T.F. council mulls projects for DOT funding
Roadwork, sidewalks among options listed
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS — A hopeful Tinton Falls administration has requested that the Borough Council consider which options to go after for a state transportation grant.
Borough Engineer David Marks, of T&M Associates, explained the grant program that the borough is pursuing.
“The state of New Jersey has put together the municipal aid grant program for fiscal year 2011 and they’ve identified five different areas for funding,” he said at the July 6 Borough Council workshop meeting.
“There is the typical municipal aid … and there is also [grants for] bikeways, centers of place, safe street transit, and transit village.”
Marks explained that the borough is not eligible for all of the five programs.
“Unfortunately, two of the programs we are not eligible for — centers of place and transit village,” he said. “There are only a handful of communities in New Jersey that have those designations.”
Before explaining what the best options might be, Marks asked the council for ideas.
“We’d like to ask the mayor and council if there are any projects that they have in mind,” he said. “Give it some thought if there is any particular project you’d like to evaluate further.”
Marks then gave his preferred option for the application.
“One good option would obviously be the continuation of Heritage Boulevard,” he said, adding that the borough previously received $200,000 in funding for the project.
“We would consider going from Roslyn Drive to Asbury Avenue this year,” he added, then listed another alternative for the grant application.
“Another option would be Apple Street,” he said, describing the road’s condition as poor.
“It’s a good candidate for DOT funding because it connects two county routes.”
He said another option would be to put sidewalks along one of the borough’s roadways.
“A third potential project would be to put in sidewalks along Essex Road,” he said. “This is something that would tie into the county’s improvements along Asbury Avenue.
“We can start at Asbury Avenue and head toward Seabrook Village as one phase,” he added. “As a potential second phase to that project, we can finish up from Seabrook Village to the [Jersey Shore Premium] outlet shopping mall.”
Marks gave his opinion on what he thought the best option would be.
“These are just three ideas we put together; we are open to any others,” he added. “I think all three are very fundable. Maybe the two best would be the continuation of Heritage Boulevard— the state does like to fund phased projects — or the Essex Road sidewalk because they do like the sidewalk routes and alternative means of transportation.”
Both the mayor and council president zeroed in on a particular project.
“All things considered, probably Apple Street would be the biggest priority,” Mayor Michael Skudera said. “It has more traffic than Heritage, it has a better chance of getting funding because it connects two busy roads, and the road is in pretty bad shape.”
“I agree with that totally,” council President Gary Baldwin said.
Marks said he isn’t sure how much money the borough can expect.
“I’m sure you’re wondering how much money we can get. There is a big question mark there,” he said. “I’d imagine state funds are limited. We are going to have a lot of competition from our neighboring municipalities and every other municipality throughout the state.
“I think a well-written and well-thoughtout application could put us over the top.”
Marks said the borough would have to kick in a minimal amount of money.
“These are 100 percent grants,” he said. “We would need to put up any kind of soft costs, any kind of survey, legal fees, engineering fees.
“They will fund some inspection services, up to 15 percent of the contract amount,” he added. “Let’s say we get a $200,000 award and we have a $200,000 project, it’ll cover everything.”
One project that has been highly controversial in the borough is adding lighting for Liberty II Park, which one councilmember wanted to consider.
“I know we submitted a grant to do the lighting in there, and you told us this wasn’t going to fly and it didn’t,” Councilwoman NancyAnn Fama said. “Any thought on that at all?” Marks said he doesn’t think this grant could be used for the lighting.
“This particular program is very specific for transportation-based improvements,” he said. “They really are for either trying to restore deteriorating roadways, transit-based improvements, pedestrian safety, intersection-based improvements.”
Fama felt that there might be a loophole that would make it possible for the funds to be used to install the lighting in the park.
“I was looking at that, and said if you created a bikeway around Liberty Park and then you had to throw some lights up … ” she said.
Marks said he could talk to the DOT about that option to see if the DOT would be open to it.
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Monday, September 20, 2010
T.F. considers reducing use of pesticides
T.F. considers reducing use of pesticides
Council mulls which parks should be pesticide free
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS — The Borough Council is expected to consider reducing the use of chemical pesticides on borough properties.
Environmental Commission members Jonathon Cohen and Jeff King at the July 6 workshop meeting presented the council with a rough draft of a resolution to reduce pesticide use.
Cohen suggested that Tinton Falls should join many other municipalities across the state in reducing the use of pesticides.
“There are a list of other [towns] around the state that have done this, and we’d like to join with them,” he said. “They have been shown to be hazardous to children, pets, adults, anybody.
“Recently there was a study showing that it could be one of the causes of autism and other pretty bad diseases around children,” he added.
Cohen listed Ocean Township, Asbury Park, Neptune, Keyport, Hazlet and Red Bank as local municipalities that have adopted resolutions on pesticide use.
King explained that children are particularly vulnerable to pesticides.
“Children are particularly vulnerable due to their size, rapid development and hand-tomouth behavior,” he said. “We want to do what’s right for our families, and this resolution will actually save the borough money in the long term and the short term.
“We don’t know how harmful these are in the environment.”
However, Borough Administrator Gerald Turning had some reservations on restricting pesticide use on particular borough fields.
“Our concern is what areas of borough property are we talking about,” he said.
“This was tried once before; it was tried on our soccer fields and our football fields, and what happened was we had a deterioration of the grass and the playing conditions,” he added. “We received many, many complaints.”
Turning said he’d like to see specific parks and fields added to the resolution for clarity.
“The only thing I’d like to see is that we identify those areas where we will be doing it and those areas where we will not be doing it because of past problems that we’ve had,” he said. “We don’t want to be in a position where we’re not allowed to use certain things on certain fields.
“I really would like someone to say to me where are we talking about.”
King explained that the policy is not aimed at eliminating pesticides but rather reducing their use on certain fields.
“The policy will not prohibit us from using chemicals; it just basically says use the least toxic methods first,” he said. “If there is an emergency or a problem, it is not an ordinance, there is no law saying we can’t do anything that we need to do.”
Councilman Andrew Mayer, who is a member of the environmental commission, suggested that the borough administration decide at which parks to eliminate the use of pesticides.
“It gives us the freedom to address issues where there’s issues, while decreasing the amount of chemicals that get dispersed,” he said. “This is really identifying the reduction part, and it is up to the administration to identify those areas that are pesticide-free zones.”
Cohen suggested that if the borough started using organic pesticides as opposed to the chemical-based type, it could save money.
He went on to say that the borough has taken steps in recent years to cut back on the use of pesticides on borough properties.
“The borough has been doing a lot of very good management,” Cohen said. “We would like to make it a policy that it would be the best thing to do for the children and the borough of Tinton Falls.
“They wouldn’t be putting signs up all around saying the property is treated if it wasn’t dangerous.”
Cohen did say the pesticide issue is one that does not require the borough to take immediate action.
“It is not something that has a date or time we need to deal with,” he said. “We’ve been discussing this with many administrations throughout the years, and it is not something that needs to be done tomorrow.”
Turning said the borough would take up the issue sometime in August.
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Council mulls which parks should be pesticide free
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS — The Borough Council is expected to consider reducing the use of chemical pesticides on borough properties.
Environmental Commission members Jonathon Cohen and Jeff King at the July 6 workshop meeting presented the council with a rough draft of a resolution to reduce pesticide use.
Cohen suggested that Tinton Falls should join many other municipalities across the state in reducing the use of pesticides.
“There are a list of other [towns] around the state that have done this, and we’d like to join with them,” he said. “They have been shown to be hazardous to children, pets, adults, anybody.
“Recently there was a study showing that it could be one of the causes of autism and other pretty bad diseases around children,” he added.
Cohen listed Ocean Township, Asbury Park, Neptune, Keyport, Hazlet and Red Bank as local municipalities that have adopted resolutions on pesticide use.
King explained that children are particularly vulnerable to pesticides.
“Children are particularly vulnerable due to their size, rapid development and hand-tomouth behavior,” he said. “We want to do what’s right for our families, and this resolution will actually save the borough money in the long term and the short term.
“We don’t know how harmful these are in the environment.”
However, Borough Administrator Gerald Turning had some reservations on restricting pesticide use on particular borough fields.
“Our concern is what areas of borough property are we talking about,” he said.
“This was tried once before; it was tried on our soccer fields and our football fields, and what happened was we had a deterioration of the grass and the playing conditions,” he added. “We received many, many complaints.”
Turning said he’d like to see specific parks and fields added to the resolution for clarity.
“The only thing I’d like to see is that we identify those areas where we will be doing it and those areas where we will not be doing it because of past problems that we’ve had,” he said. “We don’t want to be in a position where we’re not allowed to use certain things on certain fields.
“I really would like someone to say to me where are we talking about.”
King explained that the policy is not aimed at eliminating pesticides but rather reducing their use on certain fields.
“The policy will not prohibit us from using chemicals; it just basically says use the least toxic methods first,” he said. “If there is an emergency or a problem, it is not an ordinance, there is no law saying we can’t do anything that we need to do.”
Councilman Andrew Mayer, who is a member of the environmental commission, suggested that the borough administration decide at which parks to eliminate the use of pesticides.
“It gives us the freedom to address issues where there’s issues, while decreasing the amount of chemicals that get dispersed,” he said. “This is really identifying the reduction part, and it is up to the administration to identify those areas that are pesticide-free zones.”
Cohen suggested that if the borough started using organic pesticides as opposed to the chemical-based type, it could save money.
He went on to say that the borough has taken steps in recent years to cut back on the use of pesticides on borough properties.
“The borough has been doing a lot of very good management,” Cohen said. “We would like to make it a policy that it would be the best thing to do for the children and the borough of Tinton Falls.
“They wouldn’t be putting signs up all around saying the property is treated if it wasn’t dangerous.”
Cohen did say the pesticide issue is one that does not require the borough to take immediate action.
“It is not something that has a date or time we need to deal with,” he said. “We’ve been discussing this with many administrations throughout the years, and it is not something that needs to be done tomorrow.”
Turning said the borough would take up the issue sometime in August.
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I scream, you scream, but not in Pier Village
I scream, you scream, but not in Pier Village
Zoning bars ice cream cart from beachfront
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
Ice cream vendor Charles Measley has been selling ice cream at various locations in Long Branch but is barred from taking his cart into Pier Village. Ice cream vendor Charles Measley has been selling ice cream at various locations in Long Branch but is barred from taking his cart into Pier Village. LONG BRANCH — Beachgoers looking for a cool treat after a day in the sun will have to go elsewhere this summer, after the City Council denied an application by a local ice cream vendor.
Charles Measley, a Long Branch native and resident of Rumson, operated an ice cream cart in Long Branch in 2008 and 2009, but after his application to operate in Pier Village and on park property was denied at the July 13 councilmeeting, he might not be back this summer.
“I might reapply [for a permit]; I haven’t decided yet,” he said. “Next year I’ll definitely be down there if this year is too far gone.”
Measley, who also sells ice cream from a cart in Rumson, said he sold ice cream the past two summers in different parts of the city, including a location at the West End car shows, on the corner of Broadway and Ocean Boulevard during fireworks, at the Lower Broadway fountain, and in parts of North Long Branch.
This summer Measley wanted to take his business to either Pier Village or the portion of Ocean Avenue closed off to vehicles between Seaview and Madison avenues.
Because Pier Village is a redevelopment zone, and the portion of Ocean Avenue was funded by Green Acres money, Measley had to apply for permission to the council, which is the redevelopment authority.
The basis of the application is that the zoning ordinances state that the council may grant permission for vendors within the redevelopment zones. Measley’s lawyer, Michael Halfacre, argued that the ordinances had a proposal like Measley’s in mind.
“Clearly the application itself was contemplated in the ordinance,” he said. “It was allowed to happen because the ordinance says permission may be granted. If it weren’t allowed to happen, there wouldn’t be a provision.”
Halfacre said the ordinance should override any agreement the city has with Pier Village developerApplied Development.
“The ordinance is a law that was passed by this City Council in 1997, and the contract with Applied doesn’t trump that,” he said. “This is a 20-year-old young man who wants to sell $1.50 strawberry shortcake ice cream pops and is in no way a threat to what is sold at Pier Village.”
Testifying on behalf of the city, Building and Development Director Kevin Hayes said that the application is in violation of city ordinances and that the location, Pier Village, is not city-owned.
Also testifying was Greg Russo, senior vice president of Applied, who said that Measley would compete with the Pier Village businesses.
“These tenants would be impacted,” he said. “As much as we’d like to think that one kiosk would not impact sales, these tenants do have to operate in the winter months, and summer sales are vital to them.
“If these sales were undermined by someone who doesn’t have the same existing costs, you could see how that would hurt some of these tenants,” he added. “We do oppose the application.”
While Pier Village is considered private property, Councilman Michael Sirianni explained the concerns about approving the application for Ocean Avenue.
“I like your idea and concept, but if we allow this, then we will have a hot dog vendor, a pretzel vendor, and the whole area we will have vendors coming in,” he said. “We are working on making it a safe area, and it’s going to look like a mess.”
Measley said the city requires a permit, an identification badge, and that the cart be inspected, and that it may be too late in the summer to override the costs of the permitting.
He also said that he normally operates between Easter and Labor Day from noon to 6 p.m., selling between 300 and 400 units of ice cream per day.
His cart is plugged into an outlet overnight, which freezes the walls of the cart, and the frozen walls act like dry ice to keep the product cold during the day, he explained.
Measley takes his cart to Long Branch daily on a trailer and has an agreement to park his trailer for free at The Lighthouse, a local Italian ice shop.
Measley said The Lighthouse isn’t worried about competition, and the stores in Pier Village shouldn’t be either.
“I have novelty ice cream and they [The Lighthouse] sell soft-serve ice cream and Italian ice,” he said. “The person who is buying my product isn’t someone who is buying a $5 cup of gelato [at Pier Village].”
Measley also tried to alleviate any traffic concerns the council may have had.
“I’m extremely mobile; if there is any way I can move and position myself, I’d do it,” he said.
Measley explained how he first got the idea to sell ice cream.
“I started thinking of the 1950s and 1940s, and an idea came to me of Good Humor and how they used to pedal around the beachfront selling ice cream,” he said.
Measley said that his appearance even harks back to the 1950s.
“I wear a white polo shirt with a little white cap and khaki shorts with a change dispenser,” he said.
Measley explained that when he first got the permit to sell in the city, his idea was to sell along the oceanfront.
“I was approached by a city worker and he said I was not allowed to be in this part of town,” he said. “I did not venture to that part again.
“When I graduated from high school, my idea was to sell along the boardwalk on the part of Ocean Avenue that’s closed, and that’s why I applied for the permit,” he added. “I went down for about two days, and city workers came out and said this part is closed off.”
Measley then looked at the city’s ordinances to see if anything can be done.
“I pulled up the city ordinance [61-88],” he said. “What section D says is, in the redevelopment zone and anywhere along the beachfront or any city park, if you want to go there you have to have permission from the redevelopment agency.”
One resident who testified on behalf of Measley spoke favorably of the proposal.
“I am very proud that we are continuing to raise young people that use the governmental system. I am very proud of Long Branch,” Eva Klostreich said. “The people were delightfully engaged with him, and I thought, good for Long Branch.
“I think this would be a strength to our community,” she added. “I think it would service some of the people who tend to go to Pier Village that are not in the economic strata for some of the storefronts there.”
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Zoning bars ice cream cart from beachfront
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
Ice cream vendor Charles Measley has been selling ice cream at various locations in Long Branch but is barred from taking his cart into Pier Village. Ice cream vendor Charles Measley has been selling ice cream at various locations in Long Branch but is barred from taking his cart into Pier Village. LONG BRANCH — Beachgoers looking for a cool treat after a day in the sun will have to go elsewhere this summer, after the City Council denied an application by a local ice cream vendor.
Charles Measley, a Long Branch native and resident of Rumson, operated an ice cream cart in Long Branch in 2008 and 2009, but after his application to operate in Pier Village and on park property was denied at the July 13 councilmeeting, he might not be back this summer.
“I might reapply [for a permit]; I haven’t decided yet,” he said. “Next year I’ll definitely be down there if this year is too far gone.”
Measley, who also sells ice cream from a cart in Rumson, said he sold ice cream the past two summers in different parts of the city, including a location at the West End car shows, on the corner of Broadway and Ocean Boulevard during fireworks, at the Lower Broadway fountain, and in parts of North Long Branch.
This summer Measley wanted to take his business to either Pier Village or the portion of Ocean Avenue closed off to vehicles between Seaview and Madison avenues.
Because Pier Village is a redevelopment zone, and the portion of Ocean Avenue was funded by Green Acres money, Measley had to apply for permission to the council, which is the redevelopment authority.
The basis of the application is that the zoning ordinances state that the council may grant permission for vendors within the redevelopment zones. Measley’s lawyer, Michael Halfacre, argued that the ordinances had a proposal like Measley’s in mind.
“Clearly the application itself was contemplated in the ordinance,” he said. “It was allowed to happen because the ordinance says permission may be granted. If it weren’t allowed to happen, there wouldn’t be a provision.”
Halfacre said the ordinance should override any agreement the city has with Pier Village developerApplied Development.
“The ordinance is a law that was passed by this City Council in 1997, and the contract with Applied doesn’t trump that,” he said. “This is a 20-year-old young man who wants to sell $1.50 strawberry shortcake ice cream pops and is in no way a threat to what is sold at Pier Village.”
Testifying on behalf of the city, Building and Development Director Kevin Hayes said that the application is in violation of city ordinances and that the location, Pier Village, is not city-owned.
Also testifying was Greg Russo, senior vice president of Applied, who said that Measley would compete with the Pier Village businesses.
“These tenants would be impacted,” he said. “As much as we’d like to think that one kiosk would not impact sales, these tenants do have to operate in the winter months, and summer sales are vital to them.
“If these sales were undermined by someone who doesn’t have the same existing costs, you could see how that would hurt some of these tenants,” he added. “We do oppose the application.”
While Pier Village is considered private property, Councilman Michael Sirianni explained the concerns about approving the application for Ocean Avenue.
“I like your idea and concept, but if we allow this, then we will have a hot dog vendor, a pretzel vendor, and the whole area we will have vendors coming in,” he said. “We are working on making it a safe area, and it’s going to look like a mess.”
Measley said the city requires a permit, an identification badge, and that the cart be inspected, and that it may be too late in the summer to override the costs of the permitting.
He also said that he normally operates between Easter and Labor Day from noon to 6 p.m., selling between 300 and 400 units of ice cream per day.
His cart is plugged into an outlet overnight, which freezes the walls of the cart, and the frozen walls act like dry ice to keep the product cold during the day, he explained.
Measley takes his cart to Long Branch daily on a trailer and has an agreement to park his trailer for free at The Lighthouse, a local Italian ice shop.
Measley said The Lighthouse isn’t worried about competition, and the stores in Pier Village shouldn’t be either.
“I have novelty ice cream and they [The Lighthouse] sell soft-serve ice cream and Italian ice,” he said. “The person who is buying my product isn’t someone who is buying a $5 cup of gelato [at Pier Village].”
Measley also tried to alleviate any traffic concerns the council may have had.
“I’m extremely mobile; if there is any way I can move and position myself, I’d do it,” he said.
Measley explained how he first got the idea to sell ice cream.
“I started thinking of the 1950s and 1940s, and an idea came to me of Good Humor and how they used to pedal around the beachfront selling ice cream,” he said.
Measley said that his appearance even harks back to the 1950s.
“I wear a white polo shirt with a little white cap and khaki shorts with a change dispenser,” he said.
Measley explained that when he first got the permit to sell in the city, his idea was to sell along the oceanfront.
“I was approached by a city worker and he said I was not allowed to be in this part of town,” he said. “I did not venture to that part again.
“When I graduated from high school, my idea was to sell along the boardwalk on the part of Ocean Avenue that’s closed, and that’s why I applied for the permit,” he added. “I went down for about two days, and city workers came out and said this part is closed off.”
Measley then looked at the city’s ordinances to see if anything can be done.
“I pulled up the city ordinance [61-88],” he said. “What section D says is, in the redevelopment zone and anywhere along the beachfront or any city park, if you want to go there you have to have permission from the redevelopment agency.”
One resident who testified on behalf of Measley spoke favorably of the proposal.
“I am very proud that we are continuing to raise young people that use the governmental system. I am very proud of Long Branch,” Eva Klostreich said. “The people were delightfully engaged with him, and I thought, good for Long Branch.
“I think this would be a strength to our community,” she added. “I think it would service some of the people who tend to go to Pier Village that are not in the economic strata for some of the storefronts there.”
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Kingdom Fighters, library team on jobs program
Kingdom Fighters, library team on jobs program
Resources offered to those who have spent time in jail
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — A partnership between Kingdom Fighters, a local nonprofit, and the Long Branch Free Public Library has already resulted in jobs for two people and more may be on the way.
Kingdom Fighters and the library have been hosting a weekly employment and development support group for Monmouth County residents with arrest records over the past several months at the library each Wednesday.
Kingdom Fighters founder Steven Worsley Sr. explained the goal of the program.
“My nonprofit Kingdom Fighters partnered up with the Long Branch Library, and our goal is to help individuals become employable,” he said. “We help them with résumés, computer training and whatever skills they need to get them jobs after they come out of incarceration.
“This helps them reestablish into the work force after they come home, because it is really difficult once you have a record to get employed,” he added. “Our goal is to get people hired through our program.”
Worsley said that most of the jobs that are being targeted are in the construction field or labor-intensive work.
“Our goal is to just give them the opportunity to get a better start,” he said.
Worsley said that initially, interest in the program was high.
“At our jump-off we had about 27, 28 people, but now we have fewer,” he said. “It is a little discouraging, but we keep the process; we are hoping to have more participants.”
Worsley began Kingdom Fighters two years ago, and this is the first year he has partnered with the library.
He said that Kingdom Fighters has worked with local nonprofits including Family & Children’s Services, Prevention First, and the Long Branch Concordance.
Worsley said one problem is that a lot of the participants want immediate employment, which is hard to find.
“A lot of people now are looking for immediate employment, and we are trying to let them know it is a process,” he said. “It is not going to be right away; you have to get your paperwork together and make sure you have all your proper IDs.”
The persistence has paid off for at least two people involved in the program who found employment with the Long Branch Housing Authority.
Worsley said the program is open to all Monmouth County residents, but Long Branch residents have dominated those participating.
He explained some of the content of the classes.
“We have guest speakers that talk about all the different aspects of employment,” he said. “It’s hard because they might end up going back to doing what they did to get incarcerated, because of the lack of employment.
“What we do is make them employable by helping them with résumés and computer training.”
Worsley also said that topics include appearance, making eye contact with interviewers, and the importance of bank accounts.
He said he tries to get a read on each individual who comes to the program.
“We make them fill out a form when they first come in, what their interests are, what kind of work do they want to do, what kind of work have they done,” he said. Worsley described some of the common problems encountered thus far.
“A lot of them can’t read properly, a lot of them can’t fill out an application properly,” he said. “If you don’t have your birth certificate or Social Security card, you can’t get a job.
“Our goal is to help them get all the proper documents so they can approach a job in the proper manner,” he added.
Worsley said Kingdom Fighters would pay employers for the first three months when they hire someone through the program.
“The first three months of employment are paid by the nonprofit for the individuals; that way, their record doesn’t become an issue,” he said. “After doing that, they absorb the person based on their work skills and not on their background.”
Worsley said the library received a grant to fund the classes until September, but they are hoping to receive more grant money.
Worsley is making plans for a block party at the end of August.
“We are trying to put together a community block party, but it’s going to be a learning experience at the same time,” he said. “We are going to have people come out and set up booths and talk about banking and programs offered to help people in different situations.
“We are going to have food, fun, music and offer an educational party.”
Worsley said that local nonprofits are hoping to prevent children from living their lives on the street.
“The kids nowadays don’t have a choice,” he said. “If we don’t give them the options and opportunity to occupy their time, they are going to keep going back to the street.”
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Resources offered to those who have spent time in jail
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — A partnership between Kingdom Fighters, a local nonprofit, and the Long Branch Free Public Library has already resulted in jobs for two people and more may be on the way.
Kingdom Fighters and the library have been hosting a weekly employment and development support group for Monmouth County residents with arrest records over the past several months at the library each Wednesday.
Kingdom Fighters founder Steven Worsley Sr. explained the goal of the program.
“My nonprofit Kingdom Fighters partnered up with the Long Branch Library, and our goal is to help individuals become employable,” he said. “We help them with résumés, computer training and whatever skills they need to get them jobs after they come out of incarceration.
“This helps them reestablish into the work force after they come home, because it is really difficult once you have a record to get employed,” he added. “Our goal is to get people hired through our program.”
Worsley said that most of the jobs that are being targeted are in the construction field or labor-intensive work.
“Our goal is to just give them the opportunity to get a better start,” he said.
Worsley said that initially, interest in the program was high.
“At our jump-off we had about 27, 28 people, but now we have fewer,” he said. “It is a little discouraging, but we keep the process; we are hoping to have more participants.”
Worsley began Kingdom Fighters two years ago, and this is the first year he has partnered with the library.
He said that Kingdom Fighters has worked with local nonprofits including Family & Children’s Services, Prevention First, and the Long Branch Concordance.
Worsley said one problem is that a lot of the participants want immediate employment, which is hard to find.
“A lot of people now are looking for immediate employment, and we are trying to let them know it is a process,” he said. “It is not going to be right away; you have to get your paperwork together and make sure you have all your proper IDs.”
The persistence has paid off for at least two people involved in the program who found employment with the Long Branch Housing Authority.
Worsley said the program is open to all Monmouth County residents, but Long Branch residents have dominated those participating.
He explained some of the content of the classes.
“We have guest speakers that talk about all the different aspects of employment,” he said. “It’s hard because they might end up going back to doing what they did to get incarcerated, because of the lack of employment.
“What we do is make them employable by helping them with résumés and computer training.”
Worsley also said that topics include appearance, making eye contact with interviewers, and the importance of bank accounts.
He said he tries to get a read on each individual who comes to the program.
“We make them fill out a form when they first come in, what their interests are, what kind of work do they want to do, what kind of work have they done,” he said. Worsley described some of the common problems encountered thus far.
“A lot of them can’t read properly, a lot of them can’t fill out an application properly,” he said. “If you don’t have your birth certificate or Social Security card, you can’t get a job.
“Our goal is to help them get all the proper documents so they can approach a job in the proper manner,” he added.
Worsley said Kingdom Fighters would pay employers for the first three months when they hire someone through the program.
“The first three months of employment are paid by the nonprofit for the individuals; that way, their record doesn’t become an issue,” he said. “After doing that, they absorb the person based on their work skills and not on their background.”
Worsley said the library received a grant to fund the classes until September, but they are hoping to receive more grant money.
Worsley is making plans for a block party at the end of August.
“We are trying to put together a community block party, but it’s going to be a learning experience at the same time,” he said. “We are going to have people come out and set up booths and talk about banking and programs offered to help people in different situations.
“We are going to have food, fun, music and offer an educational party.”
Worsley said that local nonprofits are hoping to prevent children from living their lives on the street.
“The kids nowadays don’t have a choice,” he said. “If we don’t give them the options and opportunity to occupy their time, they are going to keep going back to the street.”
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tinton Falls restores police chief position
Tinton Falls restores police chief position
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS — After a three-month hiatus, the Borough Council has voted to reestablish the position of police chief.
Since the April 1 retirement of former chief Gerald Turning, the Tinton Falls Police Department has been without a police chief,
The council voted 5-0 at the July 7 meeting to adopt an ordinance that re-establishes the position of police chief, a position that was eliminated when Turning retired.
Turning’s retirement lasted only a month before he was appointed in May to take over as Borough Administrator.
In an interview this week, Turning explained that an ordinance approved in 2004 provided that the chief’s position would be eliminated when he left.
“The ordinance was written that it would expire upon my retirement, and what they planned on doing was revisiting it after I had left,” Turning said.
The ordinance approved July 7 also establishes a cap on the number of officers who can hold certain positions in the police force.
According to the ordinance, there will be one chief, two captains, five lieutenants, seven sergeants and 26 patrol officers.
Turning said that the borough has had to update this ordinance to include a cap on those positions since the previous ordinance was written six years ago.
“There were no limitations on the number of people we could have in each position, and there is case law since that was originally written,” he said. “By putting a number on there, it tells the council exactly how much they need to budget for.”
Turning said the police chief position will remain vacant until Tinton Falls Mayor Michael Skudera appoints someone.
“Under our ordinance, the police chief is appointed by the mayor,” he said. “That is statute all over the state of New Jersey.
“He can’t hire someone from the outside as police chief, because it is a violation of the ordinance,” he added. “[The chief] has to be promoted from within.”
Turning explained that the position under chief is captain, and Capt. David Trevena is currently the only captain serving on the police force.
Turning said Trevena is being considered for the chief’s job.
“We only have one [captain] because one just retired,” he said. “He’s [Trevena] being considered, but the mayor could appoint whomever he wishes.
“It’s not necessarily the next person in line. Whatever action he decides to take is totally up to him.”
Turning said that there is also a public safety director who is a civilian in charge of the police department.
At the June 1 council meeting, Doug Gotfredsen was sworn in as director of public safety, a position that was vacated after former Public Safety Director and Administrator Bryan Dempsey accepted a position in Spring Lake in January.
Turning said that he is pleased the council adopted the ordinance to re-establish the position.
“We have a public safety director, so there is someone running the police department of civilian authority,” he said. “I was in favor of it because I had served in the role of commanding officer prior to 2004, but being chief of police is a totally different animal.”
At the July 7 meeting, Councilman Scott Larkin praised fellow Councilman Duane Morrill for pushing the ordinance forward.
“I want to commend Mr. Morrill,” Larkin said. “He really pushed this, and sometimes it seems like it’s hard to accomplish things, but you helped us create something that is tangible.”
Also at the July 7 meeting, the council reorganized, with Councilman Gary Baldwin becoming the new council president.
Baldwin was elected with a 3-2 vote, with Morrill and Councilman Andrew Mayer voting against Baldwin in favor of Mayer.
Baldwin officially took over for Morrill as council president, and Mayer will replace Baldwin as deputy council president.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS — After a three-month hiatus, the Borough Council has voted to reestablish the position of police chief.
Since the April 1 retirement of former chief Gerald Turning, the Tinton Falls Police Department has been without a police chief,
The council voted 5-0 at the July 7 meeting to adopt an ordinance that re-establishes the position of police chief, a position that was eliminated when Turning retired.
Turning’s retirement lasted only a month before he was appointed in May to take over as Borough Administrator.
In an interview this week, Turning explained that an ordinance approved in 2004 provided that the chief’s position would be eliminated when he left.
“The ordinance was written that it would expire upon my retirement, and what they planned on doing was revisiting it after I had left,” Turning said.
The ordinance approved July 7 also establishes a cap on the number of officers who can hold certain positions in the police force.
According to the ordinance, there will be one chief, two captains, five lieutenants, seven sergeants and 26 patrol officers.
Turning said that the borough has had to update this ordinance to include a cap on those positions since the previous ordinance was written six years ago.
“There were no limitations on the number of people we could have in each position, and there is case law since that was originally written,” he said. “By putting a number on there, it tells the council exactly how much they need to budget for.”
Turning said the police chief position will remain vacant until Tinton Falls Mayor Michael Skudera appoints someone.
“Under our ordinance, the police chief is appointed by the mayor,” he said. “That is statute all over the state of New Jersey.
“He can’t hire someone from the outside as police chief, because it is a violation of the ordinance,” he added. “[The chief] has to be promoted from within.”
Turning explained that the position under chief is captain, and Capt. David Trevena is currently the only captain serving on the police force.
Turning said Trevena is being considered for the chief’s job.
“We only have one [captain] because one just retired,” he said. “He’s [Trevena] being considered, but the mayor could appoint whomever he wishes.
“It’s not necessarily the next person in line. Whatever action he decides to take is totally up to him.”
Turning said that there is also a public safety director who is a civilian in charge of the police department.
At the June 1 council meeting, Doug Gotfredsen was sworn in as director of public safety, a position that was vacated after former Public Safety Director and Administrator Bryan Dempsey accepted a position in Spring Lake in January.
Turning said that he is pleased the council adopted the ordinance to re-establish the position.
“We have a public safety director, so there is someone running the police department of civilian authority,” he said. “I was in favor of it because I had served in the role of commanding officer prior to 2004, but being chief of police is a totally different animal.”
At the July 7 meeting, Councilman Scott Larkin praised fellow Councilman Duane Morrill for pushing the ordinance forward.
“I want to commend Mr. Morrill,” Larkin said. “He really pushed this, and sometimes it seems like it’s hard to accomplish things, but you helped us create something that is tangible.”
Also at the July 7 meeting, the council reorganized, with Councilman Gary Baldwin becoming the new council president.
Baldwin was elected with a 3-2 vote, with Morrill and Councilman Andrew Mayer voting against Baldwin in favor of Mayer.
Baldwin officially took over for Morrill as council president, and Mayer will replace Baldwin as deputy council president.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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WLB fills vacant council seat
WLB fills vacant council seat
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
WEST LONG BRANCH — A little more than a month after longtime Councilman Joseph Woolley resigned, the Borough Council named a replacement.
At the July 7 council meeting, the five current council members voted Zoning Board member Jose Villa to fill Woolley’s seat, after the seven-term councilman resigned on June 2.
West Long Branch Mayor Janet Tucci said Villa will be missed from the zoning board.
“Jose has been a member of our zoning board, born and raised in West Long Branch,” she said. “He was a very valuable member of our zoning board, and they are going to miss him.”
Tucci also spoke about Woolley’s retirement.
“Councilman Woolley retired after serving 20 long, hard years in the borough,” she said. “Councilman Woolley would have been here tonight but he’s at the fair with his grandsons.
“See the things you can do when you’re not on council anymore.”
Woolley, a Republican, was re-elected for a seventh term in 2007.
Villa, also a Republican, works as a claims director. He will serve Woolley’s unexpired term until Dec. 31.
Villa’s appointment keeps the political makeup of the borough’s governing body the same, with one Democrat and five Republicans sitting on council, and a Republican mayor.
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BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
WEST LONG BRANCH — A little more than a month after longtime Councilman Joseph Woolley resigned, the Borough Council named a replacement.
At the July 7 council meeting, the five current council members voted Zoning Board member Jose Villa to fill Woolley’s seat, after the seven-term councilman resigned on June 2.
West Long Branch Mayor Janet Tucci said Villa will be missed from the zoning board.
“Jose has been a member of our zoning board, born and raised in West Long Branch,” she said. “He was a very valuable member of our zoning board, and they are going to miss him.”
Tucci also spoke about Woolley’s retirement.
“Councilman Woolley retired after serving 20 long, hard years in the borough,” she said. “Councilman Woolley would have been here tonight but he’s at the fair with his grandsons.
“See the things you can do when you’re not on council anymore.”
Woolley, a Republican, was re-elected for a seventh term in 2007.
Villa, also a Republican, works as a claims director. He will serve Woolley’s unexpired term until Dec. 31.
Villa’s appointment keeps the political makeup of the borough’s governing body the same, with one Democrat and five Republicans sitting on council, and a Republican mayor.
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Grants fund upgrades for local school districts
Grants fund upgrades for local school districts
Funds offset costs for Monmouth Regional and Ocean Twp. districts
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS — Grants to two Monmouth County school districts will pay for 40 percent of the cost of projects that will upgrade school facilities.
Both the Monmouth Regional High School District and Ocean Township School District were approved for grant funds last month from the New Jersey Schools DevelopmentAuthority Regular Operating District grant program to help relieve the burden of projects on local taxpayers for various projects.
Monmouth Regional received $822,404 from the state toward the $2 million cost of projects carried out this summer.
The Ocean Township School District received $192,720 from the state to complete a $481,800 project to replace piping at the intermediate school and to replace the boiler at the Wanamassa School.
According to Monmouth Regional district Business Administrator Maria Parry, the projects are under way and include replacing both locker rooms and the windows in one of the wings.
“The projects are 98 percent done,” she said recently. “Hopefully, they’ll be done by the end of August.”
Parry said the locker rooms were in poor condition.
“The locker rooms were 50 years old,” she said. “The plumbing didn’t work in one of the locker rooms, and the other locker room was the original girls’ locker room that [was] turned into a boys’ locker room.”
Parry also said the old windows were a safety risk for students.
“The windows were the original windows to the building that were about 50 years old,” she said. “They were not energy efficient, they weren’t insulated.
“I had floor-to-ceiling windows, so I always had a safety issue if someone accidentally kicked the glass.”
Parry said she expects the new windows to save the district money on heating bills.
“Now the windows are energy efficient, they are not floor-to-ceiling windows, they are half-windows,” she said. “They will re- tain the heat from the sun, so I’ll be able to not use as much heat in some of the hallways.
“I’m not going to save millions of dollars, but I will have savings.”
Parry said the district would still have done the work without the funds from the state, but the upgrade of both locker rooms may not have been done.
“This has just been a bonus that I’ve been able to get 40 percent back of the cost of the project from the state,” she said.
Parry said the SDA has been in existence since about 2000, but this is the first time Monmouth Regional has applied for funding.
She said one project that isn’t being supported by the state is replacing bleachers.
“They have certain projects that are excluded,” she said. “We are putting in new bleachers, and the bleachers are excluded.”
Parry said the district started the process of preparing an application in January 2009 and sent in the application in November of last year.
For a time, she said, there was some doubt about whether or not the district would receive the grant money.
“We had found out in December that we were possibly not going to get the grant monies,” she said. “It was a big concern on my end.
“I was very pleased to hear in April or May that the state did approve the grants.”
Parry added that reimbursement by the state involves a lot of paperwork.
“I’m in the process of putting in for reimbursement of the 40 percent share from the state, so right now I’m knee-deep in paperwork,” she said.
Ocean Township School District Business Administrator Ken Jannarone said the work there has already been completed.
He also said the work was necessary and would have been done even without the grant.
“We had an old boiler and piping that needed to be replaced,” Jannarone said. “For these necessary projects to be able to receive additional funds from the state to offset local costs is pretty big.’
According to the SDA, the grant program is part of a $50.3 million investment made available by the sale of $500 million in bonds by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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Funds offset costs for Monmouth Regional and Ocean Twp. districts
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS — Grants to two Monmouth County school districts will pay for 40 percent of the cost of projects that will upgrade school facilities.
Both the Monmouth Regional High School District and Ocean Township School District were approved for grant funds last month from the New Jersey Schools DevelopmentAuthority Regular Operating District grant program to help relieve the burden of projects on local taxpayers for various projects.
Monmouth Regional received $822,404 from the state toward the $2 million cost of projects carried out this summer.
The Ocean Township School District received $192,720 from the state to complete a $481,800 project to replace piping at the intermediate school and to replace the boiler at the Wanamassa School.
According to Monmouth Regional district Business Administrator Maria Parry, the projects are under way and include replacing both locker rooms and the windows in one of the wings.
“The projects are 98 percent done,” she said recently. “Hopefully, they’ll be done by the end of August.”
Parry said the locker rooms were in poor condition.
“The locker rooms were 50 years old,” she said. “The plumbing didn’t work in one of the locker rooms, and the other locker room was the original girls’ locker room that [was] turned into a boys’ locker room.”
Parry also said the old windows were a safety risk for students.
“The windows were the original windows to the building that were about 50 years old,” she said. “They were not energy efficient, they weren’t insulated.
“I had floor-to-ceiling windows, so I always had a safety issue if someone accidentally kicked the glass.”
Parry said she expects the new windows to save the district money on heating bills.
“Now the windows are energy efficient, they are not floor-to-ceiling windows, they are half-windows,” she said. “They will re- tain the heat from the sun, so I’ll be able to not use as much heat in some of the hallways.
“I’m not going to save millions of dollars, but I will have savings.”
Parry said the district would still have done the work without the funds from the state, but the upgrade of both locker rooms may not have been done.
“This has just been a bonus that I’ve been able to get 40 percent back of the cost of the project from the state,” she said.
Parry said the SDA has been in existence since about 2000, but this is the first time Monmouth Regional has applied for funding.
She said one project that isn’t being supported by the state is replacing bleachers.
“They have certain projects that are excluded,” she said. “We are putting in new bleachers, and the bleachers are excluded.”
Parry said the district started the process of preparing an application in January 2009 and sent in the application in November of last year.
For a time, she said, there was some doubt about whether or not the district would receive the grant money.
“We had found out in December that we were possibly not going to get the grant monies,” she said. “It was a big concern on my end.
“I was very pleased to hear in April or May that the state did approve the grants.”
Parry added that reimbursement by the state involves a lot of paperwork.
“I’m in the process of putting in for reimbursement of the 40 percent share from the state, so right now I’m knee-deep in paperwork,” she said.
Ocean Township School District Business Administrator Ken Jannarone said the work there has already been completed.
He also said the work was necessary and would have been done even without the grant.
“We had an old boiler and piping that needed to be replaced,” Jannarone said. “For these necessary projects to be able to receive additional funds from the state to offset local costs is pretty big.’
According to the SDA, the grant program is part of a $50.3 million investment made available by the sale of $500 million in bonds by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
Contact Kenny Walter at
kwalter@gmnews.com.
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