The BERKELEY Times Vol. 27 - No. 4
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Senior Clubhouses Can Reopen
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 18
Dear Pharmacist Page 19
Dear Joel Page 22
Inside The Law Page 29
By Alyssa Riccardi JERSEY SHORE – Within the first half of 2021, two major forest fires have affected the lush greenery that runs throughout our region. Monmouth and Ocean counties are not only home to beautiful beaches, but also dense woods
Residents at Pheasant Run in Barnegat enjoy the pool. By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – Public property in senior communities can reopen without fear of lawsuits now that the governor has signed a bill providing them indemnity. This had been an issue since the start of the pandemic. Pools, clubhouses, and other amenities were closed to the public. At first, it was a safety issue. Homeowner associations didn’t have the staff to wipe down ev-
ery surface or to police the area to keep people wearing masks and socially distancing. But the legal issue was looming in the background. If someone believed that they caught COVID-19 in a clubhouse, they could sue the homeowner association as well as every member of the board. It could potentially devastate the association and bankrupt those in charge. Even if they did everything right, and
─Photo by Stephanie Faughnan
followed all the rules to keep people safe, they could still get sued. It doesn’t matter that it might be difficult to prove that someone contracted a virus in a particular location. All that matters is that a lawsuit is possible. And lawsuits cost money. Meanwhile, residents were mad that they were paying dues for amenities that were closed. Therefore, a new law was recently signed
Massive Forest Fires in 2021: Should We Be Concerned? like the Pine Barrens spreading across southern Ocean. In March of this year, a forest fire broke on the Brick/Lakewood border. The fire destroyed 167 acres of land, shutting down the Garden State Parkway and making several stores close
down. Strong winds of around 40 miles per hour and low humidity around 20 percent made it difficult for firefighters to battle the blaze. As a result, two commercial buildings were destroyed along with 29 residential properties being damaged.
Officials were able to determine that the fire was intentionally set, although they still have not identified any suspects. “Detectives have attempted to interview approximately 60 potential witnesses and reviewed video recordings from cameras in proximity
that will indemnify the homeowner associations and its officers. This means that they are protected from lawsuits. The State Senate bill, S-3584 and Assembly bill A-4979, were supported by a number of township gover ning bodies like Berkeley where there are a lot of senior developments. The bill reads, in part: “Any illness, injury, death, or other damages (Senior - See Page 4)
to the fire. The vast majority of these potential witnesses have been less than cooperative with our investigation, and as such, we are currently at an impasse at this point in time,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. (Fires - See Page 7)
July 10, 2021
Solar Farm To Be Built Over Landfill
By Sydney Kennedy BERKELEY – The Township’s closed landfill will be outfitted with solar panels, generating discounted electricity for interested residents and revenue for Berkeley. At last September’s Township Council meeting, Berkeley went out to bid on an energy company to install a solar farm atop the landfill, which has been capped with dirt. At the Township Council meeting in June, Mayor Carmen Amato announced Hathaway Solar, LLC as the highest responsible bidder to award the contract to, pushing Berkeley’s role in the statewide Community Solar Energy Pilot Program (CSP) forward. It is estimated to earn Berkeley $400,000 a year, Amato said. Additionally, Hathaway would pay for capping the landfill. According to Township Planner James Oris, once CSP officially launches, Hathaway Solar will produce electricity through the solar panels and insert it into the region’s electric grid. The company will then “advertise and solicit [to] ratepayers that want to buy electricity.” “Everyone’s out until you opt in,” Oris explained. In order to participate in Berkeley’s solar energy program, property owners will have to explicitly opt-in to utilize the energy when the option is presented to them. Upon which, participating property owners will be sent bills associated with the solar energy they utilize. If a resident chooses to join with Hathaway, they would only pay them for the cost of electricity. The cost of maintaining the wires and other infrastructure would still be Jersey Central Power and Light, Oris said. Despite this, you would only pay one bill. As the awarded bidder, Hathaway Solar will be responsible for all costs associated with the project, so taxpayers will not be charged with any related costs. The solar panel program will not officially launch for several months. According to Oris, Berkeley is “actively pursuing” (Solar - See Page 5)
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