Longtime Southampton Township Clerk and Municipal Administrator Kathleen D. Hoffman Retires, with Former Official also of Mount Holly, Washington Townships Having Combined 27 Years in Municipal Government; Melanie Brown, with Ties to Past Local Leaders, Named Clerk Successor
Hoffman, an influential township clerk and administrator at the forefront of some of the area’s biggest stories over the past two plus decades, is said to be retiring from municipal government.
Hoffman, who worked for the past 12 years as the administrator and clerk of Southampton Township, and before that held various roles for both Mount Holly and Washington townships, during a Southampton Township Committee session on June 18, received a public send-off after a combined total of 27 years of governmental service, with a private retirement party reportedly held on June 21.
Also departing Southampton’s government, as revealed during the June 18 governing body meeting, is her administrative assistant, Donna Fascenda. While an official announcement has not been made as to who will replace Hoffman in the administrator position (with the committee holding executive sessions the past couple of weeks to discuss “personnel” matters, including one on June 26), the township committee has already named a township clerk successor, Melanie Brown, who recently became a Registered Municipal Clerk (RMC) after spending the last year-and-a-half working in the Southampton Clerk’s Office.
Brown, administered the oath of office on June 18, is reportedly the daughter of former Tabernacle Township mayor Kim Brown (in attendance for the ceremony) and the granddaughter of veteran Southampton Committeeman and former Southampton mayor of 25 years, James F. Young, Sr. The Burlington County Clerk’s Association honored Hoffman with a proclamation
See DEDICATION/ Page 8
Photo Provided
Outgoing Southampton Township Administrator and Clerk Kathleen D. Hoffman (left) is presented with a proclamation upon her retirement from Kim White (right), president of the Burlington County Clerk’s Association and clerk of Eastampton Township.
Purported
‘Oversight’ Leads to LeisureTowne Being
Knocked
Off Southampton Twp.’s ‘No-Knock’ Solicitation List, Causing ‘Big To-Do’ LeisureTowne Has Since Been Added Back onto List, Which Is Supposed to Be Renewed Every Three Years by Township After Notice Is Given to Those on It, But After Renewal Didn’t Happen,
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
Town Moves to Eliminate Renewal Condition
SOUTHAMPTON—The LeisureTowne retirement community of Southampton Township has long been known to be offlimits to in-person solicitations.
But when solicitors reportedly showed up in the community last month, and New Jersey State Police were called in response, purportedly nothing could be done by responding State Troopers – because, at the time of the canvassing of the neighborhood by the canvassers, it was an apparently legal activity, thanks to a purported oversight, which as one resident, Joann Moschetto recognized during a recent Southampton Township Committee meeting, had caused a “whole big to-do.”
As later told by Southampton Deputy Mayor Ronald Heston, a township ordinance had been passed back in 2014 to “control soliciting,” requiring a township permit for a solicitor to make such calls, and as part of the permitting process, those seeking to solicit in town are given a township-maintained list of those that ask not to be contacted, or “ban a solicitor from calling on that address.”
But as per the 2014 ordinance, according to Heston, “every three years that list has to be revised” and those who submit their names have to “want to be put back on it” at the time it is revised. He noted it was set up this way because “people move, people die.”
And there is another apparent stipulation of the 2014 law, as pointed out by LeisureTowne Board of Trustees member Evelyn “Evie” Doherty, in which the township, “every three years,” is supposed to also “notify everybody” of the renewal effort and ask whether those listed want to be put on the revised list.
“In 2017, LeisureTowne was added to the list,” Doherty maintained. “In 2020, there is really no proof that LeisureTowne was notified. So, in my opinion, it came off the list. In 2023, another three years later, LeisureTowne was not notified.”
Since the stir in May, according to Doherty – who only regained a seat on the board last year, the LeisureTowne Association “got a document sent to us in the mail” to be re-added with the Board of Trustees having subsequently approved in late May being put back on the list.
See OVERSIGHT/ Page 8
Short-Term
Rental Ordinance Passes in Washington Township Over Objections of Airbnb Owner, Who Explains Income Impact; Others Applaud Law Over Concerns About Unvetted ‘Strangers’ Measure Passed Despite Former Committeeman Calling for ‘Fairness’ to Those Who Already Made Investment, Given Activity Has Been Legal, But Mayor Expresses Concern About Other Airbnbs Popping Up Overnight
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
WASHINGTON—A
Short-Term
Rental Ordinance has been passed by the Washington Township Committee, but not without opposition from some, though not all, members of the community in what suddenly has become a community issue that is resulting in a divide amongst locals.
For years now, officials in Washington Township had entertained passing shortterm rental regulations aimed at prohibiting, in particular, the operation of Airbnbs, and as late as last month, every time the proposed prohibition would come to the floor, it would receive strong, unanimous pushback from public commenters.
Not this time, however, as a group of mostly women residents, challenged on June 11 those calling for no changes to the code, or simply some restrictions or a “middle-ground approach,” describing their concerns about unvetted “strangers” being drawn to the “tight-knit community” that could be oblivious to things such as children living in the area.
The law passed despite threats of a
potentially costly legal challenge by the owner of one local Airbnb, Brendan McBride, with former committeeman Barry Cavileer calling for “fairness” in suggesting the governing body is not fulfilling that objective in passing the ordinance, pointing to a story told by McBride about how he researched the law before starting a short-term rental in town, having found no regulations, and that he subsequently invested quite a bit into his property since purchasing it for, in part, that purpose.
The meeting also saw a couple of other changes from just the month prior, including that McBride’s Airbnb was the subject of a complaint from a community member, when during the previous month, his next-door neighbors attested to no issues occurring at his Airbnb. Additionally, officials last month could not say there was more than one short-term rental in town, but this month claimed to know of others.
McBride told the township committee during the June 18 session that he has been See ORDINANCE/ Page 6
Tabernacle Committee Votes to Retain Another Structural Engineer to Evaluate Town Hall, But from Same Engineering Firm as Town Engineer Who Concurred Building Poses Danger, an Opinion That’s Been Doubted Working Status of Town Engineer Who Gave Initial Opinion Unknown After Mayor, in 3rd Meeting at Helm, Introduces ‘New Engineer’ to Public; Parties Reportedly Near Possible Settlement Agreement to Be Voted On
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
TABERNACLE—Here’s the bottomline from an over three-hour long Tabernacle Township Committee meeting on June 24 that saw officials all over the map amid a “fluid” situation: the conception of the previous June 10 committee meeting that by the governing body, having rescinded a motion to demolish Tabernacle Town Hall, would somehow cause a lawsuit to be immediately dropped that was brought against the municipality
See ENGINEER/ Page 7
Photo By Tom Valentino
Joseph Raday, introduced by Tabernacle Mayor Noble McNaughton as the township’s “new engineer.”
Community Service Award Winner
Touches Lives Locally, Abroad
By Jenn lucas Staff Writer
SOUTHAMPTON—Every year, the Sally Stretch Keen Memorial Library honors a person who best embodies what it means to make the local community a better place to live and enjoy.
This year, that person is Lindy Thomas, a former third-grade teacher and school librarian. As the recipient of the 2024 Community Service Award, she is being honored for her work in bringing local history to life for hundreds of students and adults alike.
“I wanted to be a teacher so I could teach children the things that matter, like being a good person and being aware of their surroundings,” Thomas said.
However, finding materials providing the history and context behind these surroundings was difficult to come by. Thomas noted that in the 1980s, few published materials were available to help New Jersey students meet their history requirements.
Recognizing this need, Thomas began working with local historian Dorothy Best, pouring over old scrapbooks and writings in the Burlington County section of the library.
The end result, “A Child’s Scrapbook of Vincentown,” was published in 1990, then again in 2019.
“It’s important for children and residents to have a sense of belonging and have a community they can be proud of,” she said. “The town dates back to pre-revolutionary times, there’s a lot of history here.”
Part of this history also comes to life
through 3rd-grade field trips to the 1860era schoolhouse on Race Street, where students would dress in historically accurate costumes. Although the dress has gone by the wayside, Thomas notes that the children used to love it.
Thomas is also being honored for her work as a member of the Southampton Historical Society, where she has served as a trustee for more than 10 years.
Thomas contributes a monthly historical column to the Society’s newsletter, “Hello Central,” and serves as a docent at the old schoolhouse on Race Street for the annual 3rd-grade tour sponsored by the Historical Society. Thomas also played a major role in the Southampton School’s recent 100th Anniversary celebration and spent many hours collecting items for gift baskets for golf events held by the Southampton Township Academic Resources (STAR) Foundation.
And there is more.
Thomas’ passion extends far from Southampton’s borders. She’s helped raise more than $4,000 in aid for Ukraine’s war efforts, donating 100 percent to aid workers through Ukrainian TrustChain, an organization that hand delivers supplies like water and food to those who need it most.
“It is what I am passionate about now,” said Thomas. “The people are doing everything they can to survive in a war-torn country, and this wonderful organization and the people on the ground over there are my heroes.”
According to Thomas, while the organization has grown by leaps and bounds, there is still much work to be done. One of the things they need most is awareness.
“When we talk to the workers over there, they say it is all the prayers that make them feel protected,” Thomas said. “That is something everyone can do.”
Both near and far, at home and abroad, Thomas’ work has solidified her position as a community staple. She joins notable townspeople like Reary Demas, Joseph Laufer, Harry Thompson, Bob and Carol Ritter, Joy Misoyanis, and the Vincentown and Hampton Lakes Fire squads as recipients of the Sally Stretch Keen Memorial Library’s 2024 Community Service Award.
“It was a total shock,” Thomas said of the honor.
Vincent Pieczynski, Student Athlete Who Died From Injuries Sustained in Bike Accident, Recalled for Wisdom, Affability
Southampton Eighth Grader Who Made Those He Met Feel Special Now Saving Lives as Organ Donor, Permitting His Heart to ‘Beat on’
Staff Reports
SOUTHAMPTON—You might say Vincent Pieczynski both was born and died prematurely, having somehow survived coming into this world at just two pounds, one ounce, yet by the time he
became a teenager, became strong enough to play football and lacrosse, aspiring to make the varsity teams in his junior year at Seneca High.
See PIECZYNSKI/ Page 6
But not for those who know her well.
“Lindy has touched so many people in the community with her teachings,” said Maile Irion, Library Director with the Sally Stretch Keen Memorial Library. “We are honored to have her join this prestigious list.”
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Photo Provided
Alisa Dupuy (right), shown here with Southampton Historical Society member Lindy Thomas (left), portrayed Adrienne de Lafayette, wife of the Marquis de Laffayette, at a past society function.
Photo Courtesy GoFundMe
Vincent Pieczynski.
A Casual Eatery Is Accused by Some Evesham Residents of Having Eaten Away at Their Laid-Back Quality of Life
Those Living within Half a Mile of The Chicken Or The Egg Frustrated by Town’s Inability to Turn Down Volume on Outdoor Entertainment
By Bill B onvie Staff Writer
EVESHAM—When The Chicken Or The Egg, a casual eatery long popular with vacationers and tourists in the seaside resort of Beach Haven, opened a second location on Route 70 in Marlton (Evesham Township) in 2022, it may have appeared to be nothing that those residing in the surrounding neighborhood need to have had any particular concerns about, given the innocuous nature of the seemingly identical place that came first.
But in retrospect, perhaps it should have been cause for concern.
Unlike its Long Beach Island sibling, which has no liquor license but does have a BYOB policy, this new, much larger CHEGG (the nickname by which the restaurant is known to its patrons) came with an open bar/lounge that boasted of serving “great cocktails,” along with an extensive outdoor seating area. Oh, and one other thing—it also had plans to bring in entertainment on weekends.
That combination of added offerings has since proven to be anathema to many residents of the section of Marlton whose homes are within a half-mile radius of this new and somewhat different CHEGG (and perhaps well beyond that distance),
about a dozen of whom appeared before the Evesham Township Council during an unusually lengthy June 12 meeting to complain bitterly about the negative impact that the goings-on there have had on the relatively tranquil quality of life they claimed to have previously enjoyed.
In addition to what just about all of them characterized as the “excessive” noise regularly emanating from the establishment from Friday night through Sunday, which was described as being loud enough to shake their walls and rattle their windows for hours at a time, the language broadcast over its loudspeakers, they maintained, was hardly what one would expect to hear coming from an ostensibly respectable restaurant in a residential suburb.
To add alleged indifference to injury, a number of the complainants said requests to the management that the volume be turned down were to no avail, nor did repeated calls to the police seem to have any effect in decreasing the decibel levels and resulting disruption of the lives of those making them.
But that, according to Evesham Township Police Chief Walt Miller, is due
See EATERY/ Page 6
Despite Tax Hike, Proposed Evesham Budget Is Cause for Celebration with Bond Ordinance Setting Stage for Prospective Pickleball Courts
Promise of Long-Awaited Facilities Proves to be Fiscal Review Highlight as Chorus of Praise for Pickleball’s Health and Social Benefits Precedes Vote
By Bill B onvie Staff Writer
EVESHAM—For many Evesham Township residents, the unveiling of a proposed 2024 municipal budget by the Evesham Township Council at its June 12 meeting calling for $45,812,296 in appropriations and an anticipated monthly property tax increase of $2.24 for the average homeowner was actually cause for celebration.
That is because, assuming the budget and an accompanying measure are approved on second reading (as they were, 4-0, on the first) following a public hearing on July 10, they will soon no longer have to depend on neighboring municipalities to provide them with places to indulge in their new favorite sport—pickleball.
After months of pleas for this largest of Burlington County communities to add pickleball courts to its roster of recreational facilities and speculation as to when and where that might occur, the local aficionados of this recently on-trend racket-and-net game learned that such athletic amenities are indeed on the township’s list of upcoming expenditures, with a bond ordinance that would appropriate a total of $2,237,445 to install them, presumably in the grassy area
fronting the Gibson House, also approved on first reading.
Even before the ordinance was introduced, the first opportunity for members of the public to address agenda items produced a chorus of praise for the proposed recreational allocation.
Harry Noel, a resident of the township’s Briarwood section, for example, described the sport as one that provides people with “an opportunity to interact with each other and improve their health.” Not having had it available locally, he added, has been “a real hole in the community” that he looked forward to seeing filled.
In thanking the council for supporting pickleball, Evesham resident Joan Sobocinski, said she has had to travel to two other municipalities to play on their courts. Sobocinski called the sport “a perfect example of a health initiative,” one attracting participants of all ages from their teens through their 80s.
“I have a guest, who with the help of pickleball, is getting weaned off his cholesterol medication by his cardiologist,” she said.
Another Briarwood resident, Stephen Fortino, similarly described pickleball as See PICKLEBALL/ Page 11
ORDINANCE
(Continued from Page 3)
“renting out our property, occasionally, for 7 years” now after having “bought the property in 2012,” after Superstorm Sandy swept through the state.
According to McBride, upon purchasing the land, “it was a wreck,” having last been occupied 15 years ago in 1997, with him told that a previous “long-term renter” of the parcel had “trashed” the place.
Upon purchasing the property, McBride attested to having “spent all waking hours fixing it up” before he had children. He described the repair and renovation process as his “second job at night.”
The “intention,” he claimed, has been to “use the place as a family,” noting he was “married there” (with it Mullica Riverfront property).
“I lived there full-time at times, part-time at other times,” McBride described. “It has been used for vacation at times. … I love this place and that is why I invested in it.”
However, he explained that he had “fixed up” the property “with the intention of renting it out as a short-term rental.”
“That was legal,” he said of renting the property out to those wanting to stay there for less than 30 days. “I looked at the regulations at the time, and there (has been) no prohibition at all on short-term rentals.”
Therefore, McBride described, renting it out on Airbnb had become “part of our strategy.”
“We knew we could support the expenses of the house if we have short-term rents,” McBride told the committee.
He recognized that if he “doesn’t have that income” coming from the rentals, he and his family “don’t have the means to do that,” or keep paying taxes on the parcel.
“We pay our bills by doing it,” he contended. “We also provide a service.”
In pointing to the latter, McBride described occasions where those playing at a soccer tournament nearby have rented out his Airbnb over a local hotel (which is further away, and therefore, less desirable). He said he has also agreed to rent his home out to those in town visiting for high school reunions.
“We take very seriously the people who come, as they are coming to our house and using our beds,” McBride contended.
He attested to taking steps to ensure all guests are “going to treat it right” and “treat the neighbors right.” Parties, he maintained, are not permitted, despite multiple requests
to hold them there, nor are weddings.
“We just want it to be a small-scale way for people to enjoy themselves,” McBride declared.
McBride, who has the only listed Airbnb for the township that this newspaper could find online, as of press time, asserted, “I feel like we are being targeted by this law.”
“I believe there should be regulations, and I am completely open to that, and I think there is a middle ground here, rather than an outright ban. Why can’t we go in the direction of (neighboring) Mullica Township, where they recognize the value of people coming in, people spending money in the local economy, and enjoying the local community?”
Attorney Jeffrey M. Brennan, of Baron and Brennan, P.A., in the beginning of what became a testy exchange between him and township officials, including Mayor C. Leigh Gadd, Jr. and fill-in Township Solicitor Steve Raymond (substituting for Tom Coleman), asked if officials had received his correspondence regarding the Mullica Township ordinance.
“Yes,” replied Gadd.
It led Brennan to follow up by asking, “Has any consideration been given to the regulatory scheme in that ordinance?”
“No,” Gadd responded, to which Brennan asked, “Why not?”
“I just saw it tonight,” the mayor answered.
When Brennan pressed the Washington Township mayor as to whether the committee has given any thought to having the neighboring town’s law considered for passage in Washington, Gadd responded, “No, no.”
That is when Raymond intervened, declaring, “This is not going to be a question-and-answer session,” with a public hearing simply an opportunity for the public to make comments.
“The board has an opportunity to respond if they choose,” Raymond said. “I just ask for you to make ‘comments.’”
It led Brennan to press the officials to see the “authority for that proposition to not be able to ask questions,” to which Raymond replied, “You can ask questions, but they don’t have to respond.”
It would not be for another 10 minutes before some clarity was brought to the situation, with it coming from resident Barbara Cavileer, also chief of the Green Bank Volunteer Ambulance Company, who asked the township “for a middle ground, similar to Mullica.”
See ORDINANCE/ Page 9
PIECZYNSKI
(Continued from Page 4)
Sadly, he would never reach that goal or his other promising potentials, as he was struck down in a tragic accident while riding his bike home on Route 38 in Southampton on the evening of June 14, the day after his graduation from eighth grade, and later succumbed to his injuries at the age of 14.
But in the short span of his life, he managed to become admired by everyone he knew, becoming known as a fun-loving yet extremely hard-working young man, who was “kind, smart, funny, strong,” and “wise beyond his years” as well as being highly personable with a penchant for making everyone with whom he came in contact feel special, according to family members who penned his obituary.
As tragic as his passing was, the few days in which he clung to life following the accident, according to his sister, Devin Cuoco, who organized a fundraiser for him on GoFundMe, allowed his family and friends “time to come and share their favorite stories and say their goodbyes.”
And the days since, she noted in her tribute, have now allowed him the opportunity to rescue others by donating his organs—something the members of his family know he would have wanted to do.
“So, despite this being the most difficult time of our family’s life, we find peace knowing Vinny’s heart will beat on,” she
EATERY
(Continued from Page 5)
to the fact that law-enforcement officials actually have very limited authority in this type of situation, which mainly falls under the purview of the Burlington County Board of Health and is therefore not subject to immediate resolution should the responsible party prove unresponsive to their appeals.
The frustration felt by people living in the neighborhood over those bureaucratic barriers to what they consider their right to a peaceful existence, however, was evident as they stepped up to the mic, one after another, to describe what the weekend environment in their once tranquil homes and surroundings had degenerated into since CHEGG had opened its doors.
“I’ve lived there for 26 years,” declared
said, and that he is “helping to save other people’s lives with his gifts.”
Perhaps the best description of Vince (or “Vinny Pie,” as he was nicknamed) from someone outside of his family came from Sandie Wray, a teacher and classroom assistant at Southampton Township School:
“Vinny was such an exceptional young man,” she wrote. “He was an incredibly dedicated student who always tried his hardest. He was curious, attentive, interested and always, always shared very thoughtful and insightful comments. No doubt Vinny was always thinking, wheels turning, and you could see it in his expressions, even in that cute grin.
“Vinny was also a kind, friendly, genuine, and straightforward boy. He was respectful but honest, he didn’t mince words. He will be greatly missed.”
Besides his sister, he is survived by his father Michael, mother Melinda Tuccillo Pieczynski, brother Michael, brother-inlaw Matthew Cuoco, niece, Olivia, and his grandparents, Catharine and Michael Pieczynski, and Lynn and Alex Morris. Vincent was preceded in death by his grandfather Ralph Tuccillo.
A funeral service will be conducted at Vincentown United Methodist Church on June 29 (Saturday) at 9 a.m., with interment at Pinelands Memorial Park.
As of the afternoon of June 26, the fundraiser started by his sister had raised $57,531.
Patricia Abraldes, of Overington Avenue, a street that parallels Route 70, “And for the last two years, I honestly feel like I’ve moved to a totally different neighborhood since that restaurant has opened up.”
Abraldes, a real estate agent, also contended that it is “embarrassing to be doing an open house on a Sunday” in that atmosphere.
She then invited members of the council to come and hear it for themselves.
“You will not believe how loud it is,” she said, noting that the noise is enough to shake both the walls and windows of her home, which she called “infringing on our enjoyment, the quality of our life in Evesham.”
Ronald Dean, who also lives on Overington Avenue “directly across the street from CHEGG,” described it as apparently having been transformed
See EATERY/ Page 11
ENGINEER
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to prevent any demolition, and in turn cause a judge who ordered the closure of Medford Lakes-Tabernacle Road to possibly lose his purview over the matter, and therefore town officials would then be given the ability to legally reopen the road, had not happened by that meeting.
But now, late on June 26 as this newspaper reached its deadline time, a possible settlement appears to be on the horizon, with the Plaintiffs’ attorney, Matthew Litt, submitting correspondence to presiding Judge Richard Hertzberg, stating, “In light of the Defendant Tabernacle Township Committee’s recent rescinding of the Resolution(s) challenged in this litigation, the parties were just this afternoon able to reach a global settlement of this matter in principle. Based on discussion with Defendant’s counsel, it is my understanding that the township’s mayor has tentatively approved the agreement, and that same will be presented to the full committee for formal approval at a special meeting next week. Upon request, the parties are happy to submit or discuss the settle agreement with the court.”
A special meeting has now been scheduled for July 3, at 6:30 p.m. to take possible action.
How Hertzberg will respond to this development is something that Township Solicitor William Burns just isn’t sure of, however, he told this newspaper, with the township solicitor having previously sent the judge correspondence memorializing a number of recent developments, including the rescindment of the motion and committee membership and leadership changes, with Hertzberg having not yet formally responded, meaning his earlier order that the entire township committee appear before him in court on July 19, still stands.
It was Katherine O’Connell Crain, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit who at one point conveyed at the prior June 10 meeting that the lawsuit would be dropped if the demolition resolution is rescinded, but at this latest meeting, she had been observed exchanging words with Burns at times, with there being a clear disagreement between the two over elements of the case.
So, in light of any possibility that the litigation would continue (in addition to any possibility that the judge might not fully remove himself from the matter, as had been previously described by Burns as a possibility) the committee was back to entertaining a “parallel track” concept to “expedite” the “main objective” of getting Medford Lakes-Tabernacle Road reopened, all as the governing body heard pleas from a local farmer contending his livelihood is on the line due to the closure, as well as from a woman who described excess speeding on one of the detour routes.
And while the committee voted on June 24 to obtain a structural engineer to proceed with their plan, and there is a possible settlement in the works, the truth of the matter was probably best summarized at one point by Crain, “Unfortunately, it is in the judge’s hands,” as it will ultimately be up to Hertzberg to formally dismiss the case.
Still, Deputy Mayor Joseph Barton recounted on June 24 that during the previous committee meeting, Mayor Noble McNaughton had appointed him and
Committeeman William Sprague, Jr. to a subcommittee that was “originally” going to prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) to retain a structural engineer to give an analysis of the building, a report on how to secure the building and recommendations on how to secure and move the building.
“Mr. Sprague and I met, and with his experience and my experience in projects –together we have bid many, many jobs, and we determined that in order to get numbers two and three, you have to have one done first – you have to know what the condition is of the building before you can get a price for securing the building, … and before you can get a price for moving the building.”
And “we saw that as a long process,” with there also being a concern that any bids on stages two and three would “possibly be overinflated” and there could also be qualification challenges that would further delay the process.
As a result, according to Barton, it is the subcommittee’s recommendation to now have a “structural engineer” from Pennoni Associates, the township’s existing engineering firm, “do an analysis of the building,” and “number two, if the building needs to be secured, describe what it would take.”
But it immediately raised the hackles of one woman attending the session, pointing to Pennoni’s Tom Leisse, who has been providing the municipal engineering services for the township, having been one of a chorus of township professionals to deem the building in imminent danger of collapse, and ultimately ruled the facility could not be salvaged, part of what had prompted the earlier narrow committee decision to raze the building, which was only stopped by the temporary court-issued injunction.
She asked what would happen if the Pennoni structural engineer wrote on Pennoni letterhead that bracing the building is a possibility and “contradicts” what Leisse had earlier “said on their letterhead.”
“Does that open Pennoni up to fraud and misrepresentation?” she asked.
McNaughton answered, “I think you will find out Mr. Leisse’s letter is based on … he is not a structural engineer … his letter is based on what other structural engineers had said.”
But, in addition to Leisse previously offering on the record his professional opinion that the building was posing an imminent danger (though it was later found he is a chemical engineer), an examination of court documents by this newspaper found it was a Pennoni stamped document that had been supplied to the court with an official “fall plan” that has helped contribute to the closure of Medford Lakes-Tabernacle Road.
When the woman pressed what exposure there would be to the township by having a structural engineer from Pennoni do an examination, asking about what it would “open the township to,” McNaughton answered, “I don’t know – I am not a lawyer.”
“To go to the same engineer … you are going to open a Pandora’s box …,” the woman declared. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
Leisse, who came under fire at the previous township committee meeting (for a hot mic remark earlier in the spring seeking to do the analysis work on the facility, objecting to a structural engineer being brought in, when in fact he is not a structural engineer), was not in attendance at the June 24 meeting. Instead, his name had been replaced on an agenda with that of “Mr. Raday.”
(second from left), president of the Burlington County Clerk’s Association, as well as outgoing Southampton Township Administrator and Clerk Kathleen D. Hoffman (third from left) and other past and present clerks from Burlington County.
DEDICATION
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immediately following Southampton Mayor Michael Mikulski’s announcement that, “Our administrator and clerk, Ms. Hoffman, has announced her retirement after years of service to the township.”
As recognized by Eastampton Township Clerk Kim White, president of the Clerk’s Association, Hoffman started her service in 1997 when she was hired by Mount Holly Township, where she served in various capacities, including working as a planning board secretary and deputy township clerk. Hoffman was then appointed the township clerk of Mount Holly Township in 2002, “demonstrating her commitment and expertise in municipal governance.”
In 2006, Hoffman, as White recounted, “took on a dual role” as Mount Holly’s township manager and clerk, “further showcasing her leadership and dedication.”
OVERSIGHT
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Heston, during a May 21 Southampton committee meeting, acknowledged that the township-maintained list “had not been updated since 2017” and “unfortunately” it had “created a problem.”
“However, that has since been rectified, as I understand it,” the deputy mayor declared. Now, according to Southampton Mayor
Then, in 2011, Hoffman took over in Southampton from Michael McFadden in being appointed township administrator (and clerk), “where she continued to serve with distinction,” maintained White. Hoffman, during all but the last four years of her Southampton stint, also served as municipal clerk of Washington Township, exiting that role in 2020, as this newspaper previously reported.
“Throughout her career, Kathy has exemplified the values and dedication of professionalism in service to her community,” contended White in reading the proclamation aloud. “We express our deepest appreciation for her hard work and commitment, and wish her a fulfilling and joyful retirement.”
As part of the association’s recognition of Hoffman, other clerks – both past and present – throughout the county came in person to congratulate Hoffman on her retirement, including Moorestown Township Clerk Patricia Hunt who “worked
Michael Mikulski, during a subsequent June 18 Southampton committee meeting, the township committee has moved to revise the original 2014 ordinance through a new ordinance.
“What we have in Southampton is a ‘No-Knock Ordinance,” Mikulski explained. “So, you can put your name on a list, and solicitors, when they come here to register to say they are going to solicit in Southampton – it does not mean they always do that, but they are supposed
with Kathy since the beginning of time,” noting that one of the other roles Hoffman has held during her years of service is registrar of vital statistics.
Hunt recounted the moment that the township manager position had opened in Mount Holly, having advised Hoffman, “‘It takes a lot of time and effort; you would be great at it.’”
“Thank you for your service to your community, from the Clerk’s Association and from the members personally of the Clerk’s Association,” Hunt declared.
Hoffman’s departure also drew a rare public appearance from now-retired Tabernacle Township Clerk LaShawn Barber (who spent some 26 years working as a municipal clerk).
“She actually helped me out when I worked for Washington, in addition to Tabernacle,” said Barber, noting that when she had been the clerk of Washington, Hoffman served as her deputy. “Thank you for all your help and support.”
Retirement, Barber advised Hoffman, “feels so good.”
It led Hoffman, who responded that she “can’t wait,” to give some insight into how her retirement had come about, sharing that, “He (Mikulski) kind of talked me into it.”
“I am not trying to get rid of her,” Mikulski retorted. “All I said was, ‘Do you really want to keep doing this when you have your time in? Enjoy life.’”
The Southampton mayor, who began the session, in part, by stating he is “thankful for Kathy’s service,” later recognized that “when I joined the committee, having no idea what I was stepping into, you helped teach me what to do and where to go.”
“When I became mayor, it probably was hardest on you because you were so used to the way Jim (Young) does things,” Mikulski added. “Jim and I get along great, but we are not the same, and do things very differently. So, you had to adapt, and you did so flawlessly. Thank you for your service to the community.”
Southampton Committeewoman
to – get provided a list of what doors to knock on.
“Our original ordinance said they (the township workers) have to re-up that list every three years. That is a lot of extra work on the township that, frankly ,we don’t have the staff to do. This ordinance is going to change that, if passed – once you sign up for that list, you are on it for life, until you ask to be removed from it or sell your house.”
The new ordinance was unanimously
Elizabeth Rossell, in also congratulating Hoffman on her retirement, observed that “Kathy has always been available.”
“I have been here 11 years, and there has never been a time where Kathy is not available,” Rossell contended. “She doesn’t make appointments, you just knock on the door – that is what is so remarkable, and that is what we are going to miss.”
Southampton Deputy Mayor Ronald Heston, who pointed out that he began serving on the township committee in January 2012, just three weeks after Hoffman had gotten hired in Southampton, noted that if “I saw something and didn’t understand it, liked it or didn’t like it, when I stopped in, she took the time to talk to me to make sure I understood it.”
“It was a pleasure to work with you, and you will be missed,” Heston asserted.
But the most moving goodbye appeared to come from Vincent Fire Chief Scott Mitchell, who thanked the outgoing administrator and clerk “for her many years of support.”
“I can honestly say I have worked with several bosses, and Kathy was by far the best and most supportive person we ever had working with us,” Mitchell declared. “So, we want to say thank you.”
Then, in adding a “personal note,” Mitchell said he has “thought of Kathy as a work mom because every time I do something stupid, she was never afraid to yell at me and make sure I was doing the right thing.”
“It really helps,” he said of how Hoffman worked with him. “It is a volunteer organization, and you take over and you are learning for the very first time and you make a lot of mistakes. It is nice to have somebody who has been around the block long enough to say, ‘Hey don’t … (do it like this).’”
It was Rossell who revealed that Fascenda is also leaving at the same time as Hoffman, declaring of the administrative assistant, “I am going to be sorry to see her go. We are going to miss her in the office.”
Meanwhile, Barber passed off “my old clerk’s bag” to Brown, with White telling Brown, “We are here for you, honey.”
introduced on June 18, with a second reading and public hearing scheduled for July.
“So, this comes directly from members of the community who had their voices heard,” Mikulski declared. “And we have listened.” And for anyone thinking about soliciting in LeisureTowne now, according to the mayor, the situation has been “rectified in that the list now includes the entirety of LeisureTowne,” home to over 2,250 homes, the largest community in the township.
Photo Provided
Melanie Brown (left), Southampton Township’s new clerk, is joined with Kim White
ORDINANCE
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In calling for a “special meeting” of the Washington committee “solely for the purpose of discussing this,” Barbara Cavileer noted that Mullica Township’s ordinance “broke it down into zones” and “determined the percentage in each zone” or “number” of short-term rentals that could be had in each one.
The ordinance calls for a revaluation of the situation “every six months,” following conversations with the police and local emergency services. She explained that the ordinance also applies restrictions on short-term rentals, such as allowing no more than two vehicles per property.
“There is a lot more we can do than just say, ‘No,’” Barbara Cavileer contended.
In May, when local officials were asked if there had been any complaints about the Airbnb in the 2000 block of River Road owned by McBride, they would not say, with Township Solicitor Tom Coleman interjecting that “the amount or number of complaints should not be a barometer of why we are adopting this.”
Brennan then asked if the township could provide two things to him, one being a record of the number of short-term rentals in the township, and the other a log of police service calls with respect to short-term rentals.
Coleman had answered that he doesn’t believe the municipality has a figure on the number of short-term rentals currently in the township, and as for the second request, he retorted, “the answer is no –but that is not the barometer of why we are considering adoption.”
Brennan, at this latest committee session, inquired of how many citations were issued, maintaining it is his understanding no citations have ever been issued.
“Like our solicitor said, we are not going line-by-line and testifying,” said Gadd in pointing to Raymond having said it is not a question-and-answer session, adding that the case was made at the previous meeting, to which Brennan contended the last session was “invalid” because of an alleged “procedural defect” in a May hearing notice.
“This is now your opportunity to offer supporting facts adopting this ordinance,” asserted Brennan of the June do-over public hearing.
After Gadd continued to point to Coleman’s May comments (that the number of complaints should not be a barometer in adopting an ordinance) and no longer would answer the attorney’s questions directly, Brennan retorted the township ordinance states short-term rentals are causing a “’nuisance’” in the township and “I have not seen evidence of that whatsoever.”
“It also indicates there have been ‘noise complaints,’ and I have not seen evidence of that whatsoever,” Brennan continued. “It talks about ‘sanitation issues, and I have not seen evidence of that whatsoever. It cites ‘overcrowding,’ and I have not seen evidence of that whatsoever. In fact, I have not seen any evidence for any of the allegations in the recitals.
“Once more, I would bet if I were to do an OPRA (Open Public Records Act) request, I would find those things
to be true with respect to single family, multifamily dwellings and other types of short-term rentals.”
Brennan further declared that any passage of the short-term rental ordinance that is before the Washington governing body is the “very definition of arbitrary and capricious.”
“As you may recall from last month, even though you are not entitled to rely on last month, there has to be a rationale relationship in adopting an ordinance, and a means you are seeking to achieve. That is absolutely absent here, and there is no basis to prohibit short-term rentals.”
Brennan once again “urged” officials to “take a look at the Mullica Township ordinance,” calling it “very well drafted.”
“It is clear a lot of thought went into that ordinance,” Brennan said. “That ordinance balances the interest of the municipality and its property owners. I respectfully submit it is an appropriate ordinance to consider, not the ordinance that completely prohibits short-term rentals when there has been no evidence, whatsoever, that they have been a problem.”
But while no evidence was presented to the governing body on June 11, a woman residing on River Road in Lower Bank came forward, and in supporting the ordinance, described having had an “experience” on her street in which cars were traveling at a “high rate of speed” and claimed to have found, in investigating the source of the vehicles, that they are “always at the Airbnb.”
In a “small town” with simply regular neighbors, one can “always ask the neighbors to slow down,” but one cannot do that with those not from the town, she maintained.
She then went on to describe a second purported incident, in which “kayakers showed up,” were purportedly asked to leave, but then “proceeded to stay there for an hour and stared for an hour.”
“We discovered where they were from, and found that they were at the Airbnb,” she charged.
That was pretty much the extent of any complaints involving the McBride Airbnb (in addition to one from a woman that the maintenance and cleaning crews bring traffic to the area), however, with the other concerns more overall ones, and on the basis of what could happen in town if the door is left open to shortterm rentals (and again, a direct neighbor of McBride, Gail Cavileer, maintained none of the issues listed in the ordinance have happened at his Airbnb).
One woman who declared that she “loves our little town in the Village of Lower Bank,” described that she does “not believe in short-term rentals.”
“I believe any rentals should be for 30 days or more, so background checks and credit reports can help establish who our neighbors may be,” she further contended. “When you do any short-term rental, you cannot do that.”
The woman described her fear that any short-term rentals in the township could attract “criminals, drug dealers, pedophiles, and so on.”
“Not everybody is what they seem,” she contended in calling any renters “strangers” to the community.
She added that, “I think this door
ENGINEER
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“I would like to introduce our new engineer,” said McNaughton in pointing to a man never seen before at township meetings during the Town Hall dispute, seated in Leisse’s seat. Then the man introduced himself as “Joseph Raday,” a “professional engineer in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Ohio who runs “Pennoni’s Camden office.”
“I served in various municipalities in my career of 25 years, as a township engineer, planning board engineer, zoning board engineer and an environmental engineer,” Raday maintained. “I completed a lot of projects in the adjacent townships, including Southampton, Vincentown. So, I am familiar with the process.”
This newspaper, however, could not ascertain whether Leisse had actually resigned, or has been replaced, or is still the township engineer. And when this newspaper later inquired as much from Burns, he answered, “I am not sure of the answer to that – Mayor McNaughton introduced the new gentleman as the ‘new township engineer’ last evening; however, it is also my understanding Mr. Leisse continues to do engineering work unrelated to Town Hall for the township.”
Another question that Burns could not quite answer for this newspaper – how come bringing in a structural engineer from Pennoni had never been raised before as a possibility during the course of the Town Hall dispute.
Leisse, as previously reported by this newspaper, when there was the earlier push to demolish the Town Hall by the thenmayor Mark Hartman and now-former Deputy Mayor Natalie Stone, when it was asked by McNaughton and Sprague to bring in a structural engineer to render an opinion before moving forward with any vote to raze the facility, had described how they are difficult to find and schedule. He never mentioned Pennoni had them inhouse.
“I don’t know,” said Burns when the question was put to him, simply pointing out that Construction Official Tom Boyd and Leisse “who is a professional engineer (PE)” had already “issued statements” declaring the building was deemed unsafe and in danger of collapse, in addition to “supplemental reports” having been issued (though that was eventual, and only at the ultimate behest of the Pinelands Commission) by Michael A. Beach & Associates and SE2 Engineering.
Also reacting to Barton’s subcommittee pronouncement that it is recommending to the committee obtaining the services of a Pennoni structural engineer, was resident and local transparency advocate Fran Brooks.
She pointed to the announcement from Burns just last month that both the plaintiffs and the township had “come to an agreement about an independent engineer,” who specializes in historical structures, to be appointed by the court.
“Why did that process stop?” Brooks asked, but to which she got no answer at the session (Burns later told this newspaper the parties agreed to an independent evaluation by an engineering firm and the process has not stopped).
She also questioned why the township had “filed a motion for reconsideration” to the court (just prior to the pair of committee reorganizations), contending that has “put back the process,” as well as what has become
numerous letters being sent to the judge.
“You don’t need a parallel track,” declared Brooks, and in further pointing to a previously described committee plan to ask the judge to have the agreed-upon independent structural engineer “expand the scope of work” to determine whether the building would fall into the road and how it can be shored up, added, “You (were) going to have that engineer do the full scope of work.”
“Implement it!” she said. “Don’t delay it anymore! Don’t send letters to the judge that he is not going to answer!”
By sending various letters that appear to describe multiple changes in approach, Brooks declared, Hertzberg must be “looking back and saying, ‘What is wrong with these people? Have they not gotten the message?’”
Ultimately Crain would initially appear to side with Brooks, calling the parallel track plan a “waste of money.” That led Burns to recognize “it appears the plaintiff has objections to this.” The two then quibbled over what the plaintiffs’ attorney had and had not consented to or been told, causing Burns to recommend not moving forward with the parallel track plan given the “totality” of what had just occurred.
Tabling the parallel track plan had the support of McNaughton, who then described that the committee is facing a “tough” situation, but then Barton questioned when the independent structural engineer was scheduled to start their analysis, and if the scope of work has been decided.
Burns answered neither had been set by the court.
It led Barton to assert that “knowing that uncertainty,” a motion for Pennoni to reassess the building would be a wise decision as it would open the door to the possibility that the committee could “get that report, and if there is a way to support the building as a result of his report,” it could then be taken to the judge and/or done, with there also being the possibility a “positive report (one that disagrees with the prior attestations of the professionals) would be a way to open the road.”
“The committee would be in a better position to know how to move forward with that project,” Barton further declared. McNaughton responded that while he does “have confidence in the engineer from Pennoni,” in apparent response to the woman who raised concerns with that firm (and others who shouted, “conflict of interest” at the suggestion), declared, “But, I do think, to be more open, we should look at hiring a historic structural engineer.”
But the potential length of the RFP process was something that ultimately caused McNaughton, along with Barton, Hartman, and Sprague to pass a motion, as announced by Township Administrator and Clerk Maryalice Brown, to “hire Rob Powers, a structural engineer from Pennoni, to assess the building, provide a report of the structural integrity of the building, and then also prepare a report on how we can secure the building as it currently stands, and then for Solicitor Burns to take that report to the court and see if the judge, based on that report, will allow us to open the road, but also allowing the third-party independent engineer to continue his or her work.”
Barton, in convincing McNaughton to proceed, assured him that when engineers “put their seal on a document, they basically put their career on the line.”
Committeeman Samuel “Sammy”
See ENGINEER/ Page 15
JULY
JULY 7
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JULY WEEKENDS
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(Continued from Page 6)
into a “nightclub” on weekends. Dean said he had looked at the original planning resolution from July 2021, which “allowed them to have an outdoor seating area with music,” which was supposed to be in effect for three years, and said he wondered whether there was a new such resolution “coming through with public comment.”
“We’re in a position now where it seems all the residents are having the same sort of issues and complaints. but Chicken or Egg seems to be winning,” Dean ventured, adding, “That is not how it is supposed to work. We are supposed to be a community here.”
Especially outspoken on the subject was Drew Viscidy, of Albany Avenue, who maintained that the noise generated at CHEGG on weekends causes the walls of his house to vibrate for five hours every Sunday, despite the fact he lives half a mile away.
“That sound is literally going a half mile through the sound of traffic on Route 70, through woods, through the walls of a house with the TV on, and I can still understand what words are being said,” he asserted, adding that in his opinion Sunday should “just be a day of peace, not (having) someone else’s choice of inappropriate language (forced) down your throat.”
Viscidy, who called himself “probusiness,” noted that he was “actually surprised it is allowed to get to this point” in a place like Evesham, which he otherwise considers a “wonderful” and well-run town he is proud to live in.
“There is a concept called the right to quality enjoyment, and I think it is time for that to be established,” he contended. ”So, if legislation needs to be drafted, I’d ask that it addresses not just decibels, but aspects like duration, day of the week, quality of life and also the language.”
Another Overington Avenue resident, Dennis Ventura, said he could not sit out on his patio on a Sunday evening because “I am blown out of my own yard” by the noise. Ventura, a motorsports enthusiast, noted that the communities hosting such activities require mufflers and have prohibitions on excessive noise.
“If they can do that in other municipalities, why can’t we do it here?” he asked.
Ventura added that it might be one thing if just one person complained.
“But a whole neighborhood, and then some half a mile away?” he asked. “ We have issues here.”
Jeffrey Foster, also of Overington Avenue, told the council members that what they had just heard from his neighbors was “no exaggeration.”
“I’m trying to wrap my head around it, because it’s beyond my understanding,” he continued. “It seems like they double down after you call (to complain), you know to prove a point. So, something does have to be done about it— it is unacceptable.”
Chief Miller, attempting to address the exasperation expressed by the residents in not being able to simply get officials to order the volume turned down and their tranquility restored, explained in his subsequent report to the council that the law doesn’t quite work the way people might expect, and members of his department are obliged to operate within their available options when it comes to noise violations.
For one thing, while “state law does have provisions that govern decibel readings during the day and night that would be pertinent to this,” he said, it also allows for them to be enforced “through the Department of Health, not through a police department,’ which “limits our ability to enforce that state law.”
In purely practical terms, that means that a complainant ‘s course of action would be to fill out a form available online and submit it to the county health department after filling it out, since that department “will not take third-party complaints,” meaning any that might be filed with local police.
Once an individual has submitted a report through the proper channel, he said, they can expect to hear back from the health department which will investigate the complaint using a decibelmeasuring device.
“Filling out the form is not enough,” Miller maintained. “They need to come out to measure the noise and figure out whether it falls within allowable parameters. (So), when they call, please respond to them, and schedule a time for them to come to your home and conduct the investigation.”
Once having determined that the noise exceeds permitted levels, he said they will then attempt to get compliance from the business involved in reducing it or, barring that, “work towards enforcement.”
But Miller noted that his department’s hands aren’t tied completely, as the local ordinance specifies times during which excessive noise is not permitted. From Sunday through Thursday, the zero hour is 10 p.m., and on Fridays and Saturdays, an hour later.
“If we get complaints of noise after those hours, we have the capacity to go out there and investigate it,” the chief said.
And while the department’s usual approach is to seek compliance, “we can issue ordinance violations and we have,” he said.
Also, “any citizen has the right to sign an ordinance violation against anyone,” he pointed out. In that event, it will be reviewed by a municipal judge and if found to contain “probable cause,” an adversarial court hearing will be set up.
One such citizen-initiated case involving an alleged Sunday violation, Miller revealed, was in the process of “progressing through the court” at the time of the meeting.
There are also some “zoning and planning rules” that the chief said were put in place when the building housing the eatery went up, which may be subject to enforcement, but, again, not by the police department. However, he said, the latter has been working with community development officials “who would have the enforcement capacity” where any such violations were concerned, and which, with the help of the department, “has issued some violation notices and enforcement actions that have resulted in conversations with the business to try to gain compliance.”
Miller further told of his having met on the issue with the municipal court judge, but added, “I have to be very careful in my meetings with her,” as “I
PICKLEBALL
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contributing to both “physical and social well-being,” noting that he had “met a bunch of people playing pickleball I never would have met.”
Fortino also emphasized that pickleball facilities should be designed to accommodate special-needs adults and children who also enjoy the sport and that “it is very important to look at construction goals … to make sure we do it right.”
A previous attempt to provide Evesham residents with pickleball
cannot persuade her to go one way or the other in a probable cause finding or on our interpretation of the law.”
“But I just wanted her to understand the issue that we’re facing as a police department and a community,” he added.
In essence, the chief wanted residents to know that “We’re doing everything we can to address this,” including consulting with the solicitor and making sure every officer on the force understands the way the process works.
“But I am just asking for some patience right now and just trust in what we’re doing, and I'm hoping it works out,” Miller said.
Also weighing in on the matter were members of the township council, including Mayor Jaclyn “Jackie” Veasy who revealed she had spoken with the county health department about it and promised that “we’re going to be working together with them and working with the solicitor and working with council colleagues to try to see what we can mitigate” and come to a resolution between the council and the town and the residents and the business.
“We have to make sure that when we make an ordinance change, or we make any kind of policy decision, that it’s done the right way,” declared Veasy, adding that as much as she hates to say it, “none of that moves very quickly – but we are trying to work through it as fast as we can, and we will hopefully come to a resolution as quickly as we can.”
Which may not be quite quickly enough for some residents facing the prospect of more weekends of shaking walls and windows and having their conversations drowned out by highvolume vulgarities disseminated into their domiciles.
courts at Brush Hollow Park failed last year after immediate neighbors of the facilities complained of the noise made by players and the disruption caused by their vehicles, after which the courts themselves were deemed deficient by the township and closed. Ever since, local aficionados of the increasingly popular pastime have complained to town officials about having to travel to neighboring communities to use the courts they offer their residents.
“Almost every surrounding municipality has courts that are available,” pointed out lifelong Evesham resident Jim Draper, who
See PICKLEBALL/ Page 13
Worship Guide
FirstBaptist Church
ORDINANCE
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should be closed and we stay the village we are now,” pointing out the township already has trouble in getting police to respond to calls for service.
Another woman from River Road, in concurring with the woman talking about her fear of bringing “strangers” to town, declared, “We don’t need transients in our township!”
“Even though I hated every minute of building my home (in going through various permitting and approval processes), I realized we needed these laws and regulations,” she said. “It is so we can retain our history, values and the quaintness of this special place. It becomes part of your soul, and you want to protect it. We are in a Pinelands Preservation area, and we need to protect it.”
A man, also from River Road, maintained the “Master Plan does not support the idea of short-term rentals.”
“I applaud the township committee for taking a stand and creating an ordinance that would prohibit short-term rentals,” he said.
After acknowledging that he owns three rental houses in Lower Bank, the man said he “doesn’t think my neighbors would be happy” if he converted them into short-term rental units, “as it would create excessive noise and bring strangers into the town” who would “not know people as they pass by on a very narrow road.”
Another woman to speak out in favor of the ordinance “appreciates and respects” what McBride does to “vet your renters and applicants,” but there is “nothing saying you have to do that.”
“You are the one doing that,” she declared.
McBride responded that, “I am completely open to regulation,” and am “just asking for a middle ground,” including limiting the number of licenses available in the town if the “concern becomes rampant.”
But the second woman to speak in favor of the ordinance returned to the microphone to say that “if it is such a beautiful property,” she believes “a lot of people will rent it out for 30 days or more” and it would provide him with “steady income.”
“At least you can do a background check,” she contended.
Former Washington committeeman Barry Cavileer, in pointing out that Mullica Township was mentioned four or five times throughout the discourse, said he had spoken to the Mullica mayor on June 10, a day before the June 11 Washington committee session, and he reportedly told him of their ordinance that sets zones for short-term rentals, “It is ‘working very well’ over there.”
“Just because it is Mullica does not mean it is automatically the right thing for Washington,” the former committeeman said. “But if it is working great, I think it is worth checking into. You as a township committee could decide on how many are allowed in each zone. If you wanted it limited, it is up to you.”
Barry Cavileer noted that while he is not of the opinion “one way or the other” on the Washington ordinance, he feels “the McBrides, and perhaps somebody else, maybe since we had nothing (in place), deserve a chance.”
“I would just like to see fairness here for the people who already invested a great deal of money,” Barry Cavileer said.
There was one other woman who spoke out, a resident of seven years who came forward to say, “when I am away, I can rent my property for short term and it allows for a little bit of income,” contending she came to the meeting with a “different concern” of, “Am I going to be able to stay here?” with increases observed in taxes and utilities.
“What caused this to even come to your attention that it was a concern and needed to be addressed with an ordinance?” she asked. “I am curious as to the process used in evaluating the township, and I am not understanding the actual process.”
Washington Deputy Mayor Daniel James, who tried to get a short-term rental prohibition in place when he was Washington’s mayor, said the committee has “thought long and hard about this” and has been “going at this for quite a while,” and he has concluded “there is, to me, more Airbnbs” in town that “we didn’t know about” previously and “probably more we don’t know about.” He disputed the action being taken was personal or targeting McBride and recognized “we have heard nothing but praises on how you maintain your property.”
The ordinance than passed, with James, Gadd and Committeeman Dudley Lewis voting in the affirmative.
A few moments after the vote, Gadd claimed that “while Mullica may have an ordinance, I can tell you that I know of people affected by short-term rentals in the neighborhood, and they are not happy.”
“That blanket statement by the township is definitely not the opinion of everyone in the township,” said Gadd of Mullica, appearing to refute what was told to Barry Cavileer.
Gadd added that he “wants to point out
this ordinance is for the protection of all the residents in this township” and “not an attempt to pick on anybody at all.”
“With the amount of rental properties we have in this township, short term can change overnight,” Gadd maintained. “I want to make it clear the (number) can change at any time. In this case, the township committee is looking out for the best interests of the majority of people in this township, because it can literally turn overnight.”
Prior to the vote, McBride said “we will continue to fight it,” even though there are “legal fees for us.” Washington’s ordinance takes after one applied in Medford Lakes, which resulted in a suit and eventual settlement as legal fees were incurred by both parties – and in that case, the plaintiffs ended up getting an extension of time given their investments. And if it doesn’t get overturned or a settlement isn’t reached that is equitable, McBride warned, his family will “probably be in a position of having to sell our home.”
Meanwhile, Barbara Cavileer urged the committee to instead focus on a state law that allows campgrounds to have shortterm rental cabins, pointing to Wading Pines Campground’s website showing the Washington Township-based campground has “16 short-term rental cabins.” She noted every call to the campgrounds in town takes away emergency services and police resources from the townspeople, with it revealed by Gadd, later in the meeting, that during Memorial Day weekend, state police were reportedly called to the campground on six different occasions “for calls for service.”
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PICKLEBALL
(Continued from Page 11)
was involved in coaching youth sports for many years and said he had come to the meeting to help support construction of them in the township. Draper cited the courts in Medford’s Freedom Park as “a template for proper planning and successful organization,” having been built in a nonresidential area with ample parking and bathroom facilities and used by residents “from 6 in the morning until the sun goes down,” with time set aside for seniors on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
Another speaker contended that while there were a total of 83 pickleball courts in neighboring towns, “we have zero, and
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it is kind of an embarrassment.”
One local pickleball player who has been especially put out by the lack of facilities in Evesham, invoked a metaphor from another sport by maintaining that if the township were to secure a location for the courts on the grass field in front of the Gibson House, he thought it would be “a home run.”
All of the various comments prompted Mayor Jaclyn “Jackie” Veasy to extend her thanks to residents for presenting their ideas, “particularly in regard to pickleball which is near and dear to your hearts,” and which she noted “throughout all our meetings has been a topic of conversation,” leading to its being “presented as part of the budget.”
Also responding was Councilwoman Heather Cooper, who said she wanted “to give
See PICKLEBALL/ Page 15
MISCELLANEOUS
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READER ADVISORY
* Reader Advisory: The National Trade Association we belong to has purchased the above classifieds with an asterisk. Determining the value of their service or product is advised by this publication. In order to avoid misunderstandings, some advertisers do not offer employment but rather supply the readers with manuals, directories and other materials designed to help their clients establish mail order selling and other businesses at home. Under NO circumstance should you send any money in advance or give the client your checking, license ID, or credit card numbers. Also beware of ads that claim to guarantee loans regardless of credit and note that if a credit repair company does business only over the phone it is illegal to request any money before delivering its service. All funds are based in U.S. dollars. Toll free numbers may or may not reach Canada.
SPORTS AND RECREATION
For Sale:
• West Marine 9.4-foot Dinghy; Like New
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• Pair of Oars and Oarlocks
• New Life Jacket; Never Used Tag Still On
$1,200 Firm. Must buy complete package. E-mail neuroth@comcast.net or call 609-283-4920. Location Country Lakes, Browns Mills, NJ.
WANTED: PART-TIME HELP
WOODLAND TOWNSHIP is seeking P/T help in their Public Works Department. Must be willing to work Saturdays and Tuesdays; other days are flexible. Experience with heavy equipment is required. Must be willing to work outside doing normal road maintenance, landscaping, and basic vehicle maintenance. CDL license not required. Must be willing to pass DOT physical and drug testing. Interested parties can get an application by calling 609-726-1700 or emailing kwinks@woodlandtownship.org.
LEGAL NOTICES
Special Meeting Scheduled of the Township of Tabernacle,
Buying – Old Cranberry and Blueberry Pickers Tickets from anywhere in Southern New Jersey. Purchasing 1 or 1000 in any condition. Also purchasing tickets with other berries and vegetables printed on them, marked Cranberry scoops, Huckleberry knockers, Peck boxes. Call Eric: 908-319-0057.
PICKLEBALL
(Continued from Page 13)
a
is to hear the difficult conversations, the questions, it is important that we know and understand what people need.”
Cooper also said that while the
she
“I look forward to being an award-winning town of pickleball,” she declared. “This is
ENGINEER
Moore, one of the original three committeepersons to vote for razing the building, has been absent now for two consecutive committee meetings, including the prior session when the demolition rescindment occurred.
Burns, on June 24, maintained that “before having the inspection,”
going to be the best pickleball ever. And it sounds like you guys and the residents who have shared tonight are already ahead of the game and are going to help us make it the best ever. So, let’s just say it will be worth the wait, as I tell my children.”
Pickleball aside, however, the proposed budget presented by Chief Financial Officer Amy Sauls does call for a tax increase of one cent per $100 assessed value, which amounts to an increase of $26.88 annually for the average homeowner— a hike she attributed in large part to factors beyond the township’s control, such as increases in pensions, workers’ compensation, and
he would send a “letter to the court ensuring it is OK with it,” and that also makes sure Attorney Matthew Litt, representing the plaintiffs, “has no objection,” and when he pointed to the earlier objections of Crain to pursuing the parallel path as a waste of money, she retorted, “I am not objecting.”
One possible outcome, according to an unnamed source, of any settlement is that all parties would have an opportunity to review all structural engineering reports from the independent structural engineer and the new Pennoni structural engineer.
Powers’ LinkedIn profile page states,
liability insurance, and higher costs of everyday good and services, but which she said is necessary to “maintain the level of services residents have come to expect.”
Specifying what some of those services involve, Veasy cited such things as the maintenance of municipal parks and ensuring “we have a police department that is taking care of all of us” and is adequately equipped and trained to do so.
“It is a hard decision from all of us on the town council to say we need to look at the taxes and ask for that penny,” she said. “But that is a penny that we all need to give.”
One particularly bright spot in the town’s
“Structural engineering has been a huge interest area my whole life, and I have been fortunate enough to go to Penn State and get a degree in Civil Engineering” and “currently I am employed as a Structural Project Engineer licensed in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Florida.” Further compounding the situation is that the committee decided on June 24 to remove from its bill’s list a portion of a bill from Pennoni to be paid, reflecting the work of Leisse, for $27,000 having an attached description “former Town Hall,” pending further discussion after it was criticized by a public commenter.
overall financial picture, she noted, is the popularity of another sports venue, the Indian Spring Golf Course, which has ben growing in popularity to the point where it is actually “helping to offset revenues” to the tune of a $500,000 transfer of funds from the golf course fund balance.
Another has been the success of the township in securing grant money for various projects and facilities, three more such awards being announced by the mayor just before the meeting adjourned, including “one very big grant for Jake’s Place, a fully inclusive playground to be installed over at Evesboro Downs Park.”
