The BERKELEY Times Vol. 26 - No. 47
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Boat Yard Will Operate With Town’s Approval
In This Week’s Edition
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Community News Page 11-12
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 14
Dear Joel Page 15
Inside The Law Page 25
─Photos special to the Berkeley Times (Left) Engineer Brian Murphy, with attorney Joseph Michelini, describes the new boat yard project to the Zoning Board. (Right) Boats are being stored during colder months on the property. By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – The Township Zoning Board approved the parameters for a boat yard to continue operating near a residential area, but neighbors doubt the owner will follow the rules. The issue stems from NJ Outboard suddenly cutting down trees on property they owned. They built boat racks and started operating on the area without township
approval. The area is in the woods between Scott Drive and Browning Avenue, east of Route 9. They were using the intersection near the Wawa gas station and Sylvan Lakes Boulevard to move boats. Neighbors living behind the property, in the Scott Estates neighborhood, had been protesting it. They said NJ Outboard buried trees on the property, built unsteady
racks, and littered with open paint cans and other garbage. A nearby trickle of a stream had an oily sheen on it. At a Zoning Board meeting last year, the owner of NJ Outboard said through his attorney that he had a reputable contractor who assured him that everything was being done legally. He also said he had a stroke earlier and did not remember what was done. (Boats - See Page 4)
Pine Beach Welcomes New Officers
By Alyssa Riccardi PINE BEACH – The Pine Beach Police Department has announced officers that they’ve hired, promoted and sadly those who have left. The department released a statement saying Ptl. Russ Okinsky and Det. Anthony Pruchnik would be leaving the department. Both officers were hired as full-time officers in July of 2015 and
now will be pursuing new career opportunities. Ptl. Brian Fischer was hired as a full-time officer back in February. He graduated the Ocean County police academy after he received his Bachelor’s Degree from York College. Ptl. Fischer initially started at the Seaside Heights Police Department since March of 2017, before joining the Pine
Beach Department. The Department also welcomed a new Class 2 officer, Ptl. Joe Pizzuto in March. in 2017 Ptl. Pizzuto graduated from Stockton University with a Bachelor’s Degree and in 2018 he graduated from the Ocean County Police Academy. He previously worked with the Seaside Heights Police and Ocean Township Police.
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In April, the department hired Ptl. Stephen Scaturro for a full-time position. He graduated from Stockton University with a Bachelor’s Degree in 2017 and Ocean County Police Academy in 2018. He previously worked with the Seaside Heights Police and New Providence Police before coming to Pine Beach in July 2019. (Officers - See Page 9)
May 8, 2021
New Police Chief Promoted
By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – Police Chief Karin DiMichele’s retirement from policework was April 30, and Deputy Chief Kevin Santucci was sworn in the next day. DiMichele spent 10 years as chief and 26 years as an officer in Berkeley. She made sergeant in 2001 and lieutenant in 2005. In 2011, she received the highest score in the state on the promotional examination and became the department’s chief. In the first year of her time as chief, the township saw a hurricane and Superstorm Sandy. Lesser known and probably forgotten by now, there was also a small tornado and aftershocks from an earthquake in another state. During her tenure, she also had the police department be accredited. This is an arduous process that makes police departments’ policies conform to best practices. Her department became the first in the county and one of the first in the state to implement a body-worn camera program. Also during this time, the records department was digitized, keeping up (Chief - See Page 8)
Officials Thank Guadagno As She Leaves Fulfill
By Chris Lundy OCEAN COUNTY – Former Lt. Gov Kim Guadagno had found a home at Fulfill during a time when the community needed it most, but now she has stepped down from the leadership role. “It was a privilege and an unexpected challenge to guide the organization throughout the pandemic. During these last two years, we expanded services and programs, served over 215,000 residents and families in the Monmouth and Ocean area, and served as a stabilizing force for those who needed food, financial assistance, job training, and more. I want to credit my team who were fearless throughout, the volunteers without whom we could not keep up, and the many donors who made this happen for supporting our work and my leadership,” she said. Guadagno is a partner with the law firm of Connell Foley and will return to her law practice. After eight years as New Jersey’s first lieutenant (Fulfill - See Page 4)
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