A MAJOR LIFT
Controversial Electrical Unit Relocated from LeisureTowne to Big Hill Rd. in Southampton Purportedly Was Done Without Pinelands Commission Approval ‘Substantial Issue’ About Wetlands Is One That State Agency Maintains Warrants ‘Hearing,’ Delaying Local Liquidated Damages Agreement
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
SOUTHAMPTON—A controversial
electrical switchgear cabinet that was relocated from Saint Davids Place in the LeisureTowne retirement community in Southampton Township to Big Hill Road last year (following fierce public backlash about the unit having been initially installed in the middle of a residential neighborhood in spring 2023) was done purportedly without Pinelands Commission approval, it was revealed during a Feb. 18 Southampton Township Committee meeting, representing a new saga regarding the unit.
By D ouglas D. M elegari
Staff Writer
SOUTHAMPTON—After contending with repetitive floods over the last quarter century, Trinity Episcopal Church in the Vincentown Village section of Southampton Township is getting a major lift – figuratively and literally, “to prevent future flooding of our buildings” in a project being dubbed by Church Warden Bob Smith, “Trinity Rising.”
probably taken notice that the church has been temporarily raised some 8 feet in the air, now being held up by support cribbing.
Anyone who has recently passed by the church, located on Mil Street along the South Branch of the Rancocas Creek, has
It is all part of a project to raise the church’s elevation by about 4 feet, which
And now, the Pinelands Commission is calling for a “hearing” to resolve what it deems is a “substantial issue” regarding “wetland protection standards.”
The revelation that the cabinet, connecting PSE&G’s power grid to a solar array on BEMS Landfill next to LeisureTowne, was reportedly moved
Photo By Douglas D. Melegari
Trinity Episcopal Church in the Vincentown Village section of Southampton Township is temporarily lifted some 8 feet while a project is underway to permanently elevate the church by about 4 feet.
Southampton District Reverses Course Again, and Will Proceed with Solar Array Removal as Outlined in Referendum Question, Should It Pass, But Still Allows for Keeping Unit After ‘Evaluation’ ‘Credible, Third-Party Firm’ to Be Tasked with Evaluating Energy Savings, Both in Past and Future, as Well as Exploring Future Maintenance Issues
By D ouglas D. M elegari
Staff Writer
SOUTHAMPTON—The Southampton Township School District claims to be reversing course again, and is now committing to proceed with the removal of a solar array on its property, as spelled out in a referendum question currently being decided by voters, should voters approve the question. However, it comes with a caveat that the district will retain a “credible, third-party firm” to evaluate “past and future energy savings, costs and future maintenance issues related to the solar array,” and only then will officials make a final decision on whether or not to keep the solar array once the gathered information is evaluated before a removal scheduled in “year two” of referendum projects.
In essence, the change from this time last week is that the district will no longer be, at least in an immediate, upfront fashion, proceeding with any retention of the solar array that would run contrary to the question being put to voters that asks them to in part, finance “the removal of the solar array,” but yet the district is leaving the door open for keeping it, pushing off a final decision to a later date, possibly to 2028 when it must decide whether or not to take over the array from a holding company.
According to Superintendent Megan Geibel, in a Feb. 21 letter addressed to the community, “At the Feb. 20, 2025, Southampton Board of Education Work Session Meeting, board members voted to approve the following motion regarding the disposition of the solar array question on the March 11, 2025, Referendum ballot: ‘To rescind the board’s prior February 12, 2025, motion addressing the removal of the Solar Array after discussion with outside stakeholders and experts.’”
The motion rescinded one that had been previously passed on Feb. 12 maintaining “that pending the solicitor’s confirmation of the board’s duty to adhere to the ballot language regarding removal of the solar array, the Board of Education will maintain the solar array for the duration of its contract.”
It was during the Feb. 12 board meeting that Geibel had maintained that the solar array now “does not need to be removed” and that the district has been told, “’You’d probably be better off keeping this solar array,’” because
Pemberton Council Undertakes Major Moves Toward Increasing Transparency for Its Residents, Including Launching a Livestream Council OKs Pine Barrens Tribune to Receive Town Legal Notices; Officials Receive Renewed Pressure to Assist Elly’s Laundromat Owner
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
PEMBERTON—Major moves toward increasing transparency for township residents were undertaken by the allRepublican Pemberton Township Council during its latest Feb. 19 session.
The first was the official launch of its livestream for township council meetings. Members of the community could tune into a council meeting for the first time on Feb. 19 and watch the full proceedings in real time on YouTube from the comfort of their home or office.
on Feb. 5, were announced by council back in January, but the implementation had been delayed by a meeting.
The launch of the livestream on Feb. 19 came after the Feb. 5 session had turned tense when Community Activist Alex Costa’s normal recording position was blocked by new railing, while an outlet used by another activist, Vicky Adams, to plug in her equipment, had plug protectors installed.
GOP Mayor Jack Tompkins has since taken responsibility for the installation of the railing and plug protectors, though he has not offered the reason for the installation.
of presumed energy savings it actually does provide on the district’s electric bills.
That was despite the district having claimed at earlier public meetings, and in a mailer on the referendum, that the solar array should be removed because it would present a “cost savings” and “we don’t see a discount in our electric” from having the solar array, and canceling a contract “is still cheaper” than continuing with it.
Additionally, Geibel revealed on Feb. 12 that “the company” that currently owns the equipment, “in what we uncovered through this whole process, is responsible for doing that,” or removing the solar array, “not us.”
All of this led Geibel to repeatedly assert the state was OK with a change in plans, despite the wording of the ballot question, and the school board’s vice president, Leon Carelli, to initially propose a motion that would have maintained the solar array until the end of the existing contract, or one that expires in 2028, when the district will then have an option to take the array over.
However, several members of the community, as well as School Board President Jeff Hicks, expressed their discomfort with the district committing to doing something that would run afoul of the current question put to voters, in which over 500 mail-in ballots had been cast by that point.
Following a Feb. 12 executive session, that is when the board passed the motion,
By making this change, the public is now no longer reliant on private citizens having to use their iPhones to livestream the council meeting proceedings via Facebook Live. Nor will the citizenry have to wait for either a private or official recording to be uploaded onto the Internet in the days following a meeting to listen to what transpired.
A camera positioned near the back ceiling of council chambers provided a clear view of the council dais and administration desk on Feb. 19, as well as all the public commenters. All speakers were audible, too.
Residents can watch the livestream and recordings by visiting the township’s official YouTube page, accessible by visiting https://www.youtube.com/@ pembertontownship1477 .
Plans for launching a livestream, to begin
After an observant attendee, Michelle Forman, at the Feb. 19 session observed the plug protectors were now gone from the outlets and asked what had happened to them, Republican Council President Joshua Ward declared, “I took them off.”
“So, now there are plugs we are able to use?” asked Forman, to which Ward replied, “Yeah.” Council, also on Feb. 19, unanimously added the Pine Barrens Tribune newspaper as a third newspaper to receive the township’s legal notices moving forward. GOP Councilman Matthew Bianchini made the motion to do so. Municipalities, in order to satisfy the statutory requirements for legal notice advertising, are currently required to place their legal notices in two newspapers
See TRANSPARENCY/ Page 10
Photo By Douglas D. Melegari A solar array for the Southampton Township School District, which will now be evaluated to see what energy savings it is providing to the district.
Major Narcotics Investigation Leads to Multiple Arrests, with Police Busting What They Claim Was Heroin Mill Operating in Pemberton
PEMBERTON—Seven people have been charged as part of an investigation into a heroin mill allegedly operating out of Pemberton Township.
The New Jersey State Police have charged William J. Anderson, 60, Marc Pleason, 52, Michael Picozzi, 44, Leslie Anderson, 52, all of the Browns Mills section of the township, as well as Holly Anderson, 26, Linda Mayberry, 47, of Pemberton, with various drug offenses, in addition to David W. Furter, 61, of Palmyra.
According to a press release from the state police, during a comprehensive four-month investigation from September 2024 to December 2024, the Strategic Investigations Unit – Central (SIUC), in collaboration with the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration – Camden Resident Office, Pemberton Township Police Department, and New Hanover Police Department, employed various investigative techniques to uncover a large-scale narcotics operation.
The investigation determined that William Anderson was allegedly “trafficking substantial quantities” of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, with David W. Furter “serving as a key supplier” of bulk methamphetamine, state police said.
As the investigation progressed, SIUC members purportedly saw Furter “place a red bag into a mailbox at 1495 Junction Road” in Pemberton.
That is when, according to state police, they conducted a motor vehicle stop on Furter and seized cocaine and currency.
Shortly thereafter, detectives reportedly saw William Anderson retrieve the red bag and attempted to initiate a motor vehicle stop.
William Anderson is said to have refused to stop, struck a Troop Car and fled the scene.
During the pursuit, according to state police, William Anderson discarded a red bag, which law enforcement later recovered, discovering “approximately one pound of methamphetamine inside.” He allegedly continued to flee and ultimately struck a New Hanover Police K-9 vehicle, before stopping in front of 422 Ridgeview Avenue, where officers took him into custody.
Law enforcement, state police noted, executed multiple residential and vehicle search warrants, arresting several associates and seizing significant quantities of drugs, weapons, currency, and drug paraphernalia “providing further evidence of an active drug production operation.”
Among the “evidence seized,” according to state police, were 1 kilogram of Fentanyl, 1 pound of methamphetamine, 12 ounces of cocaine, 21 bricks of heroin (white wax folds, no stamp), 24 bricks of heroin (blue wax folds, no stamp), 119 Amphetamine pills, 59 Oxycodone pills, 97 Valium pills, blenders, measuring spoons, wax folds and other drug-packaging materials.
Investigators also came upon $25,848 in U.S. currency and a money counter. Among the weapons allegedly found were a Remington Model 1100 12-gauge shotgun and a Sportsman 12-gauge pump-action shotgun.
Man Celebrates 55 Years with Local Grocer, One of Its Last Original Employees; Wife Says He’s Rarely Missed a Day of Work in His
By Jenn lucas Staff Writer
MEDFORD LAKES—When a teenager gets a job, it is usually a temporary gig until something better comes along. On rare occasions, however, a part-time gig for extra cash develops into a passion that lasts decades, as in the case of Ken Mansure Jr., of Medford Lakes.
This February marked 55 years that Mansure has been with Murphy’s Fresh Markets, according to Steve Carney, director of operations for the grocery store.
“Ken is one of the last original employees,” Carney said. “He began before Ron [Murphy] bought the store.”
Not only is it the only job he has ever had, according to his wife, Susan Mansure, he has only missed a handful of days in his five-decade tenure at the market.
“The only time I can remember Ken missing work was for two surgeries and during COVID,” she said. “Grocery stores stayed open and after working continually through Covid, he contracted a severe case.”
It was down time that helped reinforce Ken’s love of his job.
“The few times he was home, he realized how much he enjoyed working,” his wife observed. “He really, really likes what he does and he told me when he doesn’t like it anymore, he’ll stop and only he will know when that time is.”
When he was 14 years old, Ken Mansure began as a bagger at Stewart’s, which was what Murphy’s was called at the time, Susan Mansure said.
Back when he started in 1970, she said the town itself was a fraction of its current size and the small grocery store known as Stewart’s served the entire community.
According to Susan Mansure, the entire store fit in a small strip mall storefront next to Binkley's 5 & 10 on Stokes Road. There were no big name stores nearby and “that is all there pretty much was,” she said.
The Mansures both grew up in Medford Lakes and were part of the first class to graduate out of Shawnee High School, Susan Mansure said.
Even though the two knew each other, she said, they didn’t start dating until after high school.
Mansure
Evesham
Council Approves Ordinance Paving Way for Plan to Redevelop Centre Blvd. with 4-Story Apartment Building Proposal Would Replace Existing Marlton Crossing Garden Offices with Up to 325 Rental Units, Some Affordable or Serving Disabled
By Bill B onvie Staff Writer
EVESHAM—An ordinance approving a redevelopment plan for the Centre Boulevard area of Evesham Township, which calls for the replacement of a mostly one-story business and office complex with a four-story apartment building containing a maximum of 325 units, 15 percent of which would be designated as “affordable” or offering supportive housing to disabled residents, was unanimously approved on second reading by the Evesham Township Council at its Feb. 12 meeting.
The proposal, which would partially fulfill the township’s current affordable housing obligation to provide 220 new construction units, as well as 111 refurbished ones over the next decade and must still be given site plan approval once drawn up in detail, received high praise from council members, a psychologist who works with the disabled, and a representative of a group that advocates for equitable housing opportunities.
The reception it got from a neighbor and a longtime occupant of the professional plaza it would replace, however, was quite the opposite.
The ordinance noted that both the township and owners of the property, which is known as the Marlton Crossing Garden Offices (not to be confused with the adjacent, separately owned Marlton Crossing commercial complex) at 112 N. Centre Blvd., have discussed its “development potential” and believe it “can be successfully redeveloped into a residential apartment complex” along the aforementioned lines, and that the Evesham Planning Board had deemed the proposal to be “consistent with the township’s Master Plan and recommended that it be adopted.”
One speaker during a public comment period who championed the redevelopment plan was Al Tariq Witcher, the managing director of external affairs for Fair Share Housing Center, an organization whose stated goals include safeguarding access to affordable housing.
Describing why the proposal would embody “exactly the kind of affordable housing we need” and serve “critical needs of supportive and special needs housing that impact so many people in this community,” Witcher pointed out how it would both integrate such units with middle-class market-rate housing and how its strategic location in a commercial area within walking distance of an existing shopping center and near the intersections of Routes 70 and 73, would make “so many services” readily available to lower-income and disabled residents.
Also voicing enthusiastic support for the ordinance was Dr. Erin Sappio, a Marlton-based psychologist who specializes in working with children and adolescents and advocates for individuals with disabilities and their
caretakers. Sappio thanked the council for the ordinance, which she described as providing “a beautiful plan which will be incredibly beneficial to many families, as well as adults with disabilities who want to work independently.” She also noted that the location is one that “offers access to major shopping areas as well a public transportation,” and added that she knows “parents of disabled children are looking forward to the development coming to fruition.”
But Carol Houck, who resides in a condominium on nearby Ashley Court, didn’t share their enthusiasm for the project.
Houck said she had spoken to a couple of her neighbors, and “everyone is very concerned because it is a highly congested area already,” a situation she thought might be amplified by “what this will do to the traffic on Old Marlton Pike and Centre Boulevard.” Besides the number of apartments allowed under the proposal, she expressed trepidation about the possibility there might be a parking garage included, which coupled with a four-story building, “would be a lot to look at.”
Also a source of concern to residents of her complex, she said, was the prospect of additional pedestrian traffic such a project would generate, contending that “right now we have a trash issue because of people cutting through” on their way to Wawa “and throwing their trash around.”
Houck added that she had “lived in those condos for 30 plus years, and the area has changed so much and has become so congested” that while she thought a smaller number of new apartments might be OK, in her view, 325 would be an excessive number.
Even more vehemently opposed to the plan was local dentist Dr. Robert Marchinek, who said he has practiced for the past 30 years in the office park now slated for demolition, which he described as having been “a great complex (that has) done really well” and was now facing redevelopment in order to allow the owner to “make a boatload of money and move on” with the township likewise seeing a chance to increases its tax base revenues.
Besides the fact that “when you build medical and dental offices, there is an amazing amount of infrastructure” that goes into them, “and when you start tearing them down, it really, really hurts,” Marchinek told the council there were distinct economic disadvantages to the community involved in converting a site like this into a four-story apartment building.
Opening that many new rental units was likely to create problems for the local school system as well as for law enforcement, he contended, drawing a comparison between the high-density environment of the northern part of the township, where he said teachers have trouble finding “room moms,” and the less populous southern half, where he claimed there are more than enough vying for the positions.
Marchinek said he is “not a fan of high-
MARCH
ONGOING
Overeaters Anonymous – A Threefold Recovery from Eating Disorders
Events and special promotions happening locally next month!
Details: Do you have a problem with food? Do you eat when you aren’t hungry, get up to eat in the middle of the night or hide food to eat later? Have you begun a diet in the morning and broken your promise to yourself by evening? We’ve been there. Overeaters Anonymous, a world-wide fellowship based on the 12 steps of AA, welcomes all who want to stop eating compulsively. There are no dues or fees. For more information and a list of meetings, please visit: OA-southjersey.org , or call 732-637-9420. Or, visit: OA-centraljersey.org. You may also contact us by mail: SouthJersey.Org, P.O. Box 766, Voorhees, NJ 08043.
MARCH WEEKENDS
Train Rides Through the Woods of New Gretna
Location: Bass River Twp.
Details: The Woods of New Gretna Park and the New Jersey Shore Live Steam Organization provide train rides for all each Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The small steam locomotives, and other trains, wind their way through the beautiful park. The rides are provided by a group of dedicated volunteers who have revitalized the park and laid out the railroad track, based on the historical Tuckerton Railroad. The volunteers maintain the railroad and walking trails, and are constantly expanding them. Riding the trains is free, but donations are very much appreciated. The train rides are outdoors.
To promote your event on this page contact Jayne Cabrilla at 609-801-2392 or email news@pinebarrenstribune.com
MARCH 3
A Historical Portrayal of Mary Cassatt
Location: Vincentown (Southampton Twp.)
Details: Southampton Historical Society is presenting an historical portrayal on Monday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m., at Old Town Hall, 25 Plum St., Vincentown. Alisa Dupuy returns as Mary Cassatt, an Impressionist painter from our very own region and who made her mark on the art world in Paris, France in the late 19th Century. Mary has many connections to this area, and her life as a genteel woman trying to make her way despite social restrictions, gender discrimination and family constraints, make for interesting telling. Mary will discuss her work, life and relationships with other artists. Learn about how she contributed to the Woman’s Suffrage cause and her stance on antisemitism. This program is free and open to the public. For more information, call Kathy Rosmando at 609-859-0524.
MARCH 7&8
Photography Exhibit and Sale
Location: Vincentown (Southampton Twp.)
Online Auction
434 Oak Shade Road, Shamong, NJ 08088
Inspection: Monday, March 17 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
434 Oak Shade Road, Shamong, NJ 08088 Monday, March 17 from PM
To receive our auction notices, please consider joining our email list at COMLY.COM or text “Auctions” to (833) 290
To receive our auction notices, please consider joining our email list at COMLY.COM or text “Auctions” to (833) 290 -0060 Phone: (215) 634-2500 –
Details: Sally Stretch Keen Memorial Library is presenting a photography exhibit and sale on Fri., March 7, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Sat., March 8 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The library is located at 94 Main St., Vincentown (Southampton Twp.) Works by local photographers will be on display at the historic Vincentown Library.
By Bill B onvie Staff Writer
SOUTHAMPTON—The Southampton Land Development Board will review an application at its upcoming meeting on March 6 at 6 p.m. for a use variance that would allow the Bamboo Gardens at 134 Landing St. to be utilized “for recreational vehicles, tents and residential mobile home dwelling uses,” but would “not involve any site plan changes, new buildings or alterations” to existing structures, according to the board’s chairman, Philip Magazzo.
The scheduling of a hearing on the application was confirmed by Magazzo in response to a Feb. 26 phone inquiry from the Pine Barrens Tribune after both a Southampton Township Board of Education member who lives nearby and the writer of an unsigned letter to the newspaper claimed that uses along those lines have been going on at the site for a while, and expressed concerns about how they might be affecting the community and its environment.
But the individual who is currently in the process of acquiring the property, a campground he said has long been
officially recognized as such by the State of New Jersey, went to considerable lengths to explain to this newspaper how the current situation there evolved and to offer assurances that both he and the facility were well equipped to accommodate its current occupants while going through the approval process.
The situation was first brought to public attention by Betty Wright, a 38-year veteran of the local school board who asked the township committee on Jan. 21 about the current status of the property, noting that “there are people living there, and they are sending kids to the school.”
Township Administrator Brandon Umba then informed Wright on Jan. 21 that “the township has already issued violations for not conforming to their site plan and what is permitted there” and that the owner of the facility had subsequently filed an application with the Land Development Board to bring it into compliance.
“That doesn’t mean that the Land Development Board will approve it or not,” Umba said. “They have to bring those items to the board for their consideration.”
The Pine Barrens Tribune subsequently
received an email from an anonymous “concerned community member” about what that person described as “an illegal operation occurring in the heart of Southampton … that raises serious concerns regarding zoning violations, public safety and environmental impact,” claiming that “one of the most pressing concerns is the matter of sewage disposal,” and also alleged that gunshots had been frequently heard coming from the property.
The letter writer (who Wright told this newspaper was not her) also took note of the upcoming land development hearing on the application “to legalize the trailer park’s presence in our small town,” contending that “given the history of zoning violations and ongoing concerns, this proposal deserves careful scrutiny before any decisions are made.”
When asked by a Tribune reporter to respond to those concerns, the applicant, Christopher Philbrick, an engineer and self-described conservationist with experience operating a campground in Michigan, said that despite the violations notices, there have been no real problems with either sewage disposal or basic services at the property, which he maintained has 57 parking sites for recreational vehicles with separate waste disposal, water and electrical hook-ups as well as a bathhouse with six showers and 11 toilets, and has long been accommodating summer tourists and guests.
Philbrick also said that while he is not yet the official owner of record, he had entered into a contractual agreement four years ago with the long-time owner, Don
Ingerman, to acquire it over a five-year period, that he was already responsible for the property taxes, and had plans to build a home there. In the meantime, he said, his daughter, Anna (with whom this newspaper also briefly spoke), had moved onto the 15-acre camping area as a caretaker, and that it was wellmaintained. He went on to contend that a spring-fed pond that overflows into a creek, and is used by guests for swimming, is tested regularly by the county Health Department and the property’s well is checked on an annual basis.
As for the campground’s current use by those staying there in the off-season, Philbrick explained that Ingerman had mainly rented it out for corporate gatherings and picnics, accommodating up to 1,800 people, but that all the sites had remained intact for tourists and visitors. But after he first took charge of it, he said he was approached by contract workers, mainly for PSE&G, who came from southern states and needed a place to live out of their RVs for months at a time.
“Then, we had more inquiries about camping, and it kind of expanded from there,” he said, noting that this corresponded to the shortage of affordable housing that has increasingly plagued communities in New Jersey over the past few years.
Philbrick declared, “I can tell you everybody’s story.”
For example, he said, “there is a gentleman there with brain cancer, and while the family owns two homes, neither is near his treatment facility. Then there is
Photo Provided
A number of RVs and other vehicles situated at Bamboo Gardens camping area at 134 Landing St. in Southampton Township.
(Continued from Page 1)
commenced Jan. 6, being undertaken by both Audubon Helical Piers, of Shamong, and SJ Hauck Construction, of Absecon. The project is estimated to take about three months to complete.
According to Smith, Trinity Church was first flooded back on July 12-13, 2004.
That is when over 13 inches of rain fell in portions of Central Burlington County, causing an upstream dam on the Rancocas to fail, subsequently sending a wall of water downstream, including to Vincentown.
Smith said Trinity Church had over four feet of water inundation in the church at the time, and even more in its attached parish hall.
“It did catastrophic damage with floors and pews being twisted and warped,” Smith recounted. “Everything that was flooded in both the sanctuary and parish hall had to be replaced, including floors, pews, walls, kitchen cabinets, office furniture and papers, as well as vestments.”
Smith described that in the wake of the 2024 flood, “we were closed for almost a year and lost three-quarters of our membership.”
Meteorologists referred to the 2004 flood event as a 1,000-year storm. But since 2004, the Rancocas has flooded several more times, however, and in response to even less, but still excessive rainfall.
Then came the major flood of June 19 and 20, 2019, when training thunderstorms along a stalled frontal boundary had dropped over 5 inches of rain over a large part of the Rancocas Creek basin, with two to four inches reportedly occurring within a twohour period, leading to major flash flooding.
National Weather Service records show that the Rancocas Creek in Vincentown went from a height of just under 2 feet to exceeding 9 feet over a little more than a 12hour period, achieving major flood stage.
“The parish hall was flooded again in 2019 to a height of about 18 inches,” Smith observed. “The hall was closed for about four months, but services were continued.”
Following the 2019 storm, state officials had urged affected area property owners to consider taking advantage of its floodbuyout program, known as Blue Acres.
Several homes in the historic village, including along Mill Street, have been razed over the last several months, with some buyouts having now reportedly taken place. Once a property is purchased by the state through the program, it is turned over
to the municipality for maintenance, but cannot be built on again.
But considering Trinity Church’s 154 years of rich history, preservation of the historic church was the only consideration for church elders, according to Smith.
Back in 1868, Episcopal services began in Vincentown, Smith enlightened, initially taking place in local homes and other buildings. But by 1871, according to Smith, construction had begun on a church building.
What would become known as Trinity Church was built on land from the locallyknown Irick family, with the cornerstone laid on Sept. 27, 1871.
The church would go on to hold its first service on June 2, 1872, and therefore, as Smith pointed out, “the church is 154 years old.”
Smith also noted that on Nov. 18, 1891, Trinity Church was the setting for a notable wedding between Mary Stretch Irick, of Vincentown, and George W. Childs Drexel, of Philadelphia, with Childs-Drexel being the youngest son of financier Anthony J. Drexel, founder of Drexel University.
“In preparation for the event, the church underwent certain permanent alterations financed by Drexel, including an extension to the sanctuary to accommodate the guests,” Smith recalled.
In December 2023, the church had what Smith described to this reporter as a very close call once again with floodwaters, after a series of storms had soaked the area.
“In December 2023, the church buildings were completely surrounded by water, but there was no water inside,” Smith said.
The winter season of 2023-2024 ended up being the wettest on record at several area climate sites, with Smith observing that on “several other days, from December 2023 to March 2024, the Rancocas was within 8 feet or less of the buildings.”
And while, according to Smith, Trinity Church’s insurance company “responded quickly and with no issues” to the floods that have impacted the church, “of course, our premiums keep increasing and we did have deductible payments.”
So, according to the church warden, “this pattern of flooding is why we are elevating the historic church.”
It was about three years ago when Ed Tenthoff, a Vestry member and property chairman for Trinity Church, first suggested the raising of Trinity Church, Smith pointed out, and it led the church to seek the services of Scope Engineering,
Photo Provided
Crews working to elevate Trinity Episcopal Church in Vincentown.
Photo Provided
Floodwaters surround Trinity Episcopal Church in Vincentown during a July 2019 flood.
Photo Provided
LIFT
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“largely because of their experience in elevating homes and other buildings along the New Jersey shore.”
“We worked with Scope Engineering, from Forked River, on multiple versions of plans for the elevation including, initially, providing external buttressing for the sanctuary walls,” Smith explained.
But the concept of external buttressing “turned out to be more expensive than we were prepared to commit.”
“So, we concentrated on the elevation to hopefully preserve the church,” Smith told this newspaper.
Final plans from Scope, according to Smith, called for “86 helical piers to be screwed into the ground up to 20 feet to support the buildings in the future.”
“We looked for a helical pier specialist and selected Audubon Helical Piers,” Smith said. “We were comfortable with their ability to do this job, with two
SOLAR
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now rescinded, which had allowed for some wiggle room should legal opinions raise any concern with the district proceeding with a ballot question that says something different than the district’s then-newfound intention to keep the solar array.
According to Geibel, recordings are not available of the board work sessions, but the vote to rescind the prior motion was a unanimous one.
Geibel told this newspaper that the decision to rescind the Feb. 12 motion came “after discussion with outside stakeholders and experts.”
“As you know, the Feb. 12 motion was to maintain the solar array for the duration of the contract,” Geibel told this reporter. “Obviously, that action is now void. Moving forward, the board will continue with the referendum as presented on the March 11 Special Election ballot, including the current plan of removing the solar array.”
Geibel, in the letter to the community, wrote, “That said, the removal of the solar array is not to occur until year two of the referendum project.”
“In the interim, a credible, third-party firm will be retained to evaluate past and future energy savings, costs and future
connected buildings, due to their work with Newark Airport and the NY/NJ Port Authority. They also committed a senior member, Shawn Pettit, to be our on-site project manager.”
Audubon then selected SJ Hauck Construction “to do the actual lifting,” detailed Smith, noting that “Hauck has lots of experience lifting buildings along the shore and we were comfortable with them lifting our connected buildings.”
Once it is back down, according to Smith, the church will be about 4 feet higher than it has been.
“We are hoping to return to our little church by the creek for Easter,” Smith declared.
Once the church is set permanently in place (again), Smith noted the utilities will need to be reconnected, and given the building’s new prospective height, it will require “handicapped access, either ramps or lifts.”
“Such planning is currently underway,” Smith told this newspaper. “We will also
maintenance issues (changing invertors, managing its operation) related to the solar array,” the superintendent continued. “After the completion of the evaluation, the board will inform the public of the outcome of the study. Should the outcome of the evaluation or any other change of circumstances (such as news of recent rising energy costs) warrant a change in plans, the board will reconsider its decision at that time.”
However, Geibel acknowledged to this reporter that “since the board’s original decision, there has been a change in circumstances concerning the removal of the solar array, including, but not limited to, the recent increase in energy prices within the state.”
“In the interim, regardless of the outcome of the election, the board will hire an independent, credible, third-party to assess any past energy savings and any potential future savings concerning the solar array,” she declared. “After the performance of the evaluation, the board will inform the public of the outcome of the evaluation and will invite an additional public vote if the board feels it is in the best interests of the school district to keep the solar array.”
Geibel told this newspaper in a phone interview on Feb. 26 that the district intends to seek a “third party energy auditor,” but one has not yet been chosen as the district is “struggling to find a neutral person” not
need to explore landscaping once the building is down, but we want to see what the building looks like once it is back down, and examine our finances before committing to that work.”
According to Smith, “our budget for this project is hundreds of thousands of dollars and we can certainly use community support and contributions.”
He noted that efforts to get governmental or historical organizations to help “have been unsuccessful.”
It is in part, he said, because New Jersey’s historical charities are “not allowed to contribute to an active religious community,” while federal agencies, such as FEMA, reportedly “only contribute to a disaster and do nothing to prevent disasters, such as elevating a building.”
Trinity Church currently has about 23 regular parishioners, with over 30 during the holidays, Smith noted.
“We have some endowments that allow us to move forward, and we feel saving this historic building is important to our congregation, and to Vincentown and the
connected to the solar industry, but that once they do find one, that person will be tasked with doing an “actual audit.” That audit will occur, she vowed, whether or not the referendum passes.
On Feb. 12, Geibel indicated that the misunderstanding over the energy savings arose, in part, from chillers the district had installed on school buildings almost immediately following the 2013 solar installation (the chillers could potentially have drawn more energy and negated any savings).
What Geibel told this newspaper on Feb. 26 is that when she first assumed the superintendent’s role back in May of last year, “there were a lot of questions” about the solar array and any energy savings. Upon taking a closer look, she found the district was paying somewhere between $75,000 and $80,000 a year to a holding company for the solar array, and in addition to that, the district was paying $190,000 to $220,000 a year for electricity. She found no immediate evidence of solar energy credits, all while there was an original claim that the district would be saving $1 million over time.
“We were paying $8,100 a month to a holding company and not seeing credits,” she declared.
She then “started going through old contracts” and the 15-year Power Purchase Agreement, or PPA, which said the district had a “lease to own” arrangement with Sun
larger Southampton area,” Smith asserted. “We have not raised much money so far, other than from within our congregation, which is quite small.”
Trinity Church has set up a GoFundMe account and “would greatly appreciate contributions,” said Smith, with the church warden directing the public to www.trinityvincentown.org , which has instructions on how to contribute to this “monumental project.”
You can also send a check payable to Trinity Church, and in doing so, include “Flood” in the memo field. The church’s mailing address is P.O. Box 2270, Southampton, NJ, 08088.
Trinity Church’s Sunday services, meanwhile, are being held at the Vincentown United Methodist Church, at 9 a.m., during construction. It is where, according to Smith, services have been held previously in the wake of flood damage, with him describing that Vincentown United Methodist Church “has been exceedingly gracious and welcoming.”
Edison, but that is when she learned that the firm had gone out of business. The solar array was transferred to a company owned by Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., MN8.
The district, it turned out, according to Geibel, did not have an updated contract with the Goldman Sachs’ subsidiary, and upon reaching out to its solicitor and contacting the company, was advised it had two options: “pay $1 and own it” outright, or “we will come and remove it.” The first option might sound enticing, she indicated, but “we would have to get someone to manage it.”
So that is how the district and board arrived at the initial conclusion to simply remove the solar array, and how the request to borrow $200,000 for its removal ended up on the ballot.
“The thought was it would cost us $200,000 and then we would be done with it,” Geibel declared.
Only after the decision was made to include the solar array on the referendum did the district learn the holding company is responsible for the solar array’s removal and associated costs.
“Until we got the contract, we believed we would be responsible,” Geibel asserted. And, in a new development, Geibel said the district learned that the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) just approved a 17 to 20 percent rate hike for electricity
See SOLAR/ Page 11
RELOCATED
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without Pinelands Commission approval came when Southampton Township Committeeman Bill Raftery objected to the governing body passing a resolution on Feb. 18, titled, “Authorizing the Township to Enter (into) an Agreement Regarding the Payment of Liquidated Damages.”
That resolution apparently would have settled how much the solar company, BEMS Solar, LLC, a subsidiary of CEP Renewables, must now compensate the township for having allowed the switchgear station to exist in LeisureTowne beyond a previously agreed to removal deadline.
The unit, as previously reported by this newspaper, was supposed to be removed from in front of about a dozen homes on Saint Davids Place by “no later than Feb. 29, 2024,” according to an August 2023 relocation agreement, but it actually was not reported as being removed until Nov. 6, 2024.
According to a draft copy of the resolution obtained by this newspaper, BEMS Solar has already paid the township $100,000 in liquidated damages, and the township is seeking a mutual agreement that the “parties agree the liquidated damages are approximately $350,000.”
If it were to be approved, according to the draft resolution, the township would allow the solar firm to “utilize certain escrow funds and cash bonds already held by the township for BEMS Solar to pay its obligation.”
Initially, township officials talked vaguely about what was before them, with Mayor Ronald Heston asking if the resolution was going to be undertaken by the township committee “now” (instead of at a later time).
“We are, because it should be resolved completely before your next meeting,” replied Township Solicitor George Morris, before acknowledging, “there are some issues outstanding still with Pinelands, but hopefully that’ll be wrapped up by next meeting.”
While Morris tried to provide an assurance to the governing body that there is a “provision” in the proposed liquidated damages agreement that it is “subject to my approval,” Raftery requested a postponement until the issues are resolved, maintaining governing body approval of any agreement signifies “we are already saying everything is done.”
Raftery, in the process of raising his objections to giving approval to the agreement, referenced a “hearing” scheduled by the Pinelands Commission, asserting, “No one has told us about the hearing.”
When Morris pointed out “the box has been moved,” Raftery cut the solicitor short, declaring, “As we well know, moving and approval for the move are two different things.”
In response, Morris claimed, “It has got municipal approval to move it” and “it has got Pinelands approval to move it,” with the latter claim causing Raftery to ask, “Does it?”
Raftery then seized on a “‘but’” remark made by Morris, to which Morris asserted, “Yeah, because it is Pinelands, and Pinelands doesn’t always play nice!”
“But they approved this location,” the township solicitor claimed.
However, in an Oct. 20, 2023, letter provided to this newspaper by Pinelands
Commission Communications Officer
Paul Leakan on Feb. 21, the commission, in October 2023, in response to plans received earlier that month from BEMS Solar, told the solar developer “based upon our review, the design and location of the proposed switchgear does not appear to conform to the guidance our staff provided to your representative during a telephone discussion on July 26, 2023,” indicating it did not conform with three stipulations the commission wanted satisfied to alleviate any issues with the “wetlands protection standards of the Southampton Township Land Use Ordinance and the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP).”
(The three stipulations are that the unit be relocated 50 feet from the paved edge of Big Hill Road, a line be extended from a couple lots in the vicinity toward Big Hill Road, with all development located to the southeast side of the extended line, and all parking spaces be eliminated.)
The letter further noted that the commission had only issued a Certificate of Filing in the matter and provided “guidance,” and that the certificate would allow the solar developer to secure all the necessary local approvals, and once those approvals are obtained, then the applicant would have to come back to the Pinelands Commission for the state agency’s approvals.
A second letter from the commission, issued on Jan. 27, tells the solar developer, “a commission public hearing remains necessary to review the substantial issue raised by the variance granted by the Southampton Township Land Development Board and the construction permit issued on Nov. 27, 2024, by the Southampton Township Construction Official, both received by the commission on Dec. 10, 2024, for the development of an electric switchgear cabinet and associated site improvements.”
“If they approved the removal and the relocation, why the hearing?” asked Raftery of Morris. “Because you read the letter, and the letter said that it was done without their approval.”
Ultimately, Morris acknowledged “I read the letter” and told the committeeman, “Yes,” to his insistence there are no commission approvals.
(Morris later maintained the commission, during a purported “site inspection,” had given “approval that day.”)
“So, if you want to table this, that is fine,” Morris said. “This (resolution) allows you to adopt it (the agreement) tonight, knowing that it is not going to be executed until such time that a final decision is resolved.”
Raftery retorted, “I just think we are putting the cart before the horse” and “I think we can delay this.”
According to the Jan. 27 letter issued by the Pinelands Commission, a hearing on BEMS’ “application” to relocate the switchgear station and resolve the “substantial issue” with it, is tentatively scheduled for May 5, already having been delayed from February at the request of the applicant’s attorney.
“The issue to be reviewed at the public hearing,” according to the commission’s letter, is “whether the proposed development is consistent with the wetland protection standards contained in Southampton Township’s Certified Land Use Ordinance and the Pinelands Comprehensive
Management Plan,” specifically, “this issue is raised because the proposed switchgear cabinet is not proposed to be located and constructed in accordance with the three criteria provided in the commission’s Oct. 20, 2023, letter.”
It was also noted that the Oct. 20, 2023, letter was “previously provided to the applicant, their agents and the municipality.”
The latest Jan. 27 letter, despite the relocation of the electrical cabinet having already occurred, states in bold print, “No development may be carried out on the above referenced parcel until the Pinelands Commission has acted on the proposed development.”
Additionally, the details revealed in the commission’s Jan. 27 letter raise further questions about how BEMS Solar was permitted to move the unit on Nov. 6, 2024, as eyewitness photographs and video had captured, considering a local construction permit was reportedly not issued until Nov. 27, 2024.
The issue of the unit being erected in the middle of a residential neighborhood without purported notice to the residents living there had created a massive firestorm.
Elected officials, from the township committee up through the local 8th Legislative District, to the Governor’s Office, were under tremendous public pressure to have the unsightly, massive unit promptly removed, with questions about how the solar developer was being allowed to continue to exceed the February 2024 deadline imposed by the township.
It was said that electric utility PSE&G was the holdup, but that it ultimately gave its approval for a pole array, the first arrangement of its kind that the utility agreed to put in place.
However, the solar developer, in the August 2023 relocation agreement with Southampton (in which its thenadministrator and then-mayor were found through a released public record to have signed off on the cabinet), had agreed “to remove the switchgear to one of the three potential alternative locations.”
As Raftery contended on Feb. 18 that “another month isn’t going to kill us” for the Southampton committee to approve a liquidated damages agreement, Township Administrator Brandon Umba, who previously was an 8th District assemblyman when the unit was installed and controversy had ensued, and is now eyeing to reclaim his seat this coming November, countered he would like to get the arrangement “locked in” to “make sure that we have documents” committing the solar developer to repaving an affected road that had been dug up, as well as to restoring a township-owned island in which the switchgear station sat on.
Umba also maintained such an agreement would provide the township with “some assurances” that “they are going to give us these liquidated damages.”
But as Raftery pointed out, “We already have a contract with them,” alluding to the August 2023 relocation agreement.
Raftery then made a motion “to table this for a month,” to which township committee newcomer Arnold Harrison III asked, “Do we have any downside for tabling this for a month?”
“I don’t think you have any downside,” acknowledged Morris.
It led Deputy Mayor Elizabeth Rossell to “reverse” Harrison’s question, asking, “Is
there any advantage to tabling it for a month?”
“As an administrator, you never want to have litigation or things of that sort,” replied Umba, who claimed “in a court of law, they are going to argue that ‘substantial completion’ is substantial completion, whether it is approved or not.”
Additionally, Umba pointed to an ongoing “dispute” about how much BEMS Solar owes the township for liquidated damages, before declaring, “I always want assurances” and that the solar developer could easily now say, “‘No, we are going to litigate this.”
“The argument will always be it is substantially completed,” Umba declared. “The approval factor would most likely result in a fine or something like that. I don't foresee Pinelands reversing something that is inherently good.”
The committee ultimately decided, however, to postpone authorizing the liquidated damages agreement.
But the revelation that the commission apparently did not give its approval to the relocation raised immediate questions about what the penalty or consequence from the commission might be, if any, and whether there might be any protracted litigation that ties up the finishing touches of the project.
Bill Cozzi, current president of the LeisureTowne Board of Trustees, attested that it was a “foregone conclusion” that the relocation site had the approval of the commission, with him asking the local governing body, “How did that change?”
“We got the box moved,” Cozzi added. “The only thing that is affecting us, is that we definitely need to get the island planted, and we don’t want to have a delay on that once the weather breaks. So, other than that, I don’t see where the issue was where Pinelands now is in the middle of this when we were told originally that Pinelands was a foregone conclusion.”
Umba responded, “The project was done, and then we received a letter from Pinelands, to the applicant, stating you did not seek approval, and now you need to present an application after the fact,” with the township administrator adding, “I always say, if you can figure out Pinelands, then you’re a better man than me.”
“Maybe they just want their pound of flesh in the application,” Umba added.
The commission’s Jan. 27 letter informs the applicant, “If you wish to resolve the issue(s) necessitating the public hearing so that the scheduled hearing will not be necessary, please submit a written request to adjourn the hearing prior to the hearing date. The hearing will then be rescheduled. If the issue(s) is resolved before the hearing date, the public hearing will be canceled. If the issue(s) is not resolved and a written request to adjourn the hearing is not submitted, the application can be recommended for denial based on the information contained in the file.”
This newspaper asked Leakan about the prospect that the commission could order the return of the electrical cabinet to Saint Davids Place, to which he responded, “Development of the switchgear box without a commission letter indicating that the township approval could take effect constitutes a violation of the township Land Use Ordinance and the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan,” adding, “At this point in the review process, we would not require the switchgear box to be moved back.”
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of general paid circulation (but nothing currently prohibits a municipality from using additional newspapers to disseminate its notices, including if they are free).
The township had been placing their legal notices in the Burlington County Times and Trenton Times for a long time. But the Trenton Times discontinued their print edition in early February, with Township Clerk Amy Cosnoski noting it is now “completely digital.”
Therefore, council on Feb. 19 also swapped out the Trenton Times for the Courier Post.
However, the Burlington County Times and Courier Post, both owned by Gannett, now seldomly cover the area, particularly what is happening at the local government level.
The Pine Barrens Tribune, a free weekly newspaper, has become the de facto paper of record in numerous Pinelands communities in Burlington County, including in Pemberton Township, providing them with regular coverage of local government affairs and happenings.
“The Courier Post is Camden County,” declared GOP Councilman Dan Dewey. “It has nothing to do with Burlington County.”
The New Jersey Legislature is currently considering a number of bills that would change the legal notice advertising requirements for municipalities.
The situation has been heightened by NJ Advance Media’s decision to shutter the Jersey Journal in Hudson County, while discontinuing the print editions of not only the Trenton Times, but also the South Jersey Times, Hunterdon County Democrat and Star Ledger
The situation has left several municipalities, especially in Northern New Jersey, without a viable newspaper alternative to satisfy the statutory requirement.
Warren County filed a lawsuit in Superior Court back in December, which noted the discontinuation of the Star Ledger’s print edition left the county without a viable print newspaper to disseminate its legal notices, prompting the Legislature to grant a temporary grace period for municipalities to use a paid publication’s online venues.
Locally, the situation is a bit different, where municipalities have a viable newspaper in the Pine Barrens Tribune to get adequate exposure of their notices, and that covers their affairs regularly, but the Tribune is a free newspaper.
Local Democratic Assemblywomen Andrea Katz and Carol Murphy, in the current legislative session, have revived a bill originally introduced by now-former state Senator Jean Stanfield, a Republican, to allow municipalities to satisfy their legal advertising obligations by using free newspapers.
“I know there is an Assembly bill out there, A-3455, that a lot of the small newspapers are trying to get approved so that they can still survive,” GOP Councilman Harry Harper pointed out. But what has been gaining traction in the Legislature in the past couple weeks are two bills backed by powerful lobbyists – one that would continue the status quo of paid newspapers receiving legal notices by allowing municipalities to publish them in paid digital publications, and another that would allow governmental agencies
to simply post their legal notices on their own websites.
The Pine Barrens Tribune has expressed opposition to both bills in their current form.
Another grace period bill was on track to pass in the Legislature by this newspaper’s deadline time, but with an added requirement that newspapers seeking to publish legal notices provide both the Legislature and Governor’s Office their subscription data (which would again favor paid newspapers over free ones.)
Pemberton Council entertained a resolution on Feb. 19 that would have supported efforts of publishing legal notices on governmental websites.
“They are not in favor of this,” observed Harper of free newspapers. “I’m all for small businesses and stuff, and if we are already putting them on our website anyway, then we really don’t need this resolution to continue doing that.”
Cosnoski noted, however, the resolution was “recommended” by the New Jersey League of Municipalities “because it has become an issue with the publication of newspapers.”
“By law, all towns are required to publish certain notices within a certain time period,” she said. “And the difficulty of doing that has become harder and harder with the lack of print newspapers, and then the publishing deadlines for papers that has come into play.”
Cosnoski continued that “this is just allowing towns to meet that obligation by being able to post” on their websites, and “I don’t know that it is necessarily just our website it would have to go on,” adding, “There may be another government-based website we would have to send it to.”
The resolution of support, however, ultimately failed in a 3-1 vote, with Ward casting the lone vote and Councilman Perry Doyle absent from the session.
Meanwhile, before any of Pemberton Council’s decisions on newspapers were rendered, Costa told the legislative body that he would like legal notices to be included in the Pine Barrens Tribune because “I think that it is the most readable paper in our community, because I don’t think we get the Burlington County Times or the Courier Post.”
Costa also handed the attending councilmembers a resolution that he personally prepared for their consideration, asking for removal of the controversial railing, calling it “destructive and abusive.”
“I think we should get it done,” he declared.
Costa also filed an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to see just how much taxpayer dollars were spent on the project to install the railing and plug protectors.
Costa was given a purchase order showing over $300 worth of items were authorized for purchase from Lowes, while some $400 in supplies were authorized for purchase from a local hardware store (it was not immediately clear if all of the allotted money was actually spent, with Costa pointing to various subtractions on the sheet he was given).
Additionally, Costa received a sheet of paper showing it took three Department of Public Works employees almost 100 hours to complete the work.
“So, your tax dollars are hard at work,” he quipped.
Council also heard from the daughter of Elly’s Premium Laundry proprietor, “Mr. Elly,” the latter who previously complained that the township was reneging on its promise
to provide him with a new retail space once his section of the Browns Mills Shopping Center is demolished, and that the township, which currently owns the dilapidated center, is also not addressing a roof leak in his unit.
(The township’s Planning Board recently approved a redeveloper’s application for Pemberton Commons, which does not reportedly include plans for a new laundromat at present.)
The proprietor also previously alleged that the mayor was refusing to sell him an abandoned squad building that he would like to relocate his business to in light of attempts to reportedly force him out of the shopping center.
According to Mr. Elly’s daughter on Feb. 19, “our roof is still leaking” and it is “really bad,” maintaining there is also only one outdoor lamp out in the parking lot which has its light out at night, which happens to be in front of their unit, leading Ward to ask Tompkins, “Can we do anything about the parking lot light or the roof leaking since we rent the property?”
Tompkins replied, “We had Public Works over there to meet with the tenant a couple of times and no one showed up when our Public Works guys were over there.”
The daughter acknowledged an attempt
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SOLAR
(Continued from Page 8)
to take effect this summer, and must now come to understand what impact that might have on things.
Additionally, in another new development, the district’s “in-house data” says “no savings” are being realized from the solar array, and while “it could be the chillers” negating any realized savings, the district won’t be able to tell until it receives “historical data” from PSE&G, the electrical service provider in the area of the township’s three schools, but that the utility only has one individual dedicated to obtaining this information, and that person has yet to finish collecting it.
Having that historical data, according to the superintendent, is the “final piece” that the district can provide to any auditor to “be able to tell,” but right now it is trying to navigate “loopholes” in obtaining the data. That data, she said, will be turned over to any auditor.
Geibel indicated in the phone interview that the district’s past accounting practices and strategic planning initiatives were purportedly not exactly the best, further compounding the situation. And this is why an auditor is being brought in to review the intricacies and make a determination.
As Geibel also described on Feb. 12, the district had switched its accounting systems in the process. Additionally, the superintendent pointed out she is new to the district, as well as the school business administrator.
Furthermore, she spoke of the solar array’s ownership having switched several times, as well as difficulties in school officials being able to understand the complexities of the arrangement, maintaining she is not a solar expert.
But several people claiming to be familiar with solar attested to there being a definite savings, with the township’s former electrical inspector, Leo Wisniewski, having surmised there is an over $150,000 per year savings to the district provided by the 554 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system, or “ground array.”
At least one of the individuals assuming a savings said she would not vote to approve the question – despite recognizing numerous other beneficial referendum projects, simply because the question would commit the district to a removal of the solar array, which she did not want to see happen.
Following the Feb. 12 meeting, there was also blowback about the district potentially proceeding with a ballot question calling for removal of the solar array, when it knowingly would not be proceeding in that direction any longer.
“I recognize that conflicting information on this issue has caused unease within the community, particularly since many have already cast their ballots for the March 11 election,” wrote Geibel in her letter to the
INVESTIGATION
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William Anderson was charged with first-degree maintaining a controlled dangerous substance production facility, first-degree possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, first degree possession with intent to distribute cocaine, second-degree possession with intent to distribute heroin, two thirddegree counts of unlawful possession
community. “Please know that we regret the confusion that has ensued. Please know that the seriousness of your vote on this election is held in the highest respect by the Southampton Township School District’s Board of Education and Administration. This circumstance grew from a willingness to hear the public’s concerns on solar efficiency initially, and continued research on our part, which sought answers for the many who say they have asked, for some time, for firm numbers.”
Moreover, Geibel noted “the board also considered postponing the referendum,” but maintained it had “ultimately decided against it, recognizing the potential for rising construction costs.”
But the superintendent citing Feb. 21 the potential for “rising construction costs” has also led to new controversy.
A former school board member, in taking issue with the superintendent citing the potential for “rising construction costs,” pointed out “the current bond was paid off in September 2024,” and, “consequently, unless they replace the old bond with a new bond, the new fiscal year/ budget (which would start this summer) will have no debt service, and taxes on an average assessed home in Southampton would decrease by about $100.”
“As such, if the bond gets pushed into November and hence the next fiscal year, they can’t say the new bond will increase taxes on the average assessed home by only about $29,” the former official maintained to this newspaper. “It would instead (because the old bond was paid off the previous fiscal year) be closer to $129 (a much more significant difference).”
The former school board member went on to describe that there may be possible re-election concerns this fall for three school board members whose terms are due to expire, should the referendum question appear simultaneously on the General Election ballot, before taking issue with the March special election having allegedly cost taxpayers $10,000.
Geibel, when given an opportunity to respond to the claims of the former school board member, asserted, “Let me break this down.”
“On Oct. 3, 2024, the Southampton School District was notified that our Preschool Expansion Application was approved, and we would be receiving $552,852 to begin a fullyfunded preschool program for 3- and 4-yearold Southampton students,” Geibel said. “As stated, numerous times, this news was the catalyst to move forward with a referendum.
“This year, we were able to provide 45 seats for preschool students in Southampton. When we opened the preschool program registration, we had close to 30 students on the waiting list that we could not service. I must note that in the application we are required to add additional classrooms every
of a shotgun, second-degree certain person not to possess a firearm, seconddegree possession of a firearm during a controlled dangerous substance offense, second-degree eluding law enforcement, fourth-degree tampering with evidence, as well as possession of paraphernalia and endangering the welfare of a child.
Holly Anderson was charged with firstdegree possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, first-degree maintaining a controlled dangerous substance production facility and second-degree possession with
year until we hit our universe number of 136 seats. Next year, we are committed to adding 45 more seats – an additional three classrooms. The Preschool Expansion Grant funds cannot be used for major capital improvements. All preschool classrooms must have a bathroom in the room.
“Which leads us to the referendum. We need seven preschool bathrooms added, and the Board of Education agreed it was in the best interests of the students and community to make this happen through a referendum, where the projects would be supported by state aid of up to 40 percent. Preschool bathrooms are part of the eligible projects in the referendum. Next year, Southampton will receive over $1 million in state aid with preschool expansion.”
The superintendent then put a sharp point on this portion of her response, writing in bold print, “As to the timing, the March referendum was crucial in allowing us to go out to bid in order to have bathrooms completed this summer for a September opening.”
“Additionally, we needed to reconfigure the schools to accommodate preschool, and this was a perfect opportunity to move third grade back to the primary building, which is developmentally appropriate,” Geibel said. “This adjustment led us to the renovation of the old bus garage. This referendum is layered with educational adjustments and additions that are in the best interest of Southampton students.”
Geibel noted that “schools often go out for new bonds after paying off previous ones because they continuously need funding for infrastructure, maintenance and improvements.”
She then provided what she identified are the “key reasons” that districts go out for new bonds after paying off previous ones, among them:
1. Aging Facilities: Schools require ongoing repairs, renovations, and upgrades to keep buildings safe, functional, and up to modern standards.
2. Growing Enrollment: As student populations grow, districts may need to build new schools, expand classrooms, or add facilities like gyms, cafeterias, or libraries.
3. Technology and Safety Updates: Schools must regularly update technology infrastructure and improve security measures, such as adding surveillance systems, secure entrances, or fire safety upgrades.
4. Deferred Maintenance: Even if old bonds covered major projects, regular wear and tear requires continuous investment in roofs, HVAC systems, plumbing and electrical work.
5. Economic and Inflation Factors: Construction costs, labor, and materials rise over time, making it necessary to
intent to distribute fentanyl.
Furter faces charges of first-degree possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, third-degree possession with intent to distribute cocaine and third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance – cocaine.
Mayberry, Pleason, Picozzi were each charged with second-degree possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, while Leslie Anderson was charged with third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance – heroin.
seek new funding sources to cover ongoing capital needs.
6. Bond Structure and Financial Strategy: Districts strategically time new bonds to replace expiring ones, keeping tax rates stable, while ensuring a steady flow of investment in school infrastructure.
“In short, school districts use bonds as a long-term financial tool to maintain and improve educational facilities for future generations,” she said. “In this case, the projects included in the March 11 Referendum question are based upon the educational needs of the Southampton School Community.”
In the Feb. 26 phone interview, Geibel said it is a regular occurrence that “as the principal and interest decreases, so does debt service” and school districts typically “monitor” when “debt service is going to be completed” so that it can “strategically plan” for future improvements.
In addressing the former school board member’s $100 figure remarks, Geibel said, “After speaking with the financial advisor, the cost of all these proposed projects on the average home is a $29 increase based on the current rate of debt service. The average home today is paying $100 in debt service. If the referendum should fail in March, the cost of the proposed projects will remain the same. So, essentially, if we went out again in September or November, and kept the proposed projects, we would still be asking taxpayers to pay $129.”
She also emphasized that the timing of the referendum “is not driven by school board members,” but rather the pending preschool expansion deadline, describing that “we saw a need for preschool” and had many requests for the program, but the district could not initially accommodate it, but now can, after having received state aid.
Another point Geibel stressed in her letter to the community is that “it may be helpful to note that the solar array is just a small component of the overall projects.” (This newspaper’s original coverage detailed the other components of the nearly $14 million referendum.) It was a point she also emphasized to this reporter, pointing to 30-year-old carpet, for example, that needs to be replaced, declaring school officials want to “do good work for the kids” in hoping the community looks past the solar issue, and rather looks at the other proposals comprising the referendum, describing that the “goal is to do what is good for the kids.” The solar issue, she further maintained, should not “negate the amazing work” the staff is trying to accomplish. But, in her letter to the community, she assured the public that “no action, regardless of the referendum outcome, will be taken on the future of the solar array without presenting you with complete information.”
William Anderson, Mayberry, Pleason, Picozzi, and Furter were lodged in Burlington County Jail. Holly Anderson and Leslie Anderson were released pending a future court date.
The case is being prosecuted by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
Readers may recall 1495 Junction Road as the site of what had been a disputed Halloween contest display – a carnival theme – from a couple years ago, in which William Anderson had fought back against township attempts to shut it down.
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(Continued from Page 10)
had been made to fix it “with a little patch” and some “tar” by four Public Works’ workers, but after a snowfall, it “started leaking worse.”
When Ward asked if Public Works can be sent out again, Tompkins snapped, “Sure!”
“We are losing business because people don’t think we actually care about the place,” the daughter declared, in also making another appeal for the mayor to consider selling the squad building.
The interaction moved several members of the public to come to the defense of Elly’s, including Dr. Mark Thomas, who noted the reports of a leaking roof “has been an ongoing situation for months upon months upon months,” declaring the response, so far, has been “ineffective.”
“What I will personally say, without holding back anything, is if I had the ability
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density living” and that the “clientele is more transient” and that he would rather “have more single-family homes.”
Having heard those pros and cons, Mayor Jaclyn “Jackie” Veasy invited Township Planner John Barree with the consulting firm of Heyer Gruel & Associate, the author of the redevelopment plan, to address the concerns that were expressed prior to the council vote.
Noting that the leases would soon be up for the remaining tenants in what he described as an “aging office park,” Barree expounded on the reasons why the
as council president to go directly to the Department of Public Works and handle the issue tomorrow, I would,” declared Ward in response to Thomas. “I am not allowed to do that, though.”
Thomas, however, maintained that elected officials have an obligation to provide for a “moral response” and must have a “devotion to civic responsibility for our citizens, who are laboring under tremendous disadvantages.”
Ward responded that is why he acted on prior complaints by Costa of a freezer having been discarded on a dirt road, sitting there for months on end, contending he had a “moral responsibility” to remove it despite the mayor and township contending it was not their responsibility to do so.
“If I knew how to do roofing, and I was allowed to … ,” Ward declared.
Bianchini told Thomas, “the lack of consideration for our township residents – it is not lost on us.”
redevelopment proposal would make for a “great use in this location.”
For one thing, he pointed out, “it is replacing an existing developed site, so we are not cutting down trees, we are not going out and tearing up a farm field,” in addition to which It already had an impervious surface along with “infrastructure in place that can be upgraded and reused.”
Furthermore, Barree emphasized, “It is immediately next door to a shopping center with a whole variety of uses that lend themselves to people being able to walk right over,” not just to shop, but for such purposes as going to work, getting something to eat, or going to the gym.
“So, as far as traffic goes, it is great to be able to live within walking distance of all
“If we had any control on any of this, to include the sale of the EMS building, it would be Mr. Elly’s right now,” Bianchini added.
Regular meeting attendee and township resident America Phillips proclaimed, “I just hope the township goes in there and fixes that building,” fearing the possibility that workers climbing the roof “may fall down from the roof, down to the laundromat.”
By the end of the Feb. 19 session, some of the councilmembers publicly tore into Tompkins.
“People speak every other week up here telling you what they would like to see happen,” Harper declared. “And you just constantly keep worrying about the small, little issues like putting up gates and railings and plug protectors. I just wish you would see the light and start doing what is right for the residents.”
Harper further told the mayor, “You got us handcuffed up here in what we can do and can’t do!”
kinds of different activities and not have to get into your car,” he said.
But “the intent of the design standard,” as Barree explained it, “is generally to have things shifted within the same footprint they are today, but shifted more toward the commercial development so there is that easy pedestrian connection between the two sites.”
The planner also acknowledged that, “Certainly, every development and every use generates traffic.” But he added that “as part of the further review and design of this project, a future redeveloper will have to come in with a site plan application to the township’s planning board,” which will include a traffic impact assessment the board can review, along with an opportunity for public comment, “so there will be ample
“And believe me, if you let us work with you, a lot of things would go a lot better here in the town,” Harper asserted.
Bianchini told the mayor he has “reached a level of frustration, and actually, a level of embarrassment sitting up here.”
Then, in referencing “the request of Mr. Elly” to “purchase the EMS building,” Bianchini declared, “I can't, for the life of me, fathom why we don’t try to help this local small businessman be successful and continue to be successful in this township!”
“I don't understand it,” Bianchini added. “You know, we each individually have gone to you with an olive branch to work better with you, and you push us away.”
But Bianchini asked the public to “not give up on us yet,” calling for a better working relationship with administration.
“And our hands are tied, but we are trying,” Bianchini said. “We are trying real hard. We are just not making much headway.”
opportunity to look at the details of traffic.”
Were a parking garage to be incorporated into the plan, Barree said it would be one “wrapped by the residential building” so as not to be immediately visible from the outside.
“As far as the idea that there is anything wrong with having apartment buildings In town,” he said, “there are certainly quite a few neighborhoods that have established single-family residences” for people who are “privileged enough” to afford them in New Jersey, with “the opportunity for folks to be able to live in different places” being a very important tenet of planning in the state.
Asked by Veasy whether these units would be considered “luxury apartments,”
See REDEVELOP/ Page 15
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GROCER
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When the original Stewart’s was sold in the 1970s, Ken Mansure decided to stay on board with the new owners, also coincidently named Stewart, she said, though they weren’t related. That is when the store moved to the current location.
“When he makes a commitment, he sticks with it,” Susan Mansure said.
In 1978, Ron Murphy bought the market and eventually opened two other locations in the area. Through the years, Ken Mansure has worked many positions in the market, Susan Mansure said, and is the Meat Department supervisor for all three locations as he enters his 55th year with the company.
“He always liked working for the market,” Susan Mansure said. “He likes a challenge, so he tried any job he thought he’d be good at. Deli, shelf stocker, meat cutter and meat supervisor, which is a position he has held for years now. He likes working for Mr. Murphy.”
According to Carney, Murphy and Ken Mansure even became friends since they had kids the same age both playing hockey. This led to what is now a longtime friendship with the Mansure family, in addition to the longtime working relationship.
“Ron [Murphy] is 76 now, so they both have grandkids, so this was years ago, but they traveled all around with the team and got to know each other,” he said.
Since becoming a parent and grandparent, Ken Mansure’s love of his profession has inspired others in his family to join him, his wife said.
Their son, Ken, and his wife, Andrea, have worked there and so has their grandson, Riley, she said.
With five more grandchildren yet to hit working age, there is a chance for even more from the Mansure family to get a taste of what has become a pseudo-family business in a way.
Despite his clear love for his job, according to his wife, just like anything there have been ups and downs.
“It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows of course,” she said. “Life and reality can get in the way of anything.”
No matter what life threw at him, Susan Mansure said her husband maintains a positive attitude and that spills over to everyone he encounters.
“He has a big heart,” his wife said. “He would do anything for anyone in his life and even would do his best for perfect strangers.” She said her husband is a lot like Ron Murphy in that way, which may be why the two always worked well together.
According to Carney, he couldn’t picture Murphy’s without Ken Mansure. From the management to the customers, everyone seems to know him and have nothing but nice things to say, he said.
“He is very loyal, he has been a major fixture for a long time and cooperates and works well with everyone,” Carney said. “I remember celebrating his 45th anniversary and now here we are 10 years later.”
BUSINESS & SERVICE DIRECTORY
BAMBOO
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a young man who is in the U.S. Navy and works at McGuire Air Force Base, who needed a temporary place to stay.”
None of that was problematic, however, he maintained, until a young mother who had returned to the area “and was looking for a temporary place to stay” enrolled her two daughters in school, with the result that the school system “said these people are claiming a residence (at the campground).”
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Barree responded that “luxury” being a “branding term,” he was sure that those without “affordability controls” would be marketed as such, since “whoever builds them wants to get as much rent as possible for what we would call the market-rate units, and those prices would fluctuate based on what people are willing to pay and can afford to pay.”
In regard to the effects the project might have on local schools, Councilman
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property’s waste-disposal facilities were outmoded, although still functioning and in need of updating. The problem, he claimed, stemmed from his having originally been assured in a meeting with a realtor and former mayor that the township “intended to run sewer lines down Landing Street,” which proved not to be the case.
“That is why it came to the forefront,” Philbrick asserted.
Since then, children staying there have been enrolled in local schools by two more families, he said, one of whom due to economic circumstances has been unable to pay him rent for six months. His main concern, however, was that their children were fed and had a warm place to stay.
In the meantime, however, the situation having come to the attention of township officials had resulted in their sending around inspectors and issuing violation notices, mainly because several of the
Joseph Fisicaro, Jr., a veteran educator and former Evesham Board of Education president, subsequently weighed in with an observation “what we have found is that when you build single-family unit houses, they were apt to bring more kids into the schools,” whereas “we have never been truly impacted in terms of the Evesham School District or Cherokee High by any of the apartments that have come around in Evesham.”
Fisicaro added that even if apartments were to bring more students into the system, however, “it might actually be beneficial” to local schools, which have
All of those issues, however, Philbrick asserted, were things he was working on addressing with the help of experts he was hiring. Also on the list of things he is doing to satisfy township requirements is to put up a 400-foot barrier to contain the bamboo on the property that had been invading the neighboring 55-acre public open space called Eagle Walk, much of which he had already removed (although stopping short of damaging the tract’s hardwood trees).
According to Umba on Jan. 21, there is a “stay in the courts” on “any type of violation we put against them” until they have their time to go before the Land Development Board” and it acts on their application.
As for the complaints about gunshots made by the anonymous letter writer, he said that in addition to a neighbor of the property whose son is a State Trooper and engages in target practice, there is a well-supervised shooting range on
been losing state funding due to their enrollments having dropped.
In a subsequent exchange involving the proposed redevelopment project, the mayor asked Acting Township Manager Kevin Rijs if he could look into the “high volume of trash in and around Marlton Commons” cited by “one resident” (Carol Houck, who had blamed it on people cutting through her complex). Rijs replied that he could drive around the area and see where it might be emanating from, but indicated it could be due to “a lid from a dumpster left open, which could be a violation of the township code.”
the Bamboo Gardens property itself, complete with a rangemaster, which had already been visited by a contingent of State Troopers that he alleges found that everything had checked out safety-wise and reassured a nearby resident who had called them to that effect.
In response to an inquiry made the morning after the interview with Philbrick, a duty officer at the local Red Lion State Police Barracks told this newspaper he could find no report of any complaint involving any gunfire at the address for Bamboo Gardens during the past few years.
“I grew up in a family of conservationists,” Philbrick added. “I have a love for nature and the land, and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt it. I just want to have a place where people can come and stay and enjoy a natural setting.”
Umba did not return requests for comment on this story, as of press time. Mayor Ronald Heston, when reached for comment on this story, said he could not comment on an active application before the board because he is a member. Multiple attempts to obtain a copy of the application from the township prior to this newspaper’s press time were unsuccessful. Reporter Douglas D. Melegari contributed to this story.
Veasy also asked Rijs if he could “take a look and see the condition of the sidewalks” on Old Marlton Pike and find out if there were grants available to expand them. In offering her own comments on the redevelopment project, Councilwoman Heather Cooper noted that approximately 4,000 state residents with disabilities are on a waiting list to receive supportive housing in some form, and that residents over 65 comprise one of the state’s fastest-growing population groups – some 31 percent – with many of them seeking affordable agerestricted housing not in a group home, but that “assures their quality of life.”
