that may lose as much as half of their municipal funding if a proposed bill becomes law.
Assembly bill A-3753 was introduced on Feb. 9 by Assemblyman Vincent Prieto (D-32nd District).
With a recession looming, Tinton Falls Library Director Rosemary Tunnicliffe sees the library as a resource that people need now more than ever.
"We have more people coming in since the economy went bad," Tunnicliffe said. "We have more people using the Internet here than ever before."
The current state funding formula mandates that each town spend at least "onethird of a mil" on their municipal library.
A mil is equal to one-thousandth of the town's total assessed property value. While towns are able to go over one-third of a mil to fund their libraries, one-third of a mil is the bare minimum. The proposed bill would drop the minimum to one-sixth of a mil.
The Tinton Falls library currently receives $125,000 a year in municipal funding, but Tunnicliffe is unsure about the future.
"The borough approved our budget for 2009; we don't know what will happen for 2010," Tunnicliffe said.
The New Jersey Library Association argues that if the proposed bill were adopted into law, it "would lead to largescale cutbacks in library services in … communities at a time when library usage is growing and is needed more than ever," according to a press release issued by the New Jersey Library Association.
The release states that libraries that do not suffer funding cuts may have to make up for services lost at other libraries that have their funding cut.
"Libraries funded above the minimum funding level would see their own services stretched as New Jersey residents seek out neighboring libraries to provide needed services which their local libraries could no longer offer," the release states.
While the proposed bill would cut library funding in towns like Tinton Falls, NJLA Executive Director Pat Tumulty does not see it moving forward anytime soon.
"At this point, [Prieto] is talking to us, and we don't perceive [the bill] going forward in the immediate future," Tumulty said.
State officials passed a law in 2007 that required municipalities to fund their libraries based on their municipal tax levy cap, Tumulty said.
"The cap law was passed in 2007, and that is why there has been so much confusion about this, because under previous cap laws, [libraries] were exempted, but under this law, [libraries] are added, and that's what makes it very difficult," Tumulty said.
"Our feeling is [libraries] should be exempt from the levy or given their own tax," she added.
Tunnicliffe also expressed the need for a new library in Tinton Falls, especially with the increased popularity of the branch in recent months.
"The Tinton Falls library has been around for 48 years, and we've been in this building for over 30 years," Tunnicliffe said. "We are celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2011, and we hoped that we would have a new building by then, but it doesn't look like we will."
Contact Ken Walter at kwalter@gmnews.com.
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