The MANCHESTER Times Vol. 26 - No. 45
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Lakehurst Looks To Improve Downtown In 2021
Officials Concerned About New COVID Issues
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Community News Page 11-12
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 18
Dear Pharm Page 19
Inside The Law Page 21
Dear Joel Page 22
─Photo By Bob Vosseller The governing body is trying to decide what to do with the dilapidated structure across from the municipal building on Union Avenue. By Bob Vosseller LAKEHURST – The Mayor and council set goals for downtown improvements for the new year. Mayor Harry Robbins thanked the gover ning body for the work they performed in 2020 and he also thanked residents for allowing him to be the borough mayor. Business development a nd i mprove ments to the down-
town area on Union Avenue will be the focus of 2021. Mayor Robbi ns per for med a ribbon cutting ceremony at t he G r iff in Realt y building located at 28 Union Avenue. Robbins said that r ibbon cut t i ngs for new businesses was a favorite activity for him as mayor. He noted after the ceremony that featured the Realty firm’s owner Ryan
Griffin and his staff that, “it is the borough’s 100th bir thday but unfortunately with public safety we feel that these aren’t the times to hold such a big gathering in the borough even though July is a way’s away from us.” “The problem is to s c h e d u l e a n d pl a n such an event takes months to do and unfortunately I believe we’ll be putting off
our 100th anniversary to 101 hopefully. Maybe we’ll t h row in some dalmatians in there,” the mayor joked referencing the Disney animated classic “The 101 Dalmatians.” “As far as businesses a r e c o n c e r n e d , we love to see the downt ow n p r o s p e r a s it has been doing. Even during the pandemic, I still see people visiting (Improve - See Page 4)
Governor Allows Limited Attendance At School Athletics
By Chris Lundy TRENTON – Gover nor Ph il Mu r phy announced just before the spring season gets underway that a limited number of people will be allowed in person to watch indoor and outdoor school athletics. He announced this
on February 12. The Executive Order went into effect immediately. Districts can choose to allow up to two parents/ guardians per participating athlete under the age of 21, according to a statement he put up on social media. This also includes practices.
The attendance still cannot exceed 35% of the room’s capacity or 150 people. This doesn’t mean 150 parents, it means 150 people in the area – including coaches, referees, players, parents, etc. Other public health guidelines, such as social distanc-
ing and the wearing of masks, must be adhered to. One key point is that the school districts have the choice to open it up to the public. Each district can be more restrictive than the state if the local officials deem it appropriate.
February 20, 2021
Interstate competitions at high schools are still prohibited. “As a father of four, I know how difficult it has been for many parents to not be able to see their kids participate in sports,” said Governor Murphy. “With our (Sports - See Page 7)
By Bob Vosseller MANCHESTER – The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on township residents continues to be a concern for the governing body. Manchester has a lot of residents who don’t have good computer skills to get navigate the websites to make an appointment for the coronavirus vaccine, Mayor Ken Palmer said. “It is a distinct problem where a lot of our seniors don’t even have computers.” The mayor, who is also an attorney, said, “a couple of clients of mine who are (COVID - See Page 4)
Council Planning Manchester’s Energy Future
By Bob Vosseller MANCHESTER – As the cost of electricity continually increases, members of the governing body said they have been working on ways to reduce this cost for residents. Councilman James Vaccaro spoke about the importance of the township having a 10-year energy master plan. Such a plan would encompass alternate energy uses such as wind, geothermal, and more use of solar energy applications. “For example, they have solar cells that rotate with the sun, solar roofing products, solar, wind and small generators that provide power for lighting of parking lots, recreation areas as utilized in Vancouver and elsewhere,” Vaccaro added. Vaccaro said that General Motors reported that by 2035 at the latest, “they will convert most of their fleet to electric, thus we must begin a plan of high-speed electric battery recharging stations providing us a source of additional revenue for the township that would be generated from these charging (Council - See Page 7)
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