Long Branch council adopts $47.8M budget
CFO warns cuts may be needed next year
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — The City Council approved the $47.8 million budget last week after waiting for the state to review the spending plan.
The vote was 3-1 in favor at the June 23 council meeting, with Councilman Brian Unger voting against the 2009 budget. Councilman Anthony Giordano was absent for the vote.A
ccording to Chief Finance Officer Ronald Mehlhorn Sr., the proposed budget is an increase of about $2.8 million over last year's approved $45 million budget.
The tax rate would increase by 2 cents to 59.6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
"That equates to about $100 more a year for the average home assessed at just under $500,000," Mehlhorn said.
The tax levy is $30,515,934, an increase of $1,247,288 from last year but below the stated-mandated cap that sets the maximum increase at 4 percent. Last year's tax levy was $29,268,646.
Some of the larger increases in this year's budget are: $15,266 in increases in salaries and wages in the office of the chief administrator; $27,933 in salaries, wages and other expenses in the division of parks; and $342,573 in increases for salaries, wages and other expenses within the police department.
Unger voted against introduction of the budget as well as voting against its approval.
In May, Unger suggested cuts to the budget, such as cutting administrative clerk positions, including the mayor's secretary, which he said would save about $49,000, as well as cutting $100,000 in fees paid to the city's labor counsel, while arguing for allocating $45,000 to televise council meetings.
During the public portion of the council meeting, some residents weren't satisfied with the approved budget.
"The taxpayers of this town are looking at a debt of $48 million and counting," Long Branch resident Diana Multare said during the meeting. "And I will continue to count, because the taxpayers of this town need to know how much they owe and why."
While the budget was finally passed, Multare said she would continue to scrutinize the spending plan.
"Tonight is going to be the final public hearing on the budget, but I personally intend to keep looking at it," Multare said.
Mehlhorn said in an interview last week that some of those who complained are misinformed.
"The public has raised several concerns, but has not really asked for an explanation," Mehlhorn said.
Among the issues raised at council meetings was the recent hiring of someone in the fire department during a hiring freeze.
"People keep mentioning the hiring freeze and the hiring of a full-time employee in the fire department," Mehlhorn said. "We didn't add any new money for that position.
"We had a temporary worker who we made full time," he added.
Mehlhorn went on to say that the alternative might be far worse for Long Branch.
"People can complain, but what if we have to shut down the firehouse?" Mehlhorn said. "I think people would be more up in arms about that."
According to Mehlhorn, the city did nothing wrong and the hiring did not affect the budget.
"There have been no violations of our hiring freeze in the
firehouse," Mehlhorn said. "It's just been a matter of semantics."
Another matter of contention has been the allocation of overtime hours in the budget.
Multare has been outspoken about municipal employees' overtime hours, contending that they should have been drastically reduced.
"Now from my point of view, in an economic downturn you need to shrink items like overtime dramatically," Multare said. "And I mentioned last time that there was one effective way to reduce overtime, specifically in terms of the police department, and that has to do with overlapping schedules.
"I mentioned that and got nothing but blank stares and no response, no inquiries," she added.
Mehlhorn disagreed.
"It's easy to look in hindsight about overtime," Mehlhorn said. "For example, when someone is out sick in the police department, you need someone to work overtime in their place."
While this may have been a difficult year in which to create a budget, Mehlhorn may not be looking forward to next year's budget.
"This year's budget was in the top two or three in tough budgets," Mehlhorn said. "I can't even comprehend how difficult next year's budget will be."
According to Mehlhorn, if the economy doesn't turn around soon, cuts will likely have to be made.
"With the situation with the economy, I could see some big cuts happening next year," Mehlhorn said. "Next year might be difficult if everything stays the same."
However, Mehlhorn said the city doesn't want the cuts to cost jobs.
"Our policy is that we don't want to contribute to the poor economy by laying people off," Mehlhorn said, adding, "But there is a point where we are going to have to consider the taxpayers and make some cuts at some places."
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Tour looks at sites for Port Huron building
Tour looks at sites for Port Huron building
LONG BRANCH — A group of local preservationists, residents and others who are interested in preserving the Port Huron building at the Takanassee Beach Club were slated to tour the historic structure Thursday.
According to Long Branch Councilman Brian Unger, the group was also expected to discuss other potential sites in the city where the structure could be relocated.
Tentative plans call for the building to be reused as a combination maritime-surfing museum.
Last year, the Port Huron building on the former Takanassee Beach Club site on Ocean Avenue was listed for sale for $1 on the National Trust for Historic Preservation website.
The Takanassee site is currently owned by Isaac Chera, who plans to construct a luxury condominium project on the oceanfront site.
Chera was issued a Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) permit in February 2008 by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to construct the project.
With the CAFRA approval came some 30 conditions the developer must adhere to, including preserving the three historic Takanassee structures.
Plans call for Chera to preserve one of the buildings on the original site and to relocate the other two stations off-site, where they will be restored.
Members of the preservation community are concerned about the fate of the buildings.
The Monmouth County Park System has indicated it is considering moving the oldest structure, the Captain's House, to Seven Presidents Park.
According to Unger, who has led the effort to preserve the Takanassee structures, plans call for the boathouse to remain onsite and become part of the new residential development.
A proposal was made at a City Council meeting and at a meeting of the Long Branch Historical Association to use the Port Huron house for a proposed surfing/ maritime/Takanassee museum.
Unger said in a press release that efforts to preserve the Port Huron building and relocate it in Long Branch have the support of Chera, who plans to pursue site plan approval before the Long Branch Planning Board.
Those invited to join the tour included residents, preservationists and other interested parties from the Long Branch Historical Association, the Long Branch City Council and administration, the Monmouth County Historical Commission, the N.J. State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the Atlantic Surfing Museum, the Elberon Voters & Property Owners Association, and Long Branch Citizens for Good Government.
The tour was to include inspection of the Port Huron house; a review of the lot adjacent to the Church of the Presidents' St. James Chapel; and a review of the proposed Hoey Park site for the Port Huron building.
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LONG BRANCH — A group of local preservationists, residents and others who are interested in preserving the Port Huron building at the Takanassee Beach Club were slated to tour the historic structure Thursday.
According to Long Branch Councilman Brian Unger, the group was also expected to discuss other potential sites in the city where the structure could be relocated.
Tentative plans call for the building to be reused as a combination maritime-surfing museum.
Last year, the Port Huron building on the former Takanassee Beach Club site on Ocean Avenue was listed for sale for $1 on the National Trust for Historic Preservation website.
The Takanassee site is currently owned by Isaac Chera, who plans to construct a luxury condominium project on the oceanfront site.
Chera was issued a Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) permit in February 2008 by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to construct the project.
With the CAFRA approval came some 30 conditions the developer must adhere to, including preserving the three historic Takanassee structures.
Plans call for Chera to preserve one of the buildings on the original site and to relocate the other two stations off-site, where they will be restored.
Members of the preservation community are concerned about the fate of the buildings.
The Monmouth County Park System has indicated it is considering moving the oldest structure, the Captain's House, to Seven Presidents Park.
According to Unger, who has led the effort to preserve the Takanassee structures, plans call for the boathouse to remain onsite and become part of the new residential development.
A proposal was made at a City Council meeting and at a meeting of the Long Branch Historical Association to use the Port Huron house for a proposed surfing/ maritime/Takanassee museum.
Unger said in a press release that efforts to preserve the Port Huron building and relocate it in Long Branch have the support of Chera, who plans to pursue site plan approval before the Long Branch Planning Board.
Those invited to join the tour included residents, preservationists and other interested parties from the Long Branch Historical Association, the Long Branch City Council and administration, the Monmouth County Historical Commission, the N.J. State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the Atlantic Surfing Museum, the Elberon Voters & Property Owners Association, and Long Branch Citizens for Good Government.
The tour was to include inspection of the Port Huron house; a review of the lot adjacent to the Church of the Presidents' St. James Chapel; and a review of the proposed Hoey Park site for the Port Huron building.
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City encourages growth of farmers markets
City encourages growth of farmers markets
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — A new ordinance may encourage the opening of farmers markets throughout the city
Prior to the summer season, the Long Branch City Council passed an ordinance allowing farmers markets to apply for a zoning permit to hold a market within certain areas of the city.
Until now, farmers markets received a special permit allowing them to operate for a single season and a specific period of time.
The new ordinance was first suggested by Zoning Officer Michelle Bernich during the May 12 workshop meeting, and was unanimously approved by the council during the May 26 meeting.
According to Bernich, the ordinance makes it easier for the zoning office to manage farmers markets.
"We feel that it simplifies things in the long run," Bernich said. "We wanted to be consistent."
Under the new ordinance, prospective farmers markets can apply for a zoning permit.
Bernich said the markets are allowed in one of the three Long Branch commercial zones, and they must adhere to the Jersey Fresh Organic Farmers Market program.
The ordinance defines farm market as "a retail outlet normally owned or operated by a producer or farm unit, located on-farm or off-farm, selling products produced by the farm, directly to the consumer."
Bernich noted that there already is a farmers market in Long Branch.
"For the second year, we have a market in West End," Bernich said. "It is run by Jesse Novak of Jesse's Café on Brighton Avenue."
With the success of last year's market, Jesse's Café wants to expand, which contributed to the adoption of the ordinance.
"Interest got bigger so they expanded," Bernich said. "Now they have more space and more vendors.
"Jesse's Café kind of set the tone for this ordinance," she added.
While she expects another successful season for the West End market, there are other places in Long Branch that would benefit from having a farmers market, she said.
"There are a few vacant parcels in the commercial areas that would also be beneficial," she said, adding, "There is an open lot on Broadway next to St. Luke's Church that would be good.
"Really any open parking lot or open space in the commercial zones would work," Bernich added.
While there is only one market slated for this summer, more may be on the way.
"We only have the one up and running, but others are interested," Bernich said.
One benefit of the ordinance being in place is that once a prospective market is approved, it will not be necessary to apply for a permit before every season.
"Instead of getting a permit every year, the market is now zoned for this use," Bernich said, adding, "So unless they are changing the use, they don't need to get a permit every season.
"The permit can be amended if they want to change the day or time," Bernich said. "It's good until something changes."
One of the main points of the ordinance is to not have farmers markets competing with one another.
"The West End Farm Market runs on Thursdays, June through December," Bernich said. "Any other days that work out best for the farmers are ideal at other locations."
The market must obtain a permit from the Special Events Committee as well as be reviewed by the City Council.
A new market cannot apply to operate on the same day/time as an existing market.
"Times, days and locations may require Special Events Committee and City Council review and approvals," Bernich said.
"If the proposed location is not in a C-1, C-2 or C-3 Zone or if days conflict with another market," Bernich said.
"There has been interest from the Mayor's Energy Review Committee and increased requests from local business owners and the public," she said.
Before the ordinance was passed, farmers markets received a special permit for a specific period of time.
"[They would need a] special event permit for a specified period of time," Bernich said.
"The ordinance is another example of how the city of Long Branch is "Working for a green future."
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com
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BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — A new ordinance may encourage the opening of farmers markets throughout the city
Prior to the summer season, the Long Branch City Council passed an ordinance allowing farmers markets to apply for a zoning permit to hold a market within certain areas of the city.
Until now, farmers markets received a special permit allowing them to operate for a single season and a specific period of time.
The new ordinance was first suggested by Zoning Officer Michelle Bernich during the May 12 workshop meeting, and was unanimously approved by the council during the May 26 meeting.
According to Bernich, the ordinance makes it easier for the zoning office to manage farmers markets.
"We feel that it simplifies things in the long run," Bernich said. "We wanted to be consistent."
Under the new ordinance, prospective farmers markets can apply for a zoning permit.
Bernich said the markets are allowed in one of the three Long Branch commercial zones, and they must adhere to the Jersey Fresh Organic Farmers Market program.
The ordinance defines farm market as "a retail outlet normally owned or operated by a producer or farm unit, located on-farm or off-farm, selling products produced by the farm, directly to the consumer."
Bernich noted that there already is a farmers market in Long Branch.
"For the second year, we have a market in West End," Bernich said. "It is run by Jesse Novak of Jesse's Café on Brighton Avenue."
With the success of last year's market, Jesse's Café wants to expand, which contributed to the adoption of the ordinance.
"Interest got bigger so they expanded," Bernich said. "Now they have more space and more vendors.
"Jesse's Café kind of set the tone for this ordinance," she added.
While she expects another successful season for the West End market, there are other places in Long Branch that would benefit from having a farmers market, she said.
"There are a few vacant parcels in the commercial areas that would also be beneficial," she said, adding, "There is an open lot on Broadway next to St. Luke's Church that would be good.
"Really any open parking lot or open space in the commercial zones would work," Bernich added.
While there is only one market slated for this summer, more may be on the way.
"We only have the one up and running, but others are interested," Bernich said.
One benefit of the ordinance being in place is that once a prospective market is approved, it will not be necessary to apply for a permit before every season.
"Instead of getting a permit every year, the market is now zoned for this use," Bernich said, adding, "So unless they are changing the use, they don't need to get a permit every season.
"The permit can be amended if they want to change the day or time," Bernich said. "It's good until something changes."
One of the main points of the ordinance is to not have farmers markets competing with one another.
"The West End Farm Market runs on Thursdays, June through December," Bernich said. "Any other days that work out best for the farmers are ideal at other locations."
The market must obtain a permit from the Special Events Committee as well as be reviewed by the City Council.
A new market cannot apply to operate on the same day/time as an existing market.
"Times, days and locations may require Special Events Committee and City Council review and approvals," Bernich said.
"If the proposed location is not in a C-1, C-2 or C-3 Zone or if days conflict with another market," Bernich said.
"There has been interest from the Mayor's Energy Review Committee and increased requests from local business owners and the public," she said.
Before the ordinance was passed, farmers markets received a special permit for a specific period of time.
"[They would need a] special event permit for a specified period of time," Bernich said.
"The ordinance is another example of how the city of Long Branch is "Working for a green future."
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com
Click here to enlarge
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Sun, surf and smiles as Life Rolls On
Sun, surf and smiles as Life Rolls On
Day of surfing for people with spinal cord injuries
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
Beachgoers flocked to the Jersey Shore this weekend, but none enjoyed themselves as much as a group who gathered on the beachfront to catch a wave, some for the first time.
CHRIS KELLY staff Volunteers are watchful as Keaghlan Strauss, Toms River, rides a wave during the Life Rolls On Foundation's "They Will Surf Again," event held at the Long Branch oceanfront June 28.
The Life Rolls On Foundation held its second annual "They Will Surf Again" [TWSA] event at Pier Village in Long Branch on June 28, and according to a post-event press release, more than 25 participants and 200 volunteers gathered to make a day of surfing possible for people with spinal cord injuries.
"Injured athletes from around the country gathered together for a day of surfing. Some have not surfed since their injury, some have never surfed, some surf all the time despite their varying mobility," according to the Life Rolls On website.
Event organizer Joe Levy said the early part of the day is the hardest, while everything gets easier once the participants hit the water.
CHRIS KELLY staff Joe Cali, Hazlet, is all smiles after riding a wave during "They Will Surf Again," an event held to allow people with spinal cord injuries to experience the exhilaration of surfing.
"Registration is the hardest part," Levy said in an interview on the beach. "We are now over that hurdle.
"Once they get out on the waves, the day moves fast."
California-based Life Rolls On has held TWSA events across the country, including in California, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia and New Jersey.
This is the 24th event held since 2004 and the second consecutive year the program is taking place in Long Branch.
TWSA is the flagship event for LRO, but the foundation has also held several golf events this year as well as its first ski event in California.
Levy was in charge of organizing the participants as well as the nearly 200 volunteers.
He organized the surfers and volunteers into teams identified by the color of their wetsuits and also assigned the volunteers land roles or water roles.
"Everybody has a role," Levy said. "There are five to seven roles per team, from water to land."
With the organization of the event out of the way, safety remained the most important issue.
"Safety is a main concern in an event like this," Levy said, while addressing the crowd of volunteers.
"We use what they call training surfboards," volunteer Vincent Blais, Old Bridge, said. "They have soft bottoms, so in case someone gets hit with one, they won't really hurt."
The water-based teams were split into three levels: deep water where the surfers start, midway, and shallow.
Some of the volunteers explained the roles of the deep-water positions.
"There are two people pushing from behind," Tony Aufiero, Wall, said. "I am one of the ones guiding the board from the sides."
"The deep-water part is pretty challenging," Noel Fitzpatrick, Belmar, said. "I am swimming around making sure everyone on the team and everyone surfing is all right.
"The tide is low and the water is very shallow," added Fitzpatrick, who works as a surfing instructor in Ocean Grove.
While the deep-water portion is certainly challenging, Old Bridge resident Jennifer Kieliszewski explained that the shallow end is challenging too.
"The most important part is the transfer and the position on the board," Kieliszewski said. "The positioning on the board of the surfer is what I mostly look at. It's important to make sure they are on the board right and to make sure their heads aren't in the water."
While the volunteers are crucial for TWSA, the day really is about the participants.
For Ian James, Neptune, TWSA is a chance to reclaim his surfing days.
James, who was injured while serving in the U.S. Air Force, was very grateful for the chance to get in the water.
"It's phenomenal," James said. "These people went out of their way to help. I'm looking forward to surfing. There is a beautiful break out there today."
Just the experience of being on the beach among a large group of people was a positive for him.
"It's nice for people to get out of the house, to get out of the hospital bed and socialize like this," James said. "It's good for everybody."
He thanked everyone involved in the day.
"The sponsors, the volunteers, the participants, it's all great," James said.
"I want to give a huge thank you to everyone," he said, adding, "I am really, really appreciative of this opportunity."
James' words rang true with Justin Ubel, who had just come out of the water and was having sunscreen applied.
"I love it, it's beautiful out there," Ubel said. "I just want to thank everyone for doing this." had just come out of the water and was having sunscreen applied.
"I love it, it's beautiful out there," Ubel said. "I just want to thank everyone for doing this. " Many participants were once experienced surfers, but less experienced surfers still were able to enjoy the day.
Malik Jones, Newark, was one of the firsttime surfers to join in the fun.
"I've been once already," Jones said. "There's a first time for everything.
"It was calm out there," he said. "It's peaceful out there. I'd definitely come back next year."
Jaclyn Daya, Old Bridge, another first-time surfer, was looking forward to getting in the water.
"I am excited for my first time surfing," Daya said. "I used to love being in the water.
"We have great weather," Daya added. "I am looking forward to getting out there."
Most of the participants and volunteers agreed that the event has grown dramatically since last year.
"I came last year," Tyler Ryan, of Montgomery, N.Y., said. "It's really fun, it's different. Last year was a lot smaller."
"It's a lot better than last year," John Harris, Doylestown, Pa., said.
Ryan said he is hoping that these events continue.
"It's a great organization," Ryan said. "I hope they continue to hold events like this."
While the surfers all said they immensely enjoyed being in the water, at least one parent admitted she might not have shared the same sentiment at first.
For Tom Pisano, Milford, TWSA represents a chance to regain his athletic past, but for his mother, Maureen, it was a stressful day last year.
"This is his second year," Maureen said. "It has been very enjoyable this year.
"Last year I was a nervous wreck," Maureen added. "Now I know what to expect."
For Tom, who was injured while skiing, the day is a chance to again regain his athleticism and be out in the sun.
"It's good, it's a nice day," Tom said. "It's good to get some sun.
"This is one of the best things I've done since I got hurt two and a half years ago."
"He just loves doing these things," his mother said. "He is very athletic."
While June set rainfall records, the sun was shining on TWSA.
"Looks like we've been blessed with good weather again," Levy said. "After five and a half weeks of rain, it looks like the rain disappeared for a TWSA event.
"We are very grateful for the weather," he said. "It's the perfect beach day."
"I expected it to rain," Ryan said.
"It's great that we got some good weather," Aufiero said.
According to two young local volunteers, it was a good day to be out on the waves.
"[The water is] about 70 degrees," Jack Collins, Shrewsbury, said. "Decent waves, it's not bad.
"They are about 3 feet high," Collins continued, adding, "from your knee to your waist, in surfing terms."
His friend Bennett Moss heard about the event fromhismother andwas happy to be involved.
"It's really great," Moss said. "Everyone comes together."
"Seeing them catch the wave makes you feel good about yourself," Collins added.
While anyone can volunteerwith Life Rolls On, some volunteers had a connection through their work in the occupational therapy field.
"I try to help out wherever I can," Brittany Beckmann said. "I work at an exercise rehab place, so that is how I found out about this.
"This is my first time here," she added. "I think it's amazing."
Beckmann went on to say that the day was well worth the work put in.
"I've never been a part of anything like this before," Beckmann said.
"Seeing all the excitement and enthusiasm on their faces is the best part," Beckmann said. "It's been so much fun."
Teresa Ciullo and Liz Wolff work as therapists in Hoboken, and some of their patients made their way down to the beach for They Will Surf Again.
"It's awesome being able to do this," Wolff said.
"Where we work, there are a lot of patients here," Ciullo said. "It is kind of like a reunion."
The way the surfing is structured, four participants go out for about 45 minutes at a time and all will go out multiple times throughout the day.
"I went on about eight or nine runs while I was out there before," Pisano said.
"Last year I went out there about eight times," Ubel added.
For the volunteers, the reward of being involved is in the joy being able to surf brings to the participants.
"Seeing the smiles on people's faces is the best part," Blais said. "You can't wipe the smiles off their faces."
"Seeing their faces, I love it," Aufiero agreed. "I really do."
"It's a lot of fun," Kieliszewski said. "This is my first one; it's cool seeing them out there."
According to Levy, funding for the event comes from sponsors, donations and grants.
The day also included a raffle for a surfboard, a surf plate, a fishing rod, massage gift certificates and T-shirts.
Life Rolls On will hold another TWSA event in New Jersey on Sept. 27 in Cape May.
For more information or to volunteer, visit the website at www.liferollson.org.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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Day of surfing for people with spinal cord injuries
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
Beachgoers flocked to the Jersey Shore this weekend, but none enjoyed themselves as much as a group who gathered on the beachfront to catch a wave, some for the first time.
CHRIS KELLY staff Volunteers are watchful as Keaghlan Strauss, Toms River, rides a wave during the Life Rolls On Foundation's "They Will Surf Again," event held at the Long Branch oceanfront June 28.
The Life Rolls On Foundation held its second annual "They Will Surf Again" [TWSA] event at Pier Village in Long Branch on June 28, and according to a post-event press release, more than 25 participants and 200 volunteers gathered to make a day of surfing possible for people with spinal cord injuries.
"Injured athletes from around the country gathered together for a day of surfing. Some have not surfed since their injury, some have never surfed, some surf all the time despite their varying mobility," according to the Life Rolls On website.
Event organizer Joe Levy said the early part of the day is the hardest, while everything gets easier once the participants hit the water.
CHRIS KELLY staff Joe Cali, Hazlet, is all smiles after riding a wave during "They Will Surf Again," an event held to allow people with spinal cord injuries to experience the exhilaration of surfing.
"Registration is the hardest part," Levy said in an interview on the beach. "We are now over that hurdle.
"Once they get out on the waves, the day moves fast."
California-based Life Rolls On has held TWSA events across the country, including in California, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia and New Jersey.
This is the 24th event held since 2004 and the second consecutive year the program is taking place in Long Branch.
TWSA is the flagship event for LRO, but the foundation has also held several golf events this year as well as its first ski event in California.
Levy was in charge of organizing the participants as well as the nearly 200 volunteers.
He organized the surfers and volunteers into teams identified by the color of their wetsuits and also assigned the volunteers land roles or water roles.
"Everybody has a role," Levy said. "There are five to seven roles per team, from water to land."
With the organization of the event out of the way, safety remained the most important issue.
"Safety is a main concern in an event like this," Levy said, while addressing the crowd of volunteers.
"We use what they call training surfboards," volunteer Vincent Blais, Old Bridge, said. "They have soft bottoms, so in case someone gets hit with one, they won't really hurt."
The water-based teams were split into three levels: deep water where the surfers start, midway, and shallow.
Some of the volunteers explained the roles of the deep-water positions.
"There are two people pushing from behind," Tony Aufiero, Wall, said. "I am one of the ones guiding the board from the sides."
"The deep-water part is pretty challenging," Noel Fitzpatrick, Belmar, said. "I am swimming around making sure everyone on the team and everyone surfing is all right.
"The tide is low and the water is very shallow," added Fitzpatrick, who works as a surfing instructor in Ocean Grove.
While the deep-water portion is certainly challenging, Old Bridge resident Jennifer Kieliszewski explained that the shallow end is challenging too.
"The most important part is the transfer and the position on the board," Kieliszewski said. "The positioning on the board of the surfer is what I mostly look at. It's important to make sure they are on the board right and to make sure their heads aren't in the water."
While the volunteers are crucial for TWSA, the day really is about the participants.
For Ian James, Neptune, TWSA is a chance to reclaim his surfing days.
James, who was injured while serving in the U.S. Air Force, was very grateful for the chance to get in the water.
"It's phenomenal," James said. "These people went out of their way to help. I'm looking forward to surfing. There is a beautiful break out there today."
Just the experience of being on the beach among a large group of people was a positive for him.
"It's nice for people to get out of the house, to get out of the hospital bed and socialize like this," James said. "It's good for everybody."
He thanked everyone involved in the day.
"The sponsors, the volunteers, the participants, it's all great," James said.
"I want to give a huge thank you to everyone," he said, adding, "I am really, really appreciative of this opportunity."
James' words rang true with Justin Ubel, who had just come out of the water and was having sunscreen applied.
"I love it, it's beautiful out there," Ubel said. "I just want to thank everyone for doing this." had just come out of the water and was having sunscreen applied.
"I love it, it's beautiful out there," Ubel said. "I just want to thank everyone for doing this. " Many participants were once experienced surfers, but less experienced surfers still were able to enjoy the day.
Malik Jones, Newark, was one of the firsttime surfers to join in the fun.
"I've been once already," Jones said. "There's a first time for everything.
"It was calm out there," he said. "It's peaceful out there. I'd definitely come back next year."
Jaclyn Daya, Old Bridge, another first-time surfer, was looking forward to getting in the water.
"I am excited for my first time surfing," Daya said. "I used to love being in the water.
"We have great weather," Daya added. "I am looking forward to getting out there."
Most of the participants and volunteers agreed that the event has grown dramatically since last year.
"I came last year," Tyler Ryan, of Montgomery, N.Y., said. "It's really fun, it's different. Last year was a lot smaller."
"It's a lot better than last year," John Harris, Doylestown, Pa., said.
Ryan said he is hoping that these events continue.
"It's a great organization," Ryan said. "I hope they continue to hold events like this."
While the surfers all said they immensely enjoyed being in the water, at least one parent admitted she might not have shared the same sentiment at first.
For Tom Pisano, Milford, TWSA represents a chance to regain his athletic past, but for his mother, Maureen, it was a stressful day last year.
"This is his second year," Maureen said. "It has been very enjoyable this year.
"Last year I was a nervous wreck," Maureen added. "Now I know what to expect."
For Tom, who was injured while skiing, the day is a chance to again regain his athleticism and be out in the sun.
"It's good, it's a nice day," Tom said. "It's good to get some sun.
"This is one of the best things I've done since I got hurt two and a half years ago."
"He just loves doing these things," his mother said. "He is very athletic."
While June set rainfall records, the sun was shining on TWSA.
"Looks like we've been blessed with good weather again," Levy said. "After five and a half weeks of rain, it looks like the rain disappeared for a TWSA event.
"We are very grateful for the weather," he said. "It's the perfect beach day."
"I expected it to rain," Ryan said.
"It's great that we got some good weather," Aufiero said.
According to two young local volunteers, it was a good day to be out on the waves.
"[The water is] about 70 degrees," Jack Collins, Shrewsbury, said. "Decent waves, it's not bad.
"They are about 3 feet high," Collins continued, adding, "from your knee to your waist, in surfing terms."
His friend Bennett Moss heard about the event fromhismother andwas happy to be involved.
"It's really great," Moss said. "Everyone comes together."
"Seeing them catch the wave makes you feel good about yourself," Collins added.
While anyone can volunteerwith Life Rolls On, some volunteers had a connection through their work in the occupational therapy field.
"I try to help out wherever I can," Brittany Beckmann said. "I work at an exercise rehab place, so that is how I found out about this.
"This is my first time here," she added. "I think it's amazing."
Beckmann went on to say that the day was well worth the work put in.
"I've never been a part of anything like this before," Beckmann said.
"Seeing all the excitement and enthusiasm on their faces is the best part," Beckmann said. "It's been so much fun."
Teresa Ciullo and Liz Wolff work as therapists in Hoboken, and some of their patients made their way down to the beach for They Will Surf Again.
"It's awesome being able to do this," Wolff said.
"Where we work, there are a lot of patients here," Ciullo said. "It is kind of like a reunion."
The way the surfing is structured, four participants go out for about 45 minutes at a time and all will go out multiple times throughout the day.
"I went on about eight or nine runs while I was out there before," Pisano said.
"Last year I went out there about eight times," Ubel added.
For the volunteers, the reward of being involved is in the joy being able to surf brings to the participants.
"Seeing the smiles on people's faces is the best part," Blais said. "You can't wipe the smiles off their faces."
"Seeing their faces, I love it," Aufiero agreed. "I really do."
"It's a lot of fun," Kieliszewski said. "This is my first one; it's cool seeing them out there."
According to Levy, funding for the event comes from sponsors, donations and grants.
The day also included a raffle for a surfboard, a surf plate, a fishing rod, massage gift certificates and T-shirts.
Life Rolls On will hold another TWSA event in New Jersey on Sept. 27 in Cape May.
For more information or to volunteer, visit the website at www.liferollson.org.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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Saturday, August 22, 2009
Tinton Falls advised to revisit budget
Tinton Falls advised to revisit budget
Finance director projects $500K revenue decline
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS — The Borough Council may reconsider their introduced budget that kept the tax rate steady.
On May 5, the council introduced a $21.8 million spending plan that calls for a $10.6 million tax levy.
However, with revenues dropping, the council was urged to consider raising the tax rate up to the maximum 4-percent increase at the June 16 council meeting.
The state has not yet reviewed the budget, pushing a vote back to the next council meeting.
Borough Finance Director Stephen Pfeffer and Freehold-based auditor Bob Allison lead a lengthy discussion on the impact of the economic climate on the borough at the meeting.
Pfeffer explained that the recession was slow to affect Tinton Falls, and revenues were actually up as recently as early 2009.
"We had a very good last quarter in 2008 and were able to rebuild surplus almost to the amount of the prior year," Pfeffer said.
"[During] 2008 the borough was outside of the recession that was happening nationally," he added. "Our rate of collection was higher than the year before.
"For the first two or three months, it appeared our revenues were still going to be strong," he continued. "Municipal court fees were looking good, the hotel tax was looking relatively stable."
However, as summer approached, the revenues seemed to take a nosedive.
"In the last month, the revenues have deteriorated to the point where I decided to take a further look at the budget," Pfeffer said, "to see where we can cut expenses and reduce some of those revenue line items accordingly."
Pfeffer explained that he was able to come up with some reductions, but they may not be enough.
"We were able to come up with about $190,000 on reductions," he said. "We took that money from interest on investments and from hotel tax fees.
"We still have revenue shortfalls in at least three revenue line items," he continued, "that being from the court, the uniform construction code and interest on investments."
Pfeffer was not positive how much revenues would go down in 2009, but expects it to be around $500,000.
"I believe that in the line items I've really been focusing on, my guess is it could be around a half a million dollars," he said.
Pfeffer explained that the drop in revenues from those line items would have an adverse effect on not only this year's budget, but future budgets as well.
"Those shortfalls would have a tremendous impact on the borough going into 2010," he said. "They would basically reduce our surplus, reduce the amount of revenue we can carry into next year's budget. It would be well below where we are today as far as an overall budget."
One counter measure that Pfeffer urged the council to consider would be to raise the tax levy up to the mandated maximum increase of 4 percent.
"If the council were to go to the max allowed by law on the tax levy, it would it would add approximately $860,000," Pfeffer said, "and we would reduce other items by an offsetting amount.
"It would give us more flexibility on the levy cap next year," he continued. "It would be a huge impact on the 2010 budget."
Allison said that the adverse effect of the economy has gone as far as to put up job cuts for public vote.
"I urge you to consider everything in managing your town not only for this year but also next year so that next year you're not in a bind," he said. "Some towns in South Jersey are putting [laying off] cops out to referendum."
Pfeffer said some of the biggest revenue losses have been from the uniform construction code fees.
In 2008, the borough collected approximately $800,000 in these fees. Thus far this year the same department has generated just $135,000 and is on pace to finish below the expected $400,000.
Generating $400,000 this year might end up being a pipedream, he said.
"I don't see where anything is close enough to break even on the $400,000 on that line item," he said.
The council members seemed to agree that they couldn't afford to have this year's budget have a detrimental effect on the future.
"We have to look at what we do in this budget doesn't have a negative impact next year," Mayor-elect Michael Skudera said. "So basically if we don't do anything now, we will have a very tough time next year."
"We've seen other towns doing furloughs and laying off people," outgoing Councilman Paul Ford said. "It's a tough decision. A decision this council may have to face one day.
"The decision now, if you want to be held harmless this year and not make any staff reductions, I don't know how you cannot go to the max," Ford added.
Councilman Andy Mayer said that instead of raising the tax levy, the council might need to take a look at cutting expenses first.
"We don't want to tax people when it's unnecessary, we want to know why we are taxing," Mayer said.
"This should be a wake up call for us to where we should really seriously look at cutting expenses. I hate to say let's just increase the taxes," Mayer added.
Pfeffer admitted that it is currently an expense cutting proposal from the Public Works Department that may save the borough up to $700,000.
He said that while he didn't expect the council to make immediate decisions, these are items they should look at.
"It's too hard to predict at this point where it is all going to go," he said. "We wanted to give the council a better picture of where we are today."
The vote on the budget is currently scheduled for the July 7 meeting, when the newly elected mayor and council members will have been sworn in.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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Finance director projects $500K revenue decline
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS — The Borough Council may reconsider their introduced budget that kept the tax rate steady.
On May 5, the council introduced a $21.8 million spending plan that calls for a $10.6 million tax levy.
However, with revenues dropping, the council was urged to consider raising the tax rate up to the maximum 4-percent increase at the June 16 council meeting.
The state has not yet reviewed the budget, pushing a vote back to the next council meeting.
Borough Finance Director Stephen Pfeffer and Freehold-based auditor Bob Allison lead a lengthy discussion on the impact of the economic climate on the borough at the meeting.
Pfeffer explained that the recession was slow to affect Tinton Falls, and revenues were actually up as recently as early 2009.
"We had a very good last quarter in 2008 and were able to rebuild surplus almost to the amount of the prior year," Pfeffer said.
"[During] 2008 the borough was outside of the recession that was happening nationally," he added. "Our rate of collection was higher than the year before.
"For the first two or three months, it appeared our revenues were still going to be strong," he continued. "Municipal court fees were looking good, the hotel tax was looking relatively stable."
However, as summer approached, the revenues seemed to take a nosedive.
"In the last month, the revenues have deteriorated to the point where I decided to take a further look at the budget," Pfeffer said, "to see where we can cut expenses and reduce some of those revenue line items accordingly."
Pfeffer explained that he was able to come up with some reductions, but they may not be enough.
"We were able to come up with about $190,000 on reductions," he said. "We took that money from interest on investments and from hotel tax fees.
"We still have revenue shortfalls in at least three revenue line items," he continued, "that being from the court, the uniform construction code and interest on investments."
Pfeffer was not positive how much revenues would go down in 2009, but expects it to be around $500,000.
"I believe that in the line items I've really been focusing on, my guess is it could be around a half a million dollars," he said.
Pfeffer explained that the drop in revenues from those line items would have an adverse effect on not only this year's budget, but future budgets as well.
"Those shortfalls would have a tremendous impact on the borough going into 2010," he said. "They would basically reduce our surplus, reduce the amount of revenue we can carry into next year's budget. It would be well below where we are today as far as an overall budget."
One counter measure that Pfeffer urged the council to consider would be to raise the tax levy up to the mandated maximum increase of 4 percent.
"If the council were to go to the max allowed by law on the tax levy, it would it would add approximately $860,000," Pfeffer said, "and we would reduce other items by an offsetting amount.
"It would give us more flexibility on the levy cap next year," he continued. "It would be a huge impact on the 2010 budget."
Allison said that the adverse effect of the economy has gone as far as to put up job cuts for public vote.
"I urge you to consider everything in managing your town not only for this year but also next year so that next year you're not in a bind," he said. "Some towns in South Jersey are putting [laying off] cops out to referendum."
Pfeffer said some of the biggest revenue losses have been from the uniform construction code fees.
In 2008, the borough collected approximately $800,000 in these fees. Thus far this year the same department has generated just $135,000 and is on pace to finish below the expected $400,000.
Generating $400,000 this year might end up being a pipedream, he said.
"I don't see where anything is close enough to break even on the $400,000 on that line item," he said.
The council members seemed to agree that they couldn't afford to have this year's budget have a detrimental effect on the future.
"We have to look at what we do in this budget doesn't have a negative impact next year," Mayor-elect Michael Skudera said. "So basically if we don't do anything now, we will have a very tough time next year."
"We've seen other towns doing furloughs and laying off people," outgoing Councilman Paul Ford said. "It's a tough decision. A decision this council may have to face one day.
"The decision now, if you want to be held harmless this year and not make any staff reductions, I don't know how you cannot go to the max," Ford added.
Councilman Andy Mayer said that instead of raising the tax levy, the council might need to take a look at cutting expenses first.
"We don't want to tax people when it's unnecessary, we want to know why we are taxing," Mayer said.
"This should be a wake up call for us to where we should really seriously look at cutting expenses. I hate to say let's just increase the taxes," Mayer added.
Pfeffer admitted that it is currently an expense cutting proposal from the Public Works Department that may save the borough up to $700,000.
He said that while he didn't expect the council to make immediate decisions, these are items they should look at.
"It's too hard to predict at this point where it is all going to go," he said. "We wanted to give the council a better picture of where we are today."
The vote on the budget is currently scheduled for the July 7 meeting, when the newly elected mayor and council members will have been sworn in.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
Click here to enlarge
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T.F. rejects Navy stance on Earle students
T.F. rejects Navy stance on Earle students
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
Tinton Falls officials are taking issue with a report by the U.S. Navy that states that children living in private housing at Naval Weapons Station Earle will attend borough schools.
“The Navy can scream and yell all they want, but all we ever asked for is children of naval personnel,” Martin Barger, attorney for the Tinton Falls Board of Education, said last week.
But a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy disagreed.
“From what the statute says, all schoolage children will go to Tinton Falls,” Lt. Laura Stegherr said in an interview last week.
The Navy is proceeding with plans to privatize 300 housing units at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck under an agreement with the developer of the Laurelwood housing area,
In a report issued May 22, the Navy states that there would be a significant impact on the schools in Tinton Falls as a result.“ Significant impacts … are anticipated at the Mahala Atchison Elementary School, the Swimming River Elementary School and the Tinton Falls Middle School as a result of an increased number of school-age children being sent to these schools under the proposed action,” the press release states.
“Specific impacts include physical capacity impacts, class size increases, additional school bus costs and the potential need for additional faculty.”
The Navy’s stance on educating children who will be living at the Laurelwood housing was contained in a Record of Decision for the Laurelwood Housing Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that announced the Navy’s decision on providing an unimpeded access roadway to the housing area.
The report estimates that additional annual costs to the Tinton Falls and Monmouth Regional school districts will be close to $2 million and $500,000, respectively. The report also projects that the amount of Federal Impact Aid will decrease.
Under the terms of an agreement with the U.S. Navy, for nearly 20 years the district has educated the children of Naval personnel stationed at Earle, and has received funding from the federal government to do so.
At issue is a 20-year-old statute that is being interpreted differently by the Navy and the Tinton Falls Board of Education.
The statute, N.J.S.A. 18A:38-7.8, states, “In the event that no board of education adopts a resolution indicating an interest in being designated pursuant to this section, the county superintendent shall not designate district and the pupils residing on the federal property shall attend the school of the district in which they reside.”
However, Barger and board President Peter Karavites interpret the statute differently.
“The statute does say that the county superintendent will say where the children go,” Barger said.
According to Karavites, since the housing units are located in another municipality, Tinton Falls must make a formal request to educate the students to county Superintendent Carole Knopp Morris.
Karavites said the Tinton Falls School District made the request for children of Naval personnel 19 years ago but has never made a request for any students but Navy children.
“The state law says that you have to request the kids to get them,” Karavites said. “Tinton Falls requested nothing but Navy children 19 years ago.”
Stegherr said the Navy would not be the party making the final decision on the issue.
“The Navy cannot be the deciding factor,” she said. “It is really for the state and local legislatures to decide.”
State legislators representing the 12th District opposed the privatization of housing units on the Navy base, based on security concerns.
Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon said last week that the Navy should not be commenting on where students living at Earle will attend school.
“The Navy has no business saying where these kids are going,” O’Scanlon said. “I don’t understand it.”
O’Scanlon’s view is that officials in Colts Neck and Tinton Falls should reach a consensus on the issues.
“Our job is to get everyone working together and to get the best answer for everybody,” O’Scanlon said. “Tinton Falls has every right to find out what the interpretation of the law is.”
O’Scanlon doesn’t think that either school district is equipped to handle the additional students.
“Neither one can handle the impact,” O’Scanlon said. “Every school board and municipality is at the breaking point.”
O’Scanlon faults the Navy for opting to allow privatization of some housing units at Earle, which was part of its agreement with the developer.
“It’s just a lousy decision,” O’Scanlon said. “The whole thing is a bad idea.”
The housing units to be privatized, known as Laurelwood Gardens, are located within the borders of Colts Neck, but the Colts Neck Board of Education claims the Tinton Falls School District is obliged to educate any new students, military or civilian, who reside on the base.
Tinton Falls is currently educating about 80 Navy children, but Karavites expects the number of children to rise once the housing units become privatized.
“There are about 78 or 80 Navy children going to Tinton Falls [schools] right now,” Karavites said. “There are 300 housing units with two, three or four bedrooms each, so that could be anywhere between 100 and 300 kids.”
According to the Navy, school-age children at the naval base, including those living at Laurelwood Gardens, could total about 272.
While the Tinton Falls district is currently receiving federal money for educating the Navy dependents, according to Karavites, the district would receive no funds for educating private citizens living at the complex.
“We will be receiving no impact aid for educating the civilians that live in Colts Neck,” Karavites said. “Why would we education hundreds of kids with no taxes coming to us?”
The press release from the Navy agrees, stating, “There is a potential for a net decrease in the amount of federal impact aid available … .”
Another issue Karavites cited is where the children living in privatized housing at Earle will attend high school.
Tinton Falls currently sends students to Monmouth Regional High School, which is a regional school district. Colts Neck students attend Colts Neck High School, which is part of the Freehold Regional High School District.
According to Karavites, Monmouth Regional will not accept the disputed students, and the regional district has never had a contract with the Navy to educate these students.
“Monmouth Regional has no contract at all,” Karavites said. “They can’t make Monmouth take the kids.”
According to Barger, Monmouth Regional has educated a relatively small number of Navy children in high school as a courtesy, but cannot possibly take the impact of a large population increase.
“There are only five or six children from Earle going to the high school,” Barger said. “Most naval personnel are young and have younger children. By the time they get to high school, they are gone.
“The impact would be huge on Tinton Falls and the high school,” Barger added. “We’d have to build a new school and they’d probably have to build a new wing.”
The Tinton Falls Board of Education filed a lawsuit against the county superintendent and state commissioner of education last year that maintains that the district’s agreement is to educate the children of Navy personnel, not civilian children living on the military base.
A court date has been set for July 25 for arguments in Tinton Falls’ attempt to block non-Navy children at the Naval Weapons Station Earle housing complex once it is privatized in 2010.
The Colts Neck Board of Education filed a motion asserting that the time limit for Tinton Falls to object has passed. That motion has been rejected by a judge, who ruled on June 12 that Tinton Falls could move forward with its appeal.
“We can now move forward after Colts Neck tried to hold us back,” Karavites said.
“They [Colts Neck] argued that we should have argued that 19 years ago,” Karavites said. “The judge said that was ridiculous.”
At the June 16 Borough Council meeting, Paul Ford, outgoing councilman and liaison to the Board of Education, said that the council stands behind the board and that the potential impact of the issue is large.
“The impact of these children could be very detrimental to the town of Tinton Falls, and the board has done an excellent job in navigating this complex issue,” Ford said at the meeting. “It has a huge potential impact to the taxpayers of Tinton Falls.”
The impact may go beyond just educating the students.
“It could mean we could have to build a new school, an investment of $30 million, plus educating the children, hiring teachers, etc,” Ford said. “We’ve basically said to the Board of Ed., ‘We are here to help.’ ”
The council has not spent much time discussing the issues recently, but Borough Attorney James Berube said that might change next month when a new mayor and two new council members are sworn in.
“We will be in better shape to address the issue after the first meeting of the new council, July 7,” Berube said.
“The Tinton Falls Board of Ed. is very confident that the decision made will be made in favor of Tinton Falls,” Karavites said.
“For anyone who sees any of the papers, this is a no-brainer,” Karavites said. “But when politics and New Jersey work hand in hand, this is what happens.”
Staff Writer Mark Rosman contributed to this story
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
Tinton Falls officials are taking issue with a report by the U.S. Navy that states that children living in private housing at Naval Weapons Station Earle will attend borough schools.
“The Navy can scream and yell all they want, but all we ever asked for is children of naval personnel,” Martin Barger, attorney for the Tinton Falls Board of Education, said last week.
But a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy disagreed.
“From what the statute says, all schoolage children will go to Tinton Falls,” Lt. Laura Stegherr said in an interview last week.
The Navy is proceeding with plans to privatize 300 housing units at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck under an agreement with the developer of the Laurelwood housing area,
In a report issued May 22, the Navy states that there would be a significant impact on the schools in Tinton Falls as a result.“ Significant impacts … are anticipated at the Mahala Atchison Elementary School, the Swimming River Elementary School and the Tinton Falls Middle School as a result of an increased number of school-age children being sent to these schools under the proposed action,” the press release states.
“Specific impacts include physical capacity impacts, class size increases, additional school bus costs and the potential need for additional faculty.”
The Navy’s stance on educating children who will be living at the Laurelwood housing was contained in a Record of Decision for the Laurelwood Housing Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that announced the Navy’s decision on providing an unimpeded access roadway to the housing area.
The report estimates that additional annual costs to the Tinton Falls and Monmouth Regional school districts will be close to $2 million and $500,000, respectively. The report also projects that the amount of Federal Impact Aid will decrease.
Under the terms of an agreement with the U.S. Navy, for nearly 20 years the district has educated the children of Naval personnel stationed at Earle, and has received funding from the federal government to do so.
At issue is a 20-year-old statute that is being interpreted differently by the Navy and the Tinton Falls Board of Education.
The statute, N.J.S.A. 18A:38-7.8, states, “In the event that no board of education adopts a resolution indicating an interest in being designated pursuant to this section, the county superintendent shall not designate district and the pupils residing on the federal property shall attend the school of the district in which they reside.”
However, Barger and board President Peter Karavites interpret the statute differently.
“The statute does say that the county superintendent will say where the children go,” Barger said.
According to Karavites, since the housing units are located in another municipality, Tinton Falls must make a formal request to educate the students to county Superintendent Carole Knopp Morris.
Karavites said the Tinton Falls School District made the request for children of Naval personnel 19 years ago but has never made a request for any students but Navy children.
“The state law says that you have to request the kids to get them,” Karavites said. “Tinton Falls requested nothing but Navy children 19 years ago.”
Stegherr said the Navy would not be the party making the final decision on the issue.
“The Navy cannot be the deciding factor,” she said. “It is really for the state and local legislatures to decide.”
State legislators representing the 12th District opposed the privatization of housing units on the Navy base, based on security concerns.
Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon said last week that the Navy should not be commenting on where students living at Earle will attend school.
“The Navy has no business saying where these kids are going,” O’Scanlon said. “I don’t understand it.”
O’Scanlon’s view is that officials in Colts Neck and Tinton Falls should reach a consensus on the issues.
“Our job is to get everyone working together and to get the best answer for everybody,” O’Scanlon said. “Tinton Falls has every right to find out what the interpretation of the law is.”
O’Scanlon doesn’t think that either school district is equipped to handle the additional students.
“Neither one can handle the impact,” O’Scanlon said. “Every school board and municipality is at the breaking point.”
O’Scanlon faults the Navy for opting to allow privatization of some housing units at Earle, which was part of its agreement with the developer.
“It’s just a lousy decision,” O’Scanlon said. “The whole thing is a bad idea.”
The housing units to be privatized, known as Laurelwood Gardens, are located within the borders of Colts Neck, but the Colts Neck Board of Education claims the Tinton Falls School District is obliged to educate any new students, military or civilian, who reside on the base.
Tinton Falls is currently educating about 80 Navy children, but Karavites expects the number of children to rise once the housing units become privatized.
“There are about 78 or 80 Navy children going to Tinton Falls [schools] right now,” Karavites said. “There are 300 housing units with two, three or four bedrooms each, so that could be anywhere between 100 and 300 kids.”
According to the Navy, school-age children at the naval base, including those living at Laurelwood Gardens, could total about 272.
While the Tinton Falls district is currently receiving federal money for educating the Navy dependents, according to Karavites, the district would receive no funds for educating private citizens living at the complex.
“We will be receiving no impact aid for educating the civilians that live in Colts Neck,” Karavites said. “Why would we education hundreds of kids with no taxes coming to us?”
The press release from the Navy agrees, stating, “There is a potential for a net decrease in the amount of federal impact aid available … .”
Another issue Karavites cited is where the children living in privatized housing at Earle will attend high school.
Tinton Falls currently sends students to Monmouth Regional High School, which is a regional school district. Colts Neck students attend Colts Neck High School, which is part of the Freehold Regional High School District.
According to Karavites, Monmouth Regional will not accept the disputed students, and the regional district has never had a contract with the Navy to educate these students.
“Monmouth Regional has no contract at all,” Karavites said. “They can’t make Monmouth take the kids.”
According to Barger, Monmouth Regional has educated a relatively small number of Navy children in high school as a courtesy, but cannot possibly take the impact of a large population increase.
“There are only five or six children from Earle going to the high school,” Barger said. “Most naval personnel are young and have younger children. By the time they get to high school, they are gone.
“The impact would be huge on Tinton Falls and the high school,” Barger added. “We’d have to build a new school and they’d probably have to build a new wing.”
The Tinton Falls Board of Education filed a lawsuit against the county superintendent and state commissioner of education last year that maintains that the district’s agreement is to educate the children of Navy personnel, not civilian children living on the military base.
A court date has been set for July 25 for arguments in Tinton Falls’ attempt to block non-Navy children at the Naval Weapons Station Earle housing complex once it is privatized in 2010.
The Colts Neck Board of Education filed a motion asserting that the time limit for Tinton Falls to object has passed. That motion has been rejected by a judge, who ruled on June 12 that Tinton Falls could move forward with its appeal.
“We can now move forward after Colts Neck tried to hold us back,” Karavites said.
“They [Colts Neck] argued that we should have argued that 19 years ago,” Karavites said. “The judge said that was ridiculous.”
At the June 16 Borough Council meeting, Paul Ford, outgoing councilman and liaison to the Board of Education, said that the council stands behind the board and that the potential impact of the issue is large.
“The impact of these children could be very detrimental to the town of Tinton Falls, and the board has done an excellent job in navigating this complex issue,” Ford said at the meeting. “It has a huge potential impact to the taxpayers of Tinton Falls.”
The impact may go beyond just educating the students.
“It could mean we could have to build a new school, an investment of $30 million, plus educating the children, hiring teachers, etc,” Ford said. “We’ve basically said to the Board of Ed., ‘We are here to help.’ ”
The council has not spent much time discussing the issues recently, but Borough Attorney James Berube said that might change next month when a new mayor and two new council members are sworn in.
“We will be in better shape to address the issue after the first meeting of the new council, July 7,” Berube said.
“The Tinton Falls Board of Ed. is very confident that the decision made will be made in favor of Tinton Falls,” Karavites said.
“For anyone who sees any of the papers, this is a no-brainer,” Karavites said. “But when politics and New Jersey work hand in hand, this is what happens.”
Staff Writer Mark Rosman contributed to this story
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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Saturday, August 15, 2009
Good news comes in threes for L.B. library
Good news comes in threes for L.B. library
Virtual career center will be state model
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — The Long Branch Public Library has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the New Jersey State Library.
The grant was given to the library on June 9 to implement, strengthen and expand the capability of library staff in the areas of job seeking, unemployment and related services to library customers.
These services will include a model career center computer lab, a virtual career center and in-person as well as virtual training in the use of online resources.
Long Branch Library Director Ingrid Bruck said that the grant money is one of three pieces of good news the library received in June.
"We had three pieces of good news recently," Bruck said. "We got the grant money, but we also found out that New Jersey Natural Gas [NJNG] will be purchasing some computers for $10,000 and that the state will use our virtual career center as a model on the statewide level."
Bruck explained that the grant funds will help people qualify for jobs in the community.
T
he money will ultimately be used to
fund a teacher and state-of-the-art computers to help with the training class.
"The state library funded a teacher so we can have classes for people without jobs," Bruck said. "We got the grant so we can use it on a teacher and equipment."
Bruck said a teacher has not been officially named yet.
The class will begin in the middle of July and run 16 weeks. There will be 12 people attending the class, according to Bruck, and the goal of the class is to get people re-employed.
"The focus of the class will be helping people getting back to work," Bruck said.
The 15 new computers will be purchased using the grant money to replace the computers purchased by NJNG.
Bruck said replacing the computers was very necessary.
"The computers were seven years old and inadequate," Bruck said. "They didn't have USB ports and couldn't burn CDs. Things we really needed.
"Now we will have state-of-the-art computers to assist people," she added.
While the grant money and the career center news was somewhat expected, according to Bruck, the news about NJNG was a surprise to her.
"New Jersey Natural Gas taking our computers for $10,000 was a surprise," Bruck said. "We didn't expect that to happen at all."
The news of the grant and the upcoming class go hand in hand with the news about the virtual career center being used as a statewide model.
"Anyone in the state can use our virtual career center," Bruck said.
Bruck explained the focus of the career center.
"We take resources and bring them to the Long Branch level," Bruck said. "We make some of these resources accessible to the community."
What the career center does is link job seekers to various helpful resources in the community, such as places to apply for jobs and links to the local universities.
"We have about a 100 links up there," Bruck said. "We make everything local.
"You go on and apply for a job at Kmart because Kmart is a store in our community," Bruck said. "We took a big haystack and made it navigable.
"We have links to classes at Monmouth and Brookdale because those are the universities in our community." One of the aspects of the career center that Bruck is most proud of is the work that Diversity and Literacy Coordinator Tanya Badillo has done.
According to Bruck, Badillo has done a lot of work with the career center especially helping out with making it accessible for minorities.
"For Latinos in the community it may be harder for them to find jobs," Bruck said.
Also, the library is a place where ex-offenders come and look for opportunities.
"Ex-offenders come to the library a lot with no jobs and no money," Bruck said.
With the economy being down, the library has seen a boom in popularity.
"We have about 2,500 users each month use the computers," Bruck said.
She noted that the career center was not a reaction to the down economy.
"We were ready in August before everything crashed," Bruck said. "No one expected it to be as bad as it's been.
"We hope to get people back to work."
The library has worked with the Long Branch Concordance, as well as Monmouth Medical Center and Monmouth University in forming a committee to help people during the economic downturn.
More information about the library and the career center can be found at http://www.lmxac.org/longbranch/.
Contact Kenny Walter at
Kwalter@gmnews.com.
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Virtual career center will be state model
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — The Long Branch Public Library has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the New Jersey State Library.
The grant was given to the library on June 9 to implement, strengthen and expand the capability of library staff in the areas of job seeking, unemployment and related services to library customers.
These services will include a model career center computer lab, a virtual career center and in-person as well as virtual training in the use of online resources.
Long Branch Library Director Ingrid Bruck said that the grant money is one of three pieces of good news the library received in June.
"We had three pieces of good news recently," Bruck said. "We got the grant money, but we also found out that New Jersey Natural Gas [NJNG] will be purchasing some computers for $10,000 and that the state will use our virtual career center as a model on the statewide level."
Bruck explained that the grant funds will help people qualify for jobs in the community.
T
he money will ultimately be used to
fund a teacher and state-of-the-art computers to help with the training class.
"The state library funded a teacher so we can have classes for people without jobs," Bruck said. "We got the grant so we can use it on a teacher and equipment."
Bruck said a teacher has not been officially named yet.
The class will begin in the middle of July and run 16 weeks. There will be 12 people attending the class, according to Bruck, and the goal of the class is to get people re-employed.
"The focus of the class will be helping people getting back to work," Bruck said.
The 15 new computers will be purchased using the grant money to replace the computers purchased by NJNG.
Bruck said replacing the computers was very necessary.
"The computers were seven years old and inadequate," Bruck said. "They didn't have USB ports and couldn't burn CDs. Things we really needed.
"Now we will have state-of-the-art computers to assist people," she added.
While the grant money and the career center news was somewhat expected, according to Bruck, the news about NJNG was a surprise to her.
"New Jersey Natural Gas taking our computers for $10,000 was a surprise," Bruck said. "We didn't expect that to happen at all."
The news of the grant and the upcoming class go hand in hand with the news about the virtual career center being used as a statewide model.
"Anyone in the state can use our virtual career center," Bruck said.
Bruck explained the focus of the career center.
"We take resources and bring them to the Long Branch level," Bruck said. "We make some of these resources accessible to the community."
What the career center does is link job seekers to various helpful resources in the community, such as places to apply for jobs and links to the local universities.
"We have about a 100 links up there," Bruck said. "We make everything local.
"You go on and apply for a job at Kmart because Kmart is a store in our community," Bruck said. "We took a big haystack and made it navigable.
"We have links to classes at Monmouth and Brookdale because those are the universities in our community." One of the aspects of the career center that Bruck is most proud of is the work that Diversity and Literacy Coordinator Tanya Badillo has done.
According to Bruck, Badillo has done a lot of work with the career center especially helping out with making it accessible for minorities.
"For Latinos in the community it may be harder for them to find jobs," Bruck said.
Also, the library is a place where ex-offenders come and look for opportunities.
"Ex-offenders come to the library a lot with no jobs and no money," Bruck said.
With the economy being down, the library has seen a boom in popularity.
"We have about 2,500 users each month use the computers," Bruck said.
She noted that the career center was not a reaction to the down economy.
"We were ready in August before everything crashed," Bruck said. "No one expected it to be as bad as it's been.
"We hope to get people back to work."
The library has worked with the Long Branch Concordance, as well as Monmouth Medical Center and Monmouth University in forming a committee to help people during the economic downturn.
More information about the library and the career center can be found at http://www.lmxac.org/longbranch/.
Contact Kenny Walter at
Kwalter@gmnews.com.
Click here to enlarge
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MTOTSA loses a strong advocate
MTOTSA loses a strong advocate
Carmen Venditti
LONG BRANCH - Carmen Venditti, who passed away June 12, never gave up on his resolve to remain in the beachfront home the city of Long Branch was attempting to take through eminent domain, his daughter said last week.
"I don't think my father ever really thought we were ever going to lose our home," said his daughter Lori Ann Venditti last week. "In his mind we weren't ever going to lose the house.
"Your house shouldn't be taken," she added.
One of the staunch opponents of the city's attempt to take the homes in his small neighborhood — dubbed MTOTSA for Marine Terrace, Ocean Terrace and Seaview Avenue - Carmen Venditti passed away at the age of 82.
He died at the Monmouth Medical Center Hospice Unit after a battle with leiomyosarcoma, a tumor in one of his lungs.
Venditti was a tractor-trailer driver and shop steward at Tose- Fowler Trucking Company, Bridgeport, Pa., for 45 years, retiring in 1989.
Residents of Newark, Carmen and his wife Josephine began spending summers in the brick home on Ocean Terrace in 1960.
When redevelopment plans called for the condemnation of properties in MTOTSA,
Carmen and Josephine Venditti joined the fight against the use of eminent domain in the modest beachfront neighborhood.
"He fought just like all of us fought," Lori Ann Venditti said. "We were all fighting to save our homes."
Carmen was the latest of several MTOTSA advocates who have passed on, but whose determined resistance helped to block the taking of their homes through eminent domain. Currently, the city and attorneys for MTOTSA are involved in talks aimed at reaching an agreement that will result in the city abandoning its attempt to take the homes in the beachfront neighborhood.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
Carmen Venditti
LONG BRANCH - Carmen Venditti, who passed away June 12, never gave up on his resolve to remain in the beachfront home the city of Long Branch was attempting to take through eminent domain, his daughter said last week.
"I don't think my father ever really thought we were ever going to lose our home," said his daughter Lori Ann Venditti last week. "In his mind we weren't ever going to lose the house.
"Your house shouldn't be taken," she added.
One of the staunch opponents of the city's attempt to take the homes in his small neighborhood — dubbed MTOTSA for Marine Terrace, Ocean Terrace and Seaview Avenue - Carmen Venditti passed away at the age of 82.
He died at the Monmouth Medical Center Hospice Unit after a battle with leiomyosarcoma, a tumor in one of his lungs.
Venditti was a tractor-trailer driver and shop steward at Tose- Fowler Trucking Company, Bridgeport, Pa., for 45 years, retiring in 1989.
Residents of Newark, Carmen and his wife Josephine began spending summers in the brick home on Ocean Terrace in 1960.
When redevelopment plans called for the condemnation of properties in MTOTSA,
Carmen and Josephine Venditti joined the fight against the use of eminent domain in the modest beachfront neighborhood.
"He fought just like all of us fought," Lori Ann Venditti said. "We were all fighting to save our homes."
Carmen was the latest of several MTOTSA advocates who have passed on, but whose determined resistance helped to block the taking of their homes through eminent domain. Currently, the city and attorneys for MTOTSA are involved in talks aimed at reaching an agreement that will result in the city abandoning its attempt to take the homes in the beachfront neighborhood.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Jersey Fusion off to a strong start
Jersey Fusion off to a strong start
Locals on roster of women's semi-pro basketball team
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
The Jersey Fusion, a first-year women's semi-pro basketball team, has gotten off to a fast start.
The Jersey Fusion
The 3-1 Fusion play at the Red Bank Salvation Army as a first-year team for the Women's Blue Chip Basketball League.
The Fusion are coached and owned by former Monmouth University player Audrey Taylor.
Taylor explained what semi-pro actually means.
"These are pro-level athletes at lower skill levels," Taylor said. "There are some players who used to — and still do — play overseas, as well as some former WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association] players."
Taylor is currently in her fourth year as the assistant coach of the Cardinal McCarrick High School Lady Eagles in South Amboy. Prior to coaching at Cardinal McCarrick, she spent time as an assistant coach at Monmouth University and coached and trained youths at recreational facilities in Virginia.
Taylor's longtime friend and partner, Rodney Harris, serves as the Fusion's director of basketball operations.
"I coordinate gym time, transportation, and help the girls with fundraising," Harris said. "I also act as a scrimmage player against the girls."
Harris was a standout basketball player at South River High School from 1983 to 1987 and has amassed a 147-18 record coaching youth basketball for 10 years.
Harris has also served full time with the 108th Air Refuel Wing at McGuire Air Force Base for the past 13 years.
Harris and Taylor have another business, called Millennium Ballers, which specializes in youth basketball training.
So far, the two have enjoyed their fast start but differ on what the expectations were when they were going in.
"No, we didn't expect the early success," Taylor said. "Being a new team, with the reputation the league has, we didn't expect to be this good this quick."
"Honestly, I thought we'd be 4-0," Harris said. "But you've got to understand, we are a new team and haven't gotten to see a lot of the teams play."
According to Taylor, players' pay varies widely.
"It really varies a lot throughout the league," she said. "Some players get $150 or so per game and some only get compensation for travel."
While the team operates on a low budget, this is an opportunity for the players to showcase their skills on the court.
"Hopefully, we get some scouts from the WNBA or overseas [to] come out and see some of the girls play," Harris said. "These girls can really [play]."
The team is composed mostly of local women, including Felecia Harris, Geneva Livingston and Tomora Young, who all hail from Red Bank.
"It's been fun and exciting so far," Livingston said last week. "We have really started to click."
Livingston has been a friend and summer league teammate of Taylor for the past two years, but said the coach-player relationship has been a smooth transition.
"It hasn't been difficult at all," Livingston said. "She believes in me and I take what she says as constructive criticism."
The roster includes former college players from Monmouth, Rutgers, Delaware, St. Peter's College and Rider University among others.
Five-foot-9 former Western Michigan Bronco Carrie Moore leads the team. Moore is averaging 23.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
Moore led the nation in scoring at Western Michigan during the 2006-07 season by averaging 25.4 points per game.
Moore also briefly appeared in the WNBA.
"Carrie Moore is our role model," Taylor said. "She has played in the WNBA and overseas."
Also putting up big numbers is the 5- foot-10 guard Livingston, who is averaging 16.0 points and 6.7 rebounds, and 6-foot-1 Wagner College alumna Leeah Thomas, who is averaging nine points, 8.5 rebounds and one block per game.
"Geneva is our on-court leader," Taylor said. "She is our 'silent assassin.' She is a great shooter and very calm out there on the court."
One weakness thus far for the team has been their lack of size and their rebounding deficiencies.
"Rebounding has been a problem so far," Taylor said. "We are believing in each other, and our chemistry is going to be very solid."
"Rebounding has been a problem," Harris agreed. "We are not really big.
"Well, we have some bigger girls, but no true post player," Harris added. "Everyone wants to be a guard."
"We need to be more consistent on both ends of the court," said Livingston, who spends time as both a small and power forward. "A lot of what we have discussed after the games has been missing defensive assignments and things like that.
"Once we get a little more consistent, we will be very tough to beat," she added.
While the Fusion may not have the size, they have built their early start with speed.
"We play an up-tempo, fundamentally sound style," Taylor said, "a mix of old school and new school.
"We have some flashy new-school players," Taylor added, "but we are fundamental. We box out, run plays and set screens."
The Fusion's speed also translates on the defensive side of the court, as they play a very active zone to go along with a fullcourt press.
"We play two types of defense mostly," Taylor said. "We play a 3-2 match-up zone as well as a full-court man-to-man press."
One of the challenges of the season is that the teams operate out-of-pocket from the owners.
"Fundraising has been difficult as a firstyear team," Taylor said. "Getting word out and getting people to come to the games has been difficult."
"Being the only women's semi-pro team in New Jersey, it's been hard to get people to go to the games," Livingston said. "It's been hard to get support, but I think it's starting to grow because we are winning."
Another challenge for the low-budget team is travel. Teams in the same division include teams from Massachusetts, Delaware, New York City, Long Island, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
According to Taylor, travel has yet to be a problem, and the team takes vans to away games.
"Travel has not been too bad," Taylor said. "They put a four- to five-hour limit on how far a team travels."
"We got up to New Hampshire in four or five hours," Taylor added. "We made it down to Virginia in about three and a half hours."
So far, the experience has been viewed as a positive one for both Taylor and Harris.
"It's been really exciting so far," Harris said, adding, "I'm glad I'm a part of this."
"It's been great so far," Taylor agreed.
The Fusion swept through a home-andhome series with the Massachusetts Marvels, as well as defeating the Delaware Lady Destroyers and losing by 15 to the DC Bluestreakz.
The Fusion will host the 1-1 Whitehall Lazers on June 20 at 2 p.m. at the Red Bank Salvation Army in the fifth of the 11-game schedule.
Tickets may be purchased online at the Fusion's website, http://www.jerseyfusion. com, or may be purchased on-site.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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Locals on roster of women's semi-pro basketball team
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
The Jersey Fusion, a first-year women's semi-pro basketball team, has gotten off to a fast start.
The Jersey Fusion
The 3-1 Fusion play at the Red Bank Salvation Army as a first-year team for the Women's Blue Chip Basketball League.
The Fusion are coached and owned by former Monmouth University player Audrey Taylor.
Taylor explained what semi-pro actually means.
"These are pro-level athletes at lower skill levels," Taylor said. "There are some players who used to — and still do — play overseas, as well as some former WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association] players."
Taylor is currently in her fourth year as the assistant coach of the Cardinal McCarrick High School Lady Eagles in South Amboy. Prior to coaching at Cardinal McCarrick, she spent time as an assistant coach at Monmouth University and coached and trained youths at recreational facilities in Virginia.
Taylor's longtime friend and partner, Rodney Harris, serves as the Fusion's director of basketball operations.
"I coordinate gym time, transportation, and help the girls with fundraising," Harris said. "I also act as a scrimmage player against the girls."
Harris was a standout basketball player at South River High School from 1983 to 1987 and has amassed a 147-18 record coaching youth basketball for 10 years.
Harris has also served full time with the 108th Air Refuel Wing at McGuire Air Force Base for the past 13 years.
Harris and Taylor have another business, called Millennium Ballers, which specializes in youth basketball training.
So far, the two have enjoyed their fast start but differ on what the expectations were when they were going in.
"No, we didn't expect the early success," Taylor said. "Being a new team, with the reputation the league has, we didn't expect to be this good this quick."
"Honestly, I thought we'd be 4-0," Harris said. "But you've got to understand, we are a new team and haven't gotten to see a lot of the teams play."
According to Taylor, players' pay varies widely.
"It really varies a lot throughout the league," she said. "Some players get $150 or so per game and some only get compensation for travel."
While the team operates on a low budget, this is an opportunity for the players to showcase their skills on the court.
"Hopefully, we get some scouts from the WNBA or overseas [to] come out and see some of the girls play," Harris said. "These girls can really [play]."
The team is composed mostly of local women, including Felecia Harris, Geneva Livingston and Tomora Young, who all hail from Red Bank.
"It's been fun and exciting so far," Livingston said last week. "We have really started to click."
Livingston has been a friend and summer league teammate of Taylor for the past two years, but said the coach-player relationship has been a smooth transition.
"It hasn't been difficult at all," Livingston said. "She believes in me and I take what she says as constructive criticism."
The roster includes former college players from Monmouth, Rutgers, Delaware, St. Peter's College and Rider University among others.
Five-foot-9 former Western Michigan Bronco Carrie Moore leads the team. Moore is averaging 23.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
Moore led the nation in scoring at Western Michigan during the 2006-07 season by averaging 25.4 points per game.
Moore also briefly appeared in the WNBA.
"Carrie Moore is our role model," Taylor said. "She has played in the WNBA and overseas."
Also putting up big numbers is the 5- foot-10 guard Livingston, who is averaging 16.0 points and 6.7 rebounds, and 6-foot-1 Wagner College alumna Leeah Thomas, who is averaging nine points, 8.5 rebounds and one block per game.
"Geneva is our on-court leader," Taylor said. "She is our 'silent assassin.' She is a great shooter and very calm out there on the court."
One weakness thus far for the team has been their lack of size and their rebounding deficiencies.
"Rebounding has been a problem so far," Taylor said. "We are believing in each other, and our chemistry is going to be very solid."
"Rebounding has been a problem," Harris agreed. "We are not really big.
"Well, we have some bigger girls, but no true post player," Harris added. "Everyone wants to be a guard."
"We need to be more consistent on both ends of the court," said Livingston, who spends time as both a small and power forward. "A lot of what we have discussed after the games has been missing defensive assignments and things like that.
"Once we get a little more consistent, we will be very tough to beat," she added.
While the Fusion may not have the size, they have built their early start with speed.
"We play an up-tempo, fundamentally sound style," Taylor said, "a mix of old school and new school.
"We have some flashy new-school players," Taylor added, "but we are fundamental. We box out, run plays and set screens."
The Fusion's speed also translates on the defensive side of the court, as they play a very active zone to go along with a fullcourt press.
"We play two types of defense mostly," Taylor said. "We play a 3-2 match-up zone as well as a full-court man-to-man press."
One of the challenges of the season is that the teams operate out-of-pocket from the owners.
"Fundraising has been difficult as a firstyear team," Taylor said. "Getting word out and getting people to come to the games has been difficult."
"Being the only women's semi-pro team in New Jersey, it's been hard to get people to go to the games," Livingston said. "It's been hard to get support, but I think it's starting to grow because we are winning."
Another challenge for the low-budget team is travel. Teams in the same division include teams from Massachusetts, Delaware, New York City, Long Island, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
According to Taylor, travel has yet to be a problem, and the team takes vans to away games.
"Travel has not been too bad," Taylor said. "They put a four- to five-hour limit on how far a team travels."
"We got up to New Hampshire in four or five hours," Taylor added. "We made it down to Virginia in about three and a half hours."
So far, the experience has been viewed as a positive one for both Taylor and Harris.
"It's been really exciting so far," Harris said, adding, "I'm glad I'm a part of this."
"It's been great so far," Taylor agreed.
The Fusion swept through a home-andhome series with the Massachusetts Marvels, as well as defeating the Delaware Lady Destroyers and losing by 15 to the DC Bluestreakz.
The Fusion will host the 1-1 Whitehall Lazers on June 20 at 2 p.m. at the Red Bank Salvation Army in the fifth of the 11-game schedule.
Tickets may be purchased online at the Fusion's website, http://www.jerseyfusion. com, or may be purchased on-site.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
Click here to enlarge
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Oceanport's Ibex will not seek re-election
Oceanport's Ibex will not seek re-election
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
John "Ted" Ibex
OCEANPORT — The prospect of another drawn-out political campaign season was appealing for an Oceanport councilman.
John "Ted" Ibex said last week that he will end his political career rather than go through it all one more time.
"I'm not a political person," Ibex said. "I'm not interested in campaigning."
Ibex said he bounced around the idea of running unopposed, which is something he was interested in, but once the ticket became too crowded, he decided to step back.
"I would have done it," Ibex said. "Like I said, I'm not a political person."
Ibex, a Democrat, will end his tenure on the Oceanport Borough Council after a four-year term.
"When my term expires, I will have served Oceanport for 21 years," Ibex said, "17 years on the Board of Education and four on the council."
Oceanport Borough Clerk/Administrator Kimberly Jungfer confirmed that current council President William Johnson and Gerald
Bertekap will run on the Republican ticket for two council seats up for election, while write-in candidate Lester "Tom" Cox will run on the Democratic side in the Nov. 3 general election.
Although he is leaving the council, Ibex left open the possibility of serving the borough in some capacity. He said he is open to joining a committee if nominated for a position.
"I've enjoyed serving Oceanport," Ibex said. "I would like to continue.
"I have 40 years of business experience as a CPA. I think my experience in finance is excellent. I could contribute significantly in a financial way."
According to Ibex, Oceanport faces some big issues in the future, but none are likely to have the impact that the impending closing of Fort Monmouth will have.
"We need to manage our future the best we can," Ibex said. "In terms of impact, Fort Monmouth closing is important to Oceanport."
But Ibex does not believe that Oceanport will be overwhelmed by the fort's closing.
"I think we are prepared when it eventually closes," Ibex said. "We have been actively involved in all aspects of it, especially the planning. We hired our own planner when Fort Monmouth became an issue.
"We have a vision on what the impact will be," Ibex said. "We need to keep our eye on the ball that way.
"We have accomplished a lot in managing Fort Monmouth."
While there are some serious issues facing the borough, Ibex believes the right people are in place to get the job done.
"We have had a lean budget, a very good public works department, and an excellent police department," Ibex said.
"We have people in place interested in growth and keeping the budget under control."
While it sometimes may be difficult to cross party lines within a council, it has not been a problem recently in Oceanport, according to Ibex.
"We are in control and have a unified view of the situation," Ibex said. "We have collectively worked well together as a council.
"We worked well together regardless of whether there is a D or an R in front of our names."
While Ibex will no longer be running for political office, he has no desire to leave Oceanport.
"I've lived in Oceanport for 40 years, since I got out of the Army in 1969, and I have no intention of leaving."
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
John "Ted" Ibex
OCEANPORT — The prospect of another drawn-out political campaign season was appealing for an Oceanport councilman.
John "Ted" Ibex said last week that he will end his political career rather than go through it all one more time.
"I'm not a political person," Ibex said. "I'm not interested in campaigning."
Ibex said he bounced around the idea of running unopposed, which is something he was interested in, but once the ticket became too crowded, he decided to step back.
"I would have done it," Ibex said. "Like I said, I'm not a political person."
Ibex, a Democrat, will end his tenure on the Oceanport Borough Council after a four-year term.
"When my term expires, I will have served Oceanport for 21 years," Ibex said, "17 years on the Board of Education and four on the council."
Oceanport Borough Clerk/Administrator Kimberly Jungfer confirmed that current council President William Johnson and Gerald
Bertekap will run on the Republican ticket for two council seats up for election, while write-in candidate Lester "Tom" Cox will run on the Democratic side in the Nov. 3 general election.
Although he is leaving the council, Ibex left open the possibility of serving the borough in some capacity. He said he is open to joining a committee if nominated for a position.
"I've enjoyed serving Oceanport," Ibex said. "I would like to continue.
"I have 40 years of business experience as a CPA. I think my experience in finance is excellent. I could contribute significantly in a financial way."
According to Ibex, Oceanport faces some big issues in the future, but none are likely to have the impact that the impending closing of Fort Monmouth will have.
"We need to manage our future the best we can," Ibex said. "In terms of impact, Fort Monmouth closing is important to Oceanport."
But Ibex does not believe that Oceanport will be overwhelmed by the fort's closing.
"I think we are prepared when it eventually closes," Ibex said. "We have been actively involved in all aspects of it, especially the planning. We hired our own planner when Fort Monmouth became an issue.
"We have a vision on what the impact will be," Ibex said. "We need to keep our eye on the ball that way.
"We have accomplished a lot in managing Fort Monmouth."
While there are some serious issues facing the borough, Ibex believes the right people are in place to get the job done.
"We have had a lean budget, a very good public works department, and an excellent police department," Ibex said.
"We have people in place interested in growth and keeping the budget under control."
While it sometimes may be difficult to cross party lines within a council, it has not been a problem recently in Oceanport, according to Ibex.
"We are in control and have a unified view of the situation," Ibex said. "We have collectively worked well together as a council.
"We worked well together regardless of whether there is a D or an R in front of our names."
While Ibex will no longer be running for political office, he has no desire to leave Oceanport.
"I've lived in Oceanport for 40 years, since I got out of the Army in 1969, and I have no intention of leaving."
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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Thursday, August 13, 2009
Arc's Work Opportunity Center funding cut
Arc's Work Opportunity Center funding cut
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY staff Mary Jane Torrez, one of The Arc clients who went to Trenton to protest funding cuts to the Work Opportunity Center, packs an order on June 15.
LONG BRANCH — Too old for school but too young to retire.
That's the situation faced by individuals served by The Arc of Monmouth's Work Opportunity Center (WOC) in Long Branch.
The WOC in Long Branch is one of many work centers that have had their funding cut due to the state's current economy slowdown.
Funding for the center's $750,000 budget has been cut by $73,000, and $440,000 has been cut from its transportation funding.
"Seventy-three thousand dollars is a lot of money to get cut," WOC Director of Vocational Services Linda Porter said last week. "All of the 160 people who attend this program do not drive. Over the 22 years that I have worked in this program, we have only had a handful of people served that could drive."
Porter said funding for WOC and similar centers across the state comes from the Division of Developmental Disabilities and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services of the N.J. Department of Human Services.
According to Porter, $1.8 million has been cut from employment centers across the state.
On April 30, six members of WOC's Self- Advocacy Group, a group made up of individuals served by The Arc, traveled to Trenton to attend a rally held to protest the cuts in funding.
Mary Jane Torrez and Joe Carbin were members of the group who attended the rally with Porter.
"We yelled out 'Save our jobs," Torrez, 23, said.
"A lot of people were rallying," said Carbin, 25, who is currently employed three days a week at Fort Monmouth. "Some speakers were talking about cutbacks."
Porter said the reaction to the rally was positive. Although Gov. Jon Corzine was not present during the rally, David J. Socolow, commissioner of the New Jersey Labor and Workforce Department, was.
"The governor wasn't there," Porter said, "but everyone was sympathetic to our situation.
"These are young, healthy people," Porter added. "They want to work; they have the right to work."
The Arc of Monmouth is a nonprofit organization providing services and support for individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities and for their families, according to the website.
In 2007, The Arc of Monmouth served 1,015 persons with cognitive disabilities, 54 with cerebral palsy, two with epilepsy and 71 with autism. The Arc's recreation department provided services to 710 people, 382 received transportation, 148 received supported employment services, and 437 received medically related services, the site continues.
The WOC provides diagnostic services to individuals with developmental disabilities.
A written report is generated that highlights areas of strength as well as areas that may need additional training. Community job samplings are conducted in this service.
This training assists individuals with developmental disabilities to develop the vocational skills and social behaviors necessary for successful employment. Areas of concern that are identified in the vocational evaluation are addressed through counseling, vocational training and additional job samplings, according to The Arc website.
Porter said the WOC, which serves approximately 160 adults daily, allows businesses to subcontract certain jobs including hand assembly, hand packaging, shrink wrapping, heat sealing, bulk mailing, mail preparation, and delivery to the post office.
In addition, WOC workers assemble and deliver customized health care kits to hospitals and state correctional facilities in New Jersey. WOC also services New York City and the surrounding boroughs as well as Philadelphia and the surrounding towns.
WOC Contract Packaging and Fulfillment provides businesses with timesaving production assembly, freeing the businesses' employees to perform other tasks and help meet customer deadlines.
But since the economic downturn, the work has been coming in at a lower volume.
"Our orders are down," Porter said. "There is not enough extra work. We are not getting our regular orders anymore."
"We haven't had a lot of work in the summer," Carbin said. "Things have been kind of slow."
While the orders coming into the WOC have slowed down, Porter and the advocates have tried other ways to keep busy during the day.
The group has led informative sessions on a range of topics, including swine flu, bullying, interview skills, and other day-to-day skills.
"For the last four months, we have had little or no work," Porter said. "We try to use the time to train them in other skills, like using public transportation, using vending machines and using the phone."
"We have talked about swine flu," Carbin said. "Washing your hands and keeping yourself clean.
"We talked about what to do when a bully comes up to you," Carbin said, "how to react when someone comes and pushes you around.
"Should you walk away?" Carbin added. "What should you do?"
One of the more practical lessons was the job sampling and practice interviews.
Porter said that some of the advocates were able to work with local businesses for a day to get a feel for the work world.
The interview practice paid off for Torrez, who interviewed for a position with McDonald's a few weeks earlier.
"I just looked him in the eyes and talked loudly," said Torrez, who has yet to hear whether she got the job. "It made me feel more comfortable."
With the cuts being in effect July 1, there is some worry about what is going to happen at WOC.
"I don't expect us to close our building," Porter said.
While Porter dismissed the notion of closing the WOC full time, she did say that employees will be given furloughs and will work fewer hours.
"I have cut the hours of staff by a half-hour daily, [which accounts] for 1.33 days per month," Porter said in an interview. "Less staff means reduced attention to each person served to meet their vocational goals."
Another option may be to close the building for a week at a time.
WOC currently employs 22 full-time employees, but that number was 25.
"I have two positions that I cannot fill," Porter said. "The money simply isn't there.
"I am looking to hire a part-time secretary," Porter said, adding, "That was once a full-time position."
Porter said the WOC gives young men and women an opportunity and a chance to mature. She does not view the WOC as a permanent place for anyone.
Carbin and Torrez agree and see themselves elsewhere 10 years from now.
"Maybe one day I'd try to have my own business," Carbin said. "No, I don't want to be here all my life. I can get out in the community and go out on my own."
"I want to be married with children," Torrez said. "Maybe work for a day care center."
The WOC is located at 395 Warburton Place in Long Branch and is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. More information about TheArc or WOC can be found on the website http://www.arcofmonmouth.org.
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BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY staff Mary Jane Torrez, one of The Arc clients who went to Trenton to protest funding cuts to the Work Opportunity Center, packs an order on June 15.
LONG BRANCH — Too old for school but too young to retire.
That's the situation faced by individuals served by The Arc of Monmouth's Work Opportunity Center (WOC) in Long Branch.
The WOC in Long Branch is one of many work centers that have had their funding cut due to the state's current economy slowdown.
Funding for the center's $750,000 budget has been cut by $73,000, and $440,000 has been cut from its transportation funding.
"Seventy-three thousand dollars is a lot of money to get cut," WOC Director of Vocational Services Linda Porter said last week. "All of the 160 people who attend this program do not drive. Over the 22 years that I have worked in this program, we have only had a handful of people served that could drive."
Porter said funding for WOC and similar centers across the state comes from the Division of Developmental Disabilities and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services of the N.J. Department of Human Services.
According to Porter, $1.8 million has been cut from employment centers across the state.
On April 30, six members of WOC's Self- Advocacy Group, a group made up of individuals served by The Arc, traveled to Trenton to attend a rally held to protest the cuts in funding.
Mary Jane Torrez and Joe Carbin were members of the group who attended the rally with Porter.
"We yelled out 'Save our jobs," Torrez, 23, said.
"A lot of people were rallying," said Carbin, 25, who is currently employed three days a week at Fort Monmouth. "Some speakers were talking about cutbacks."
Porter said the reaction to the rally was positive. Although Gov. Jon Corzine was not present during the rally, David J. Socolow, commissioner of the New Jersey Labor and Workforce Department, was.
"The governor wasn't there," Porter said, "but everyone was sympathetic to our situation.
"These are young, healthy people," Porter added. "They want to work; they have the right to work."
The Arc of Monmouth is a nonprofit organization providing services and support for individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities and for their families, according to the website.
In 2007, The Arc of Monmouth served 1,015 persons with cognitive disabilities, 54 with cerebral palsy, two with epilepsy and 71 with autism. The Arc's recreation department provided services to 710 people, 382 received transportation, 148 received supported employment services, and 437 received medically related services, the site continues.
The WOC provides diagnostic services to individuals with developmental disabilities.
A written report is generated that highlights areas of strength as well as areas that may need additional training. Community job samplings are conducted in this service.
This training assists individuals with developmental disabilities to develop the vocational skills and social behaviors necessary for successful employment. Areas of concern that are identified in the vocational evaluation are addressed through counseling, vocational training and additional job samplings, according to The Arc website.
Porter said the WOC, which serves approximately 160 adults daily, allows businesses to subcontract certain jobs including hand assembly, hand packaging, shrink wrapping, heat sealing, bulk mailing, mail preparation, and delivery to the post office.
In addition, WOC workers assemble and deliver customized health care kits to hospitals and state correctional facilities in New Jersey. WOC also services New York City and the surrounding boroughs as well as Philadelphia and the surrounding towns.
WOC Contract Packaging and Fulfillment provides businesses with timesaving production assembly, freeing the businesses' employees to perform other tasks and help meet customer deadlines.
But since the economic downturn, the work has been coming in at a lower volume.
"Our orders are down," Porter said. "There is not enough extra work. We are not getting our regular orders anymore."
"We haven't had a lot of work in the summer," Carbin said. "Things have been kind of slow."
While the orders coming into the WOC have slowed down, Porter and the advocates have tried other ways to keep busy during the day.
The group has led informative sessions on a range of topics, including swine flu, bullying, interview skills, and other day-to-day skills.
"For the last four months, we have had little or no work," Porter said. "We try to use the time to train them in other skills, like using public transportation, using vending machines and using the phone."
"We have talked about swine flu," Carbin said. "Washing your hands and keeping yourself clean.
"We talked about what to do when a bully comes up to you," Carbin said, "how to react when someone comes and pushes you around.
"Should you walk away?" Carbin added. "What should you do?"
One of the more practical lessons was the job sampling and practice interviews.
Porter said that some of the advocates were able to work with local businesses for a day to get a feel for the work world.
The interview practice paid off for Torrez, who interviewed for a position with McDonald's a few weeks earlier.
"I just looked him in the eyes and talked loudly," said Torrez, who has yet to hear whether she got the job. "It made me feel more comfortable."
With the cuts being in effect July 1, there is some worry about what is going to happen at WOC.
"I don't expect us to close our building," Porter said.
While Porter dismissed the notion of closing the WOC full time, she did say that employees will be given furloughs and will work fewer hours.
"I have cut the hours of staff by a half-hour daily, [which accounts] for 1.33 days per month," Porter said in an interview. "Less staff means reduced attention to each person served to meet their vocational goals."
Another option may be to close the building for a week at a time.
WOC currently employs 22 full-time employees, but that number was 25.
"I have two positions that I cannot fill," Porter said. "The money simply isn't there.
"I am looking to hire a part-time secretary," Porter said, adding, "That was once a full-time position."
Porter said the WOC gives young men and women an opportunity and a chance to mature. She does not view the WOC as a permanent place for anyone.
Carbin and Torrez agree and see themselves elsewhere 10 years from now.
"Maybe one day I'd try to have my own business," Carbin said. "No, I don't want to be here all my life. I can get out in the community and go out on my own."
"I want to be married with children," Torrez said. "Maybe work for a day care center."
The WOC is located at 395 Warburton Place in Long Branch and is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. More information about TheArc or WOC can be found on the website http://www.arcofmonmouth.org.
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City responds to Fuschia Triangle suit
City responds to Fuschia Triangle suit
Suit challenges blight designation, seeks damages
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
The city of Long Branch has asked the Superior Court of New Jersey to dismiss a lawsuit charging the city with unconstitutionally labeling a Broadway Gateway property as a redevelopment zone.
City Attorney James Aaron, of Ansell, Zaro, Grimm & Aaron in Ocean Township, filed the response on May 13.
Aaron declined to comment last week on the specifics of the suit but did say that the allegations levied against the city were baseless.
"The allegations are false," Aaron said. "They don't truly reflect how the city acted.
"We will show that we worked with the property owner and allowed the property owner to move forward in the attempt to develop his land," Aaron said during an interview last week.
While Aaron did not comment on specifics in the city's response, he did say that if the suit goes to trial, it will not be in the immediate future.
"There will be between 180 days and 360 days to allow for discovery for both the city and the prosecution," Aaron said. "We are looking at two years before the suit goes to trial."
The 12-page response rebuts every claim made in the lawsuit, responding to most by "denying the allegations" or stating that the defendants "are without knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth of the allegations."
Princeton attorney R. William Potter, of Potter and Dickson, filed the suit on behalf of Long Branch business owner Kevin Fister and his wife Adele, Fuchsia Triangle Corp. and Coach Corp.
The suit filed in state Superior Court in Freehold on April 8 names the city of Long Branch and the City Council as defendants.
The suit seeks to overturn what it alleges is the city's "unconstitutional designation of private property as blighted" and asks for "damages and injunctive relief against the mayor and the council of the city of Long Branch."
Among the allegations in the complaint is the charge that the plaintiffs have been denied "their lawful right to own, use, enjoy, develop, redevelop or sell their property" in what amounts to the "loss of their property" due to the city's "de facto" condemnation of the commercial properties made up of five contiguous lots bounded by North and South Broadway, Long Branch Avenue and Ocean Boulevard.
"Their property remains 'frozen,' private in name but 'de facto' condemned for future use and without just, or indeed, any compensation," reads the complaint, which asks for a jury trial.
Potter said at the time of filing, "One, we are filing that the original designation of the property was unconstitutional. Two, we are arguing that the longstanding failure for the city to use eminent domain [resulted] in a significant to almost complete loss of value of the property," which "has remained frozen for more than a decade."
"They have been trying for years to develop the land in a manner [that] the city would embrace," he said. "We are hoping that this is a wake-up
call to the city. Not only do we want the city to lift the cloud of the blight designation, now they must compensate for the loss of value." According to the complaint, the city's unconstitutional actions date to the mid- 1980s with initial efforts to redevelop, leading to a preliminary investigation by the Long Branch Planning Board into whether large sections of the city, including the Fuschia Triangle, were blighted under the 1992 Local Redevelopment and Housing Law (LRHL).
The suit claims the city used the terms "area in need of redevelopment" and "redevelopment area" while actually applying standards of "blighted" property or area, which were rejected by the New Jersey Supreme Court in a 2007 case, Gallenthin Realty v. Borough of Paulsboro, which Potter successfully argued.
According to the complaint, the city designated the Fuschia Triangle as "in need of redevelopment," making the property and surrounding area subject to the LRHL, using the law to prevent the plaintiffs from developing their own property, to designate another redeveloper, and to acquire the property through eminent domain.
The complaint alleges that the unconstitutional process of designating the Fuschia Triangle a redevelopment area dates to August 1995, when the City Council directed the Planning Board to investigate whether the Broadway-Gateway area and other areas met the criteria for designation as redevelopment areas.
The lawsuit seeks to overturn the blight designation of the Fuschia Triangle and asks for compensatory and punitive damages for the "taking" of the Fuschia Triangle property.
As an alternative, the suit asks the court to order the city to purchase the Fuschia Triangle property "and end the "legal limbo which has prevented the Fisters from making profitable use of their property for more than a decade."
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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Suit challenges blight designation, seeks damages
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
The city of Long Branch has asked the Superior Court of New Jersey to dismiss a lawsuit charging the city with unconstitutionally labeling a Broadway Gateway property as a redevelopment zone.
City Attorney James Aaron, of Ansell, Zaro, Grimm & Aaron in Ocean Township, filed the response on May 13.
Aaron declined to comment last week on the specifics of the suit but did say that the allegations levied against the city were baseless.
"The allegations are false," Aaron said. "They don't truly reflect how the city acted.
"We will show that we worked with the property owner and allowed the property owner to move forward in the attempt to develop his land," Aaron said during an interview last week.
While Aaron did not comment on specifics in the city's response, he did say that if the suit goes to trial, it will not be in the immediate future.
"There will be between 180 days and 360 days to allow for discovery for both the city and the prosecution," Aaron said. "We are looking at two years before the suit goes to trial."
The 12-page response rebuts every claim made in the lawsuit, responding to most by "denying the allegations" or stating that the defendants "are without knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth of the allegations."
Princeton attorney R. William Potter, of Potter and Dickson, filed the suit on behalf of Long Branch business owner Kevin Fister and his wife Adele, Fuchsia Triangle Corp. and Coach Corp.
The suit filed in state Superior Court in Freehold on April 8 names the city of Long Branch and the City Council as defendants.
The suit seeks to overturn what it alleges is the city's "unconstitutional designation of private property as blighted" and asks for "damages and injunctive relief against the mayor and the council of the city of Long Branch."
Among the allegations in the complaint is the charge that the plaintiffs have been denied "their lawful right to own, use, enjoy, develop, redevelop or sell their property" in what amounts to the "loss of their property" due to the city's "de facto" condemnation of the commercial properties made up of five contiguous lots bounded by North and South Broadway, Long Branch Avenue and Ocean Boulevard.
"Their property remains 'frozen,' private in name but 'de facto' condemned for future use and without just, or indeed, any compensation," reads the complaint, which asks for a jury trial.
Potter said at the time of filing, "One, we are filing that the original designation of the property was unconstitutional. Two, we are arguing that the longstanding failure for the city to use eminent domain [resulted] in a significant to almost complete loss of value of the property," which "has remained frozen for more than a decade."
"They have been trying for years to develop the land in a manner [that] the city would embrace," he said. "We are hoping that this is a wake-up
call to the city. Not only do we want the city to lift the cloud of the blight designation, now they must compensate for the loss of value." According to the complaint, the city's unconstitutional actions date to the mid- 1980s with initial efforts to redevelop, leading to a preliminary investigation by the Long Branch Planning Board into whether large sections of the city, including the Fuschia Triangle, were blighted under the 1992 Local Redevelopment and Housing Law (LRHL).
The suit claims the city used the terms "area in need of redevelopment" and "redevelopment area" while actually applying standards of "blighted" property or area, which were rejected by the New Jersey Supreme Court in a 2007 case, Gallenthin Realty v. Borough of Paulsboro, which Potter successfully argued.
According to the complaint, the city designated the Fuschia Triangle as "in need of redevelopment," making the property and surrounding area subject to the LRHL, using the law to prevent the plaintiffs from developing their own property, to designate another redeveloper, and to acquire the property through eminent domain.
The complaint alleges that the unconstitutional process of designating the Fuschia Triangle a redevelopment area dates to August 1995, when the City Council directed the Planning Board to investigate whether the Broadway-Gateway area and other areas met the criteria for designation as redevelopment areas.
The lawsuit seeks to overturn the blight designation of the Fuschia Triangle and asks for compensatory and punitive damages for the "taking" of the Fuschia Triangle property.
As an alternative, the suit asks the court to order the city to purchase the Fuschia Triangle property "and end the "legal limbo which has prevented the Fisters from making profitable use of their property for more than a decade."
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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Friday, August 7, 2009
Coastal evacuation plan coordinates exodus
Coastal evacuation plan coordinates exodus
Plan will give county tools in event of natural disaster
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
Monmouth County has unveiled a draft plan for coastal evacuation that takes a comprehensive look at the facilities necessary to move residents safely away from coastal areas.
The yearlong study of coastal evacuation routes prepared for the Monmouth County Planning Board channels residents of coastal communities west, away from coastal areas that would be flooded in the event of a major storm.
The study, conducted by Jacobs Engineering Inc. in cooperation with Reichman Frankle Inc. and Techniquest Engineering, was unveiled at an open house meeting June 2 at the Brookdale Higher Education Learning Center on Broadway in Long Branch.
The purpose of the Coastal Evacuation Routes Study is to evaluate transportation facilities used for evacuation along the New Jersey coastal region east of the Garden State Parkway, to recommend improvements to existing facilities, and to develop new ones where appropriate, according to the study.
"One of Monmouth County's finest assets — its 26 miles of bay coastline — is also a potential liability as low- lying coastal areas are subject to flooding from wave action and weather, particularly during hurricane events," the study states.
The information can also be used when existing state and local plans are reviewed and updated, such as the county Office of Emergency Management's Emergency Operations Plan.
As outlined on the project website, monmouthcers. com, key objectives of the plan include:
• Collect transportation facility, operations and service network data for 12 critical infrastructure and emergency travel routes (portal facilities) in and around Monmouth County's coastal communities.
• Evaluate the inter-relationship of transportation routes and services and their capacity/ performance limitations, especially during peak seasonal periods.
• Group communities with common transportation routes and encourage them to work collaboratively to identify specific needs, issues and concerns.
• Evaluate potential physical/operational improvements to routes, including a range of transportation technologies.
The listed goals of the study include: to improve coastal routes; identify and address limitations to evacuation routes to ensure their efficiency during emergency situations; and promote awareness of evacuation routes and the evacuation process among residents, tourists, stakeholders and the general public.
Roadway widening, a network of shelters, backup power for traffic signals, evacuation route signs and new bridges are among the $150 million-plus in measures recommended in the study aimed at upgrading the county's plans for evacuation of coastal areas.
The study area includes 41 municipalities located east of the Garden State Parkway and divides the coastal area into three regions: northern, central and southern.
The northern region includes Aberdeen, Keyport, Hazlet, Union Beach, Keansburg, Holmdel, Matawan, Atlantic Highlands, Highlands and Middletown.
The central region includes Red Bank, Fair Haven, Sea Bright, Rumson, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Little Silver, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Eatontown, Tinton Falls, West Long Branch, Long Branch, Ocean Grove, Deal,
Interlaken, Allenhurst and Loch Arbor. The southern region encompasses Asbury Park, Avon- by- the- Sea, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Brielle, Belmar, Lake Como, Manasquan, Neptune, Neptune City, Sea Girl, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights and Wall. The study identifies 12 "portal" routes leading west from the
coastal region.
The process involved stakeholders and each region was represented by a group with members from each municipality to give feedback on each local need.
A Technical Advisory Committee was also formed to work with the project team members. The TAC included the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management and the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Engineers Lakshan Wickramarachchi and Bob Brakman were available to answer questions during the June 2 open house.
"It was a one- year study where we picked routes based on how many people are in the area," Brakman said, adding, "There are three times as many people living here in the summer, so we could see where the worst locations are in the summer."
"We worked extensively with getting information from population studies," Wickramarachchi said. "We recommended physical improvements based on how many people live in the area. I think we were successful."
Information made available at the open house included evacuation routes, suggested road improvements, an estimated cost for each improvement and the lead agency to take on such a job.
For example, the study suggests the widening of Route 520 to create a full shoulder, which would be taken on by the county with an estimated cost of $16.5 million.
Also suggested is an upgrade of signals for wireless controls on Route 36 traffic lights, which would be taken on by the state at a cost of $322,000.
The study also suggests that the state widen Route 36 at the Broad Street intersection, which would cost an estimated $4 million.
The study broke down suggestions into long- , intermediate- and short- term projects and actions to be taken during emergencies.
For example, the suggested widening of Route 520 shoulder is a long- term project, while adding no parking placards is a short- term project.
The draft plan also suggests evacuation routes for coastal residents.
The engineers suggest that travelers in the Northern region take CR-39, CR-56/7, CR-50/576, SR-36 or CR-8A/12/12A when evacuating and take Routes 520 or 36 or Park Avenue when in the Central zone. Wickramarachchi explained the goal of the plan.
"This is not an everyday event," Wickramarachchi said. "We wanted a practical plan to get people out to use the resources we have available.
"These are the best ways out that we identified," Wickramarachchi continued. "These roads lead into other main roads in the area."
He added that in evacuating, the suggestion is to work from the coastline out.
"We developed a broad picture plan and hope to expand upon it," Wickramarachchi said. "We try to get to areas along the coasts first, like Sea Bright. We have to have the best option to lead people to safety."
According to Brakman, people are alerted 36 hours prior to an evacuation, but the advance warning often does little good.
"We have discovered that even if we give people 36 hour warnings they still wait until the last minute," Brakman said.
Another issue is the added traffic during the evacuation.
"Also, it is not just a family leaving in their cars," Brakman said. "It's families leaving in two or three cars. Nobody wants to leave a car there."
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com
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Plan will give county tools in event of natural disaster
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
Monmouth County has unveiled a draft plan for coastal evacuation that takes a comprehensive look at the facilities necessary to move residents safely away from coastal areas.
The yearlong study of coastal evacuation routes prepared for the Monmouth County Planning Board channels residents of coastal communities west, away from coastal areas that would be flooded in the event of a major storm.
The study, conducted by Jacobs Engineering Inc. in cooperation with Reichman Frankle Inc. and Techniquest Engineering, was unveiled at an open house meeting June 2 at the Brookdale Higher Education Learning Center on Broadway in Long Branch.
The purpose of the Coastal Evacuation Routes Study is to evaluate transportation facilities used for evacuation along the New Jersey coastal region east of the Garden State Parkway, to recommend improvements to existing facilities, and to develop new ones where appropriate, according to the study.
"One of Monmouth County's finest assets — its 26 miles of bay coastline — is also a potential liability as low- lying coastal areas are subject to flooding from wave action and weather, particularly during hurricane events," the study states.
The information can also be used when existing state and local plans are reviewed and updated, such as the county Office of Emergency Management's Emergency Operations Plan.
As outlined on the project website, monmouthcers. com, key objectives of the plan include:
• Collect transportation facility, operations and service network data for 12 critical infrastructure and emergency travel routes (portal facilities) in and around Monmouth County's coastal communities.
• Evaluate the inter-relationship of transportation routes and services and their capacity/ performance limitations, especially during peak seasonal periods.
• Group communities with common transportation routes and encourage them to work collaboratively to identify specific needs, issues and concerns.
• Evaluate potential physical/operational improvements to routes, including a range of transportation technologies.
The listed goals of the study include: to improve coastal routes; identify and address limitations to evacuation routes to ensure their efficiency during emergency situations; and promote awareness of evacuation routes and the evacuation process among residents, tourists, stakeholders and the general public.
Roadway widening, a network of shelters, backup power for traffic signals, evacuation route signs and new bridges are among the $150 million-plus in measures recommended in the study aimed at upgrading the county's plans for evacuation of coastal areas.
The study area includes 41 municipalities located east of the Garden State Parkway and divides the coastal area into three regions: northern, central and southern.
The northern region includes Aberdeen, Keyport, Hazlet, Union Beach, Keansburg, Holmdel, Matawan, Atlantic Highlands, Highlands and Middletown.
The central region includes Red Bank, Fair Haven, Sea Bright, Rumson, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Little Silver, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Eatontown, Tinton Falls, West Long Branch, Long Branch, Ocean Grove, Deal,
Interlaken, Allenhurst and Loch Arbor. The southern region encompasses Asbury Park, Avon- by- the- Sea, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Brielle, Belmar, Lake Como, Manasquan, Neptune, Neptune City, Sea Girl, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights and Wall. The study identifies 12 "portal" routes leading west from the
coastal region.
The process involved stakeholders and each region was represented by a group with members from each municipality to give feedback on each local need.
A Technical Advisory Committee was also formed to work with the project team members. The TAC included the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management and the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Engineers Lakshan Wickramarachchi and Bob Brakman were available to answer questions during the June 2 open house.
"It was a one- year study where we picked routes based on how many people are in the area," Brakman said, adding, "There are three times as many people living here in the summer, so we could see where the worst locations are in the summer."
"We worked extensively with getting information from population studies," Wickramarachchi said. "We recommended physical improvements based on how many people live in the area. I think we were successful."
Information made available at the open house included evacuation routes, suggested road improvements, an estimated cost for each improvement and the lead agency to take on such a job.
For example, the study suggests the widening of Route 520 to create a full shoulder, which would be taken on by the county with an estimated cost of $16.5 million.
Also suggested is an upgrade of signals for wireless controls on Route 36 traffic lights, which would be taken on by the state at a cost of $322,000.
The study also suggests that the state widen Route 36 at the Broad Street intersection, which would cost an estimated $4 million.
The study broke down suggestions into long- , intermediate- and short- term projects and actions to be taken during emergencies.
For example, the suggested widening of Route 520 shoulder is a long- term project, while adding no parking placards is a short- term project.
The draft plan also suggests evacuation routes for coastal residents.
The engineers suggest that travelers in the Northern region take CR-39, CR-56/7, CR-50/576, SR-36 or CR-8A/12/12A when evacuating and take Routes 520 or 36 or Park Avenue when in the Central zone. Wickramarachchi explained the goal of the plan.
"This is not an everyday event," Wickramarachchi said. "We wanted a practical plan to get people out to use the resources we have available.
"These are the best ways out that we identified," Wickramarachchi continued. "These roads lead into other main roads in the area."
He added that in evacuating, the suggestion is to work from the coastline out.
"We developed a broad picture plan and hope to expand upon it," Wickramarachchi said. "We try to get to areas along the coasts first, like Sea Bright. We have to have the best option to lead people to safety."
According to Brakman, people are alerted 36 hours prior to an evacuation, but the advance warning often does little good.
"We have discovered that even if we give people 36 hour warnings they still wait until the last minute," Brakman said.
Another issue is the added traffic during the evacuation.
"Also, it is not just a family leaving in their cars," Brakman said. "It's families leaving in two or three cars. Nobody wants to leave a car there."
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com
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