Aug 5 2017

INSIDE THIS WEEK

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Landlord and Pemberton Administrator Feud Over Sunbury Village, Cameras

Gober Challenges Pemberton Council to Hold Meeting at the Nesbit Center

PHOTO SUBMITTED Law enforcement officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mount Holly Police Department, New Jersey State Police and Pemberton Township Police Department converge on Sunbury Village on May 9.

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—Richard Gober, a major landlord of Sunbury Village, and Pemberton Township Business Administrator Dennis Gonzalez exchanged sharp words with each other this past week as the village is yet again on edge following another shooting.

Gober on June 9 held a meeting with his tenants. He called for the installation of surveillance cameras in the village to combat crime, discussed policing issues in the village and challenged his tenants to come up with a new name for the village.

The issues were raised again during a June Pemberton Township Council meeting.

Police Chief David H. Jantas responded to the Sunbury Village concerns in a 20-minute speech to council last month.

He said a video system would be wonderful, but for a town like Pemberton, it raises some

problems and concerns. He cited a number of limitations including cost and the lack of manpower to monitor it.

The police chief also called on Gober to make an investment in his properties, rather than taxpayers, to help curtail some of the crimes that are happening.

Additionally, Jantas addressed police response in Sunbury Village.

“I will tell you that we pay a lot of attention to Sunbury Village,” he said. “Sunbury Village gets a lot of attention from the police department and administration agreed with me when I met with them.”

Gober, upon learning of Jantas’ remarks through this newspaper, sent a fiery email in response to Jantas. The email was sent to nearly every elected and non-elected Pemberton official, most of his tenants and the press.

“Has anyone out there heard me?” he said.

“I never asked the town to pay for security

surveillance cameras. I started by asking two and a half years ago for the township to simply reach out and see if there was any grant money available. You all answered my questions at the last meeting I attended when I asked, ‘Has anyone tried to get any funding?’ The answer from everyone was ‘No, we have not.’ Why haven’t you?”

Gober said the cameras do not need to be monitored 24/7 and if there is an incident, police can go back the next day and watch a recording of the feed.

“Why do you think there are security cameras in tens of thousands of banks in our country?” he said. “They do not stop bank robberies, but they help catch the bank robber from doing it again.”

The landlord asked Pemberton officials if they watch the news at night.

“Sure, pass the buck on me,” he said. “It is all Richard Gober’s fault. He should buy the

FEUD>>PAGE 20

August 5-11, 2017

Good Farm Project Advances

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—Officials here have authorized more spending related to the planning of the first phase of a major construction project which will transform a large portion of the Good Farm into recreational facilities.

The Southampton Township Committee last month unanimously passed a resolution awarding additional professional engineering services for the Good Farm Recreational Complex.

“This is to award a contract to Environmental Resolutions Inc. (ERI) to do work at the Good Farm for a traffic study and surveying,” said Mayor James F. Young Sr. The resolution authorized a disbursement of $19,150 to the engineering firm for the monitoring of traffic levels on Church Road and Red Lion Road, both of which border the project site and are county roads.

“The county is requiring a traffic study for the roads,” said Committeeman Michael Mikulski.

“If we want to go forward with the project, we have to have this study done.”

The measure also provides the firm with $45,750 to perform a site design and create construction plans.

Additionally, ERI will receive $33,500 for construction observation, $7,250 to develop technical specifications and bid documentation, $4,500 for contract administration, $2,750 to file a Wetlands General Permit Application for the site, $2,500 for bidding services and $2,400 to participate in conferences and meetings.

The total cost of the approved engineering services is $117,800.

Last year, the firm was awarded $27,050 to conduct various planning activities at the site, including soil borings, stormwater management design, Wetlands delineation and a Wetlands survey.

ERI has already developed a concept plan for the project.

Rakesh Darji, lead special-project engineer, said the first phase of the project will involve a portion of the farm that sits closer to Red Lion Road.

“The idea for phase one is to construct two fields,” he said. “A ball field and a multi-purpose field for soccer, football and lacrosse.”

Darji added that he expects the first phase to also include the construction of a parking lot, an access driveway and associated drainage.

Officials now say the first phase of the project will cost about $1 million. The township has about $560,000 in funding obtained through Burlington County municipal park development grants.

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LOCAL NEWS

Achieve 3000 Program Awards Grant to LRHSD; Lenape Roof Repairs Authorized

By Mark Hatoff

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

SHAMONG—A bid awarded for a roof repair and programs focusing on special needs students highlighted the Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) Board of Education meeting on July 19.

Discussion on the roof repair was tabled to executive session. Upon board members returning to public session, a resolution concerning the roof repair passed unanimously, but no details were provided. Officials declined to comment on the details of the roof repair when asked about it.

Details were only revealed through a response to an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request placed with the school district.

The district fulfilled the request on July 26.

The bid was awarded to Alper Roofing of Moorestown at a cost of $138,000. The project entails roof-coating restoration of the ND wing at Lenape High School Also discussed during executive session was affirmation of the administration’s findings in an HIB (Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying) case involving two students.

During the public portion of the meeting, it was reported that a $9,500 grant to benefit special needs students in the district was awarded by Achieve 3000, which, according to the program’s website, provides an online learning tool that adjusts content to a student’s reading level to help build literacy skills.

“We’re really excited that we got this grant,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carol Birnbohm. “The Achieve 3000 reading program matches student’s performance and constantly adjusts to increase the complexity of the questions to increase their reading ability.”

In comments made on July 24, Director of Special Services Patricia Piserchia said that the Achieve 3000 grant consists of site licenses for 100 students, as well as instructional licenses for 10 teachers. The supplemental reading program offers 12 levels of English and seven levels of Spanish. It is designed to improve literacy skills for students reading below grade level, as well as English-language learners.

“While we were reviewing the program, upon learning about our interest, Achieve 3000 offered this grant,” Piserchia said. “The grant will allow us to assess the effectiveness of the program from September through December 2017. After December, if the program proves to be a successful instructional tool that improves literacy skills, the district will consider including the program in the budget.”

In other meeting action, programs at two district schools were approved which will partner high school students with younger

students with special needs.

Here are the details: Cherokee High School’s Students Together for Autism Research (S.T.A.R.) Club will be conducting a new program for Evesham Elementary special needs students at Cherokee High School one day per week during the 2017-18 school year.

“The S.T.A.R. Club’s main goal is to raise awareness about autism research,” said Birnbohm of the club, which is overseen by teachers who volunteer their time and consists of 20 to 30 Cherokee students each year. “It offers an opportunity for students who may want to pursue a field in special education or who may have younger siblings who have autism.”

Birnbohm said the program will expand on the already existing “Motion and Movement,” in which S.T.A.R. Club members pair with the elementary students to work on various activities such as dance routines and singing.

Shawnee High School will be partnering with special needs students on a new activity this summer. On Aug. 14, the school’s senior football players will be hosting a group of students from Haddonfield’s Bancroft school at a pre-season football practice.

“This is a wonderful leadership opportunity for our senior football players,” Birnbohm said.

“They will be working on a number of football skills including a 40-yard dash and footwork drills.”

There were a number of other items that were all unanimously approved by the board, which was missing members Dr. Robert Bende, Steve Lee and President Linda Eckenhoff.

Vice President Paula D. Lee conducted the meeting in Eckenhoff’s absence.

The board awarded a bid to Hillman’s Bus Service to transport students on a Shawnee High School bus route at a per diem cost of $201.49. Details on this item were also only revealed through a response to an OPRA request placed with the school district. The district fulfilled the request on July 26.

The board approved June’s payroll of $7,761,539.98 and the writing of checks totaling $2,218,587.36.

In personnel matters, seven teachers (three for Lenape, two for Shawnee, one for Seneca and one for Cherokee) were approved for an annual total of $396,694. Also, eight other staff members (including four interim teachers) were approved for an annual total of $315,292.

There was a resignation of a guidance counselor at Seneca and a leave of absence approved for a guidance counselor at Shawnee.

The board approved the transfer of a

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$15 Minimum Wage Debated in Wake of Wage Cuts for Public Works Laborers

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

BASS RIVER—A recent Bass River Township Board of Commissioners decision to cut pay for two Department of Public Works laborers served as the backdrop for a raucous back and forth over the municipality’s minimum wage during a board meeting last month.

The pay rate for two Public Works laborers, Dave Williams and Ed Raff, was adjusted to $12 an hour during a May board meeting.

The pay cut was brought up for the second consecutive month, during a July board meeting, as officials set new minimum and maximum salary ranges via an ordinance for municipal employees. The ranges were adjusted primarily to reflect the pay cuts.

The new ranges call for laborers to receive between $8.50 and $15 an hour. The lead laborer and mechanic can receive between $10 and $18 an hour. An equipment operator can receive between $9 and $18 an hour.

Before the ordinance was passed unanimously on second reading, a public hearing descended into a nearly 30-minute back and forth between the commission and attendees over what should be the minimum wage for employees in the Department of Public Works.

Resident Carol Bitzberger, who previously told the board that the pay cut was a very poor way to handle “a situation,” launched the first question. She asked whether the board had the authority to raise the minimum salary range to $15 an hour for Department of Public Works employees.

Commissioner Louis Bourguignon said the board had the authority to raise an employee’s salary to the maximum value in the established range.

He then made comments that appeared to shed some light on why the board decided to cut the pay for Williams and Raff.

“Right now, as far as I am concerned, and I’ll put it out there—I am getting too many complaints about construction debris going into the dumpsters,” he said. “I have to address this right now with the people down there working (at the township’s transfer station). I am getting numerous complaints about it. So, if somebody deserves something—and I am speaking for myself—I am a firm believer if you do good work, you get compensated. But we never drop somebody’s salary unless they are not doing their job.”

Resident William Aaronson called on the board to take a stand and raise the minimum wage for all township employees to $15 an hour.

“I don’t want to address whether somebody does a job or not,” he said. “If they don’t do a job, fire them. What I want to address is I think this township ought to step up to a minimum, livable wage of $15 an hour. I think trying to pay somebody $8.50 an hour is obscene.”

Deputy Mayor Nicholas Capriglione said that officials can’t raise the minimum range to $15 because of the impact it would have if employees perform overtime work (time and one-half their regular rates of pay). He cited snow-plowing operations as an example.

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Southampton Officials Contemplate Retrofit of Three Dump Trucks, Receive $50,000 for Telephone Building Damage and Ban RVs as Living Quarters

By Douglas D. Melegari

He said there are two possible options to retrofit the trucks.

The first is the committee could buy new steel dump beds for the three trucks and have a lining put in them. He estimates the total cost would be around $35,000 or $40,000.

The second is the committee could buy new stainless steel dump beds for the three trucks, which would cost approximately $50,000 to $55,000.

“Salt won’t eat stainless steel—or at least not like it would eat regular steel,” Heston said.

“But, the committee could save $15,000 by buying a steel dump body and having the beds lined. The stainless steel dump body has about a 20 year life, while the steel dump body has a 10 to 12 year life. The life of the trucks are anywhere from a low of three years to a high of six years, before we would have to worry about the motors going bad. So the steel body is the best thing to do.”

Heston said all three vehicles in need of repair have about 100,000 miles on them.

He said each vehicle should be able to take 200,000 to 300,000 miles of usage.

Mayor James F. Young Sr. said he would direct township officials to obtain quotes for the repairs.

In other news, the committee voted unanimously to settle a disputed insurance claim involving the Vincentown and Tabernacle Telephone Company building which has also served as the home to the Southampton Historical Society since 1976.

The building was shuttered for months after

Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—Officials here are contemplating how they want to go about fixing three dump trucks belonging to the municipality.

“We have two Ford F-450s and a larger dump truck which is a Ford F-750 (in need of repair),” said Deputy Mayor Bill Raftery during a July 18 meeting of the Southampton Township Committee. “The truck bodies, or the actual part that dumps, are rotting away and will probably not make it through this year.”

He proposed retrofitting the trucks, rather than purchasing new ones.

“I think for a cost of somewhere between $35,000 and $50,000, we can retrofit those three trucks,” he said. “With the amount of mileage they have on them and their condition, I think we can get another three to four years out of them.”

Committeeman Ronald Heston said he and Raftery went over and inspected the trucks.

“The inside of the beds are shot,” Heston said. “You are going to pour salt in them and the salt is going to run right through. There is no sense in trying to use them to spread salt.”

However, he said the trucks are candidates for retrofitting because their motors are operating and their undercarriages are still sufficient to carry the load.

“To go out and spend $150,000 to $200,000 to replace these three vehicles—when you have perfectly good motors and the rest of the cab and all is in good shape—is a waste of taxpayer dollars,” Heston said.

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License Renewal for Cramer’s Junkyard Temporarily Delayed

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

BASS RIVER—Several residents, fired up over a recent wage decrease (see separate story), also expressed their uneasiness with the Bass River Township Board of Commissioners possibly granting a license renewal to Cramer’s Junkyard, located off Route 542, later this month.

“They haven’t been cleaning up,” said resident William Aaronson during a July board meeting and public hearing on the junkyard.

“When you can’t even clean it up when you are asking for a license, frankly, I think you are being completely disrespectful to these three commissioners.”

He said every year residents come and complain about the junkyard during the annual renewal process and it is time the board deny the license.

“An old tractor has been there for two or three weeks,” he said. “There is a yellow backhoe kind of thing. There is an old bucket and a ski mobile. It’s junk.”

Pat Spagnola, whose father-in-law operates the junkyard, attended the meeting to represent the company.

“It is hard (to clean up) when something is very messy,” he said. “You clean it up and you feel like it is cleaned up, but yet to some eyes it really is not. I know it is not pristine and it is not a golf course.”

Resident Carol Bitzberger questioned the number of cars that are parked near two driveways from Route 9 to Route 542.

“If they are registered, they are allowed to have as many cars as they want,” said Commissioner Louis Bourguignon. “If you have unregistered vehicles, you are allowed two.”

Bitzberger asked if the township knew for sure if they were all registered. Township officials and the board did not comment.

“As far as I know they are registered,” Spagnola said.

He added that the cars in a middle lot belong to the employees.

Aaronson called on the board to send the code enforcement officer to the property to check the vehicle registrations.

Officials briefly discussed how some of the cars on the lot may be 20 years old or older and are therefore considered classic cars, which don’t require vehicle registrations under state law.

The license renewal was tabled by a 2-0 vote pending an engineer’s report on routine watertesting results.

“This is the fifth year in a row, which I can remember, that the license was held up because of the water (testing),” Aaronson said. “There always seems to be a water-report problem.

Sometimes it goes on two or three months.”

Township Solicitor JoAnne O’Connor, interviewed two weeks after the meeting, said this was the third year in a row that the renewal was delayed because of a water-testing problem. She said there is something in the water, at the site, which is naturally created.

“It occurs around the March testing time and it takes a few months to get rid of,” she said.

She said the township engineer’s report was received in the days following the meeting.

“The township engineer is recommending monitoring the wells further,” she said.

“Nothing in the water during the latest test exceeded the maximum contaminant levels.”

O’Connor said the code enforcement officer walked throughout the entire junkyard, due to the complaints, and asked the operator to move

the cars that were near the street.

“The junkyard was inspected and no violations were found,” she said.

The hearing is tentatively scheduled to be continued on Aug. 7 at 7 p.m.

In other action during the meeting, O’Connor provided an update on the old Rustic Inn, also known as Backwater Jacks, located at the intersection of Route 9 and Maple Avenue.

One side of the boarded-up building appears to be collapsing into itself and the commissioners have expressed concern in recent months about the danger the structure poses to rescue crews.

O’Connor said she is continuing to work with the owners’ attorney to demolish the building, but at the same time preserve the owners’ right to build on the lot. She said there are some “issues” with the historical nature of the building.

She cited a Pinelands Commission regulation requiring the owners to maintain a section of wall of the original building to be able to rebuild.

Even though the inn is boarded up and has been closed for years, officials renewed the owners’ plenary retail consumption license for it under special conditions.

“We are renewing this license because if we don’t renew it, the township will lose it,” O’Connor said. “We don’t want to lose the liquor license. This has to be reactivated or up and running by June 30 of 2019 or the license is lost because it has been inactive for so long.”

She said the municipality is trying to find a purchaser for the liquor license and hopes the owner will become more reasonable with a monetary demand for it.

She said one idea that has been tossed around is selling the license to Wawa since they now offer liquor carry out in some stores.

“We do not want to lose the license as it will not be reissued,” she said. “There are not enough people. It goes by the number of people in the area and the town has an extra license.”

Plenary retail consumption licenses for New Gretna Liquors and Breeze’s Dock Bar and Grill were also OK’d.

A resolution awarding a one-year contract to Transformation Enterprises for solid waste collection services was approved. The contract will expire on May 31, 2018.

“This is to take our solid-waste to the landfill,” said Township Clerk Amanda Somes.

Two collection options were offered.

The first utilizes a compactor with one pickup per round trip for a cost of $550.

The second is for bulky waste with one pickup per round trip for a cost of $560.

The town’s solid waste will continue to be hauled to the Burlington County Resource Recovery Complex. Therefore, the board endorsed a new agreement between the county and the township for solid-waste disposal services.

A lease agreement between the township and Jersey Shore Live Steam Organization or the Tuckerton Railroad and Steamship Company was renewed for five years or until June 30, 2022.

The organization has leased a portion of the Bass River Township Municipal Park for maintenance and operation of a railroad track, for the use of live steam engines, since April 16, 2007. The construction of an elevated walkway in an effort to provide an aerial view of the park for bird watching is part of the organization’s future plans.

A resolution creating a Qualified Purchasing

JUNKYARD>>PAGE 21

PAGE 5

Proposal to Privatize Trash Collection Services in Southampton Loses Traction

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—A proposal to privatize trash collection services in Southampton Township appears to have lost support from the Southampton Township Committee, at least for now.

The committee first weighed the proposal during a meeting held on April 7, 2016. At the time, the committee cited the need to reduce costs and directed township officials to produce a cost comparison of in-house trash collection versus contracting with a private hauler.

Discussion on the proposal resurfaced during a budget meeting earlier this year.

Committeeman Michael Mikulski urged his colleagues to give it some consideration while Mayor James F. Young Sr. warned against privatizing trash collection services.

“I know that from time to time, it has been mentioned here in public that one of the things we might consider is privatizing the trash department,” said Deputy Mayor Bill Raftery during a July 18 meeting. “Although that is a consideration, it is my opinion that we should probably not. I think it is probably the consensus of this group that we maintain our trash department and our guys picking up trash.”

Raftery then asked the committee to consider the purchase of a new garbage truck.

“The truck that we have now is old, outdated and frankly could use some upgrades in terms of safety,” he said. “I would like us to consider purchasing a garbage truck. We are long overdue with it. I would like to get this ball rolling and start moving on it.”

Committeeman Ronald Heston, who also expressed his disapproval of privatizing trash services, said he obtained garbage truck pricing while walking through an equipment showroom at a League of Municipalities Convention in Atlantic City.

He said trash trucks can be very expensive and the township needs a 26- to 28-yard trash truck.

“One price, without any safety equipment included, was about $225,000,” Heston said. “I got another price from another manufacturer.

That was $280,000.”

He also recommended the committee purchase extra equipment when and if they purchase a garbage truck.

“There is some extra equipment that we should add that could add another $2,000 to the

overall cost of a basic trash truck,” Heston said.

“The first one, as an extra item, is a rear camera with sound.”

He said the drivers of the current trash trucks (the township operates two) sit 10 to 12 feet away from the person on the back and have to holler to each other if there is a problem.

“If there is a problem, he (the person on the back of the truck) can holler,” Heston said.

“With a camera, he (the driver) can see it.”

Also recommended were emergency shutoff buttons.

“Right now, if there is a mechanical problem, the driver might hear something and he can stop it (the truck),” he said. “If there are emergency shutoff buttons on each side of the rear back, no matter what is going on, the man in the back can hit it and alert the driver that there is a problem and the truck won’t move.”

Heston said emergency shutoff buttons and a rear camera are “critical” equipment to have on a garbage truck.

“I want our personnel to be absolutely safe,” he said. “Every time we are around our personnel, we hear there is a definite need for a trash truck.”

Township Solicitor George Morris asked if the funding to procure a new garbage truck was available in this year’s municipal budget.

“How much do we have in surplus?” said Raftery sarcastically. “I think we have the money, unless we want to raise taxes again.”

Raftery was referencing a recent revelation that the township has built a $1.2 million surplus. The revelation was in stark contrast to the comments made and actions taken by township officials and committee members over the past two years.

Following the revelation, the committee voted, 4-1, with Raftery opposed, to adopt a $6,603,556 municipal budget for 2017. The budget implemented a 1.5 cent tax increase to fund municipal road improvements, despite the surplus.

The committee opted to take the surplus down to $650,000 for the year. However, the surplus would need to have been dropped to around $500,000 to avoid an increase in taxes.

Raftery called for the surplus to be dropped to around $500,000 and was against increasing the local-purpose tax under the township’s current circumstances.

“I would just like to see the committee get this done and get it off the ground,” Raftery

PROPOSAL>>PAGE 21

Pemberton’s Water Carnival Draws Enthusiastic Crowd to the Shores of Mirror Lake

By Adam Tait III

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

PEMBERTON—The 49th annual Pemberton Township Water Carnival drew an enthusiastic crowd to the shores of Mirror Lake Sunday.

The threat of rain had pushed the nearly day-long affair back one day from Saturday.

There were a surprisingly small number of exhibitors’ tents at the carnival, seven in all, only two of which offered food. One was funnel cakes and beverages. On this hot day, the $1 bottles of water, ice cold, moved briskly.

The other served the more traditional hot dogs and other sandwiches.

Other exhibitors offered window treatments, adoption services, or sought funds for churches in El Salvador, Central America. The Jehovah’s Witnesses also attended. The last two were the township’s highly-regarded Department of Public Works and Republican Club. The GOP

may have corralled some possible local votes with their distribution of free ice pops, which were a big hit due to the heat and humidity.

There was also a display featuring a bell atop a tall pole. Hit it and the bell rang. One young boy, about 10, rang the bell five or six times in as many tries, but several adults failed.

Local activist America Phillips and Pemberton Board of Education member Terry Maldonado were among those who made an appearance.

Maldonado was accompanied by her mom, Shirley Ferrara, who sat with me during the fireworks, a 20-minute show that brought the event to a close, just before 10 p.m. She said she enjoyed the grand finale.

Overwhelmingly, the audience was parents with children 10 or under. The number of teens was surprisingly low. Perhaps the entire carnival was a tad too tame for the older kids.

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Saturday, August 5, 2017

Pine Barrens Festival 2017

PHOTO BY VINCE DEBLASIO The Pine Barrens Festival was held from July 24-29th on the Holy Eucharist Roman Catholic Church grounds in Tabernacle Township.

PHOTO BY VINCE DEBLASIO Visitors enjoyed a variety of games and entertainment.

PHOTO BY VINCE DEBLASIO The Ferris Wheel ride is always a popular attraction for festival-goers.

PHOTO BY VINCE DEBLASIO People lined up to take a ride on the “Alien Abduction.”

PHOTO BY VINCE DEBLASIO Festival attendees enjoyed a summer night at the festival.

PHOTO BY STEVEN SINGER An aeriel photo of the festival sights.

Saturday, August 5, 2017

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

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SCANNER Evesham Police Investigate Burglary of Golf Pro Shop EVESHAM—During the early morning hours of July 24, an unknown suspect caught on surveillance video burglarized the Links Golf Course Pro Shop at 100 Majestic Way in Evesham Township.

A police investigation determined that a suspect had cut the power to an exterior security system before forcing entry into a rear

Troopers and Civilians Recognized at Division Awards Ceremony

door. Once inside, the suspect stole a large safe containing $3,500 in cash.

If anyone has information regarding this crime, you are asked to contact the Evesham Police Department at 856-983-1116 or the police department’s Confidential Tip Line at 856-983-4699.

Police Investigate Attempted Child Abduction in Presidential Lakes PEMBERTON—The Pemberton Township Police Department has boosted patrols in the Presidential Lakes section of the township following the report of an attempted child abduction.

Police were first contacted about the incident at 5:53 p.m. on July 25. The incident unfolded on New York Road, between Tennessee and Florida Trails.

“A 14-year-old female reported that a male driving a brown Ford Ranger pickup truck pulled up to her wearing some sort of mask and ordered her to get into the vehicle,” said Lt. Jay Watters, patrol division commander of the Pemberton Township Police Department.

“The female fled into the woods and the vehicle

pulled away.”

He said detectives are still working to identify a suspect. Information about the type of mask used in the incident was not yet released by detectives.

“Our officers have been out in Presidential Lakes as much as they can be,” Watters said.

“An investigation is ongoing.”

Watters, when asked if police believed this was an isolated incident, said, “This is the first time we have heard of something like this.”

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Pemberton Township Police Department at 609-894-3310 or the Confidential Tip Line at 609-894-3352.

PHOTO SUBMITTED On July 21, state troopers from across the state were honored during the New Jersey State Police Division Awards Ceremony held at New Jersey State Police Division Headquarters in West Trenton.

Police Investigate Shooting Near the Water on the South Lakeshore Side of Mirror Lake PEMBERTON— On July 19, at about 4:51 p.m., Pemberton Township Police Department patrol officers responded to South Lakeshore Drive near Chicory Street for a report of the occupants of a white vehicle using a gun to fire bullets towards Mirror Lake.

Upon further investigation, two victims reported that they were near the water on the South Lakeshore side of Mirror Lake when the

vehicle pulled up near them and fired two to three shots in their direction.

The victims were not injured in the incident.

There is no further information at this time and an investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Pemberton Township Police Department at 609-894-3310 or the Confidential Tip Line at 609-894-3352.

Rider in Critical Condition After ATV Accident in Southampton SOUTHAMPTON—An operator of an ATV suffered serious injuries after an accident near the intersection of Route 70 and Friendship Road in Southampton.

The incident occurred at 6:24 p.m. on July 30.

Frank Makosiej, 53, of Clark, was riding a green Polaris 2009 ATV when it overturned.

“The operator suffered a head injury,” said Trooper Lawrence Peele of the New Jersey

State Police. “He was airlifted to a local hospital in critical condition.”

A staging area was set up in a field adjacent to the Red Lion Circle to allow for a helicopter to transport Makosiej.

Makosiej was the only occupant on the ATV at the time of the crash. No other vehicles were involved.

This was the latest in a series of ATV accidents in the vicinity of Friendship Road.

PHOTO SUBMITTED Colonel Rick Fuentes (left) and command staff presented awards to the honorees for their heroic actions and investigative efforts both on and off-duty.

Man Caught Secretly Recording Another Man Inside Chick-fil-A Restroom Identified EVESHAM—The Evesham Township Police Department has identified a man, with the help of their social media followers, who was caught by a witness secretly recording another man.

The incident unfolded inside the restroom of a Chick-fil-A located at 220 N. Route 73, in the Marlton section of Evesham Township.

Police allege that Joseph C. Quiles, 27, of Wenonah, was observed secretly recording another man inside the restroom on July 20 at 1:35 p.m. When confronted, he fled the

restaurant and drove away in an unknown type of vehicle.

Police received a handful of tips after reaching out to their Facebook followers with a still image from a surveillance camera inside the restaurant. This is how they were able to identify a suspect.

Quiles has been charged with 4th degree invasion of privacy. An arrest warrant, with no bail, has been issued for his arrest.

If you know Quiles’ whereabouts, you are urged to contact Evesham Police.

Four troopers proudly display their awards during the ceremony.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

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PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

OPINION

Letters submitted to the Pine Barrens Tribune must include the name, address and phone number of the writer. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and taste. Because of space limitations, letters should be 150 words of less.

How to Send Items to the Editor: letters@pinebarrenstribune.com, put “Letter” in the subject line.

Saturday, August 5, 2017

Guest Commentary submitted to the Pine Barrens Tribune can be submitted by an appointed or elected official, political candidate, organization leader, or community leader. Guest commentary submitted to the Pine Barrens Tribune must include the name, photo, address, affiliation, title, and phone number of the writer. Commentary may be edited for length, clarity and taste. Because of space limitations, commentary should be about 450 words or less.

Editorial

Letter to the Editor

Stop The Onerous Reform To New Jersey’s Graduated Driver License Program

It’s Time for Better Sewage and Non-Migratory Geese Control

Two pieces of legislation state Assembly Democrats John Wisniewski and Pamela Lampitt sponsored to reform New Jersey’s graduated driver license program, gained approval from the state Assembly on Monday.

Overshadowed by legislation related to the recent government shutdown, these bills would place onerous requirements on teen drivers and their parents.

Any teen driver under the age of 18 who is applying for their learner’s permit or examination permit would first be required to have a parent or guardian complete an approved teen driver orientation program (A-3406).

Let’s face reality. Spending a few hours in an orientation is not going to make up for lack of parental supervision nor is it going to change bad parenting.

It’s also not the role of government to foster communication between teenagers and their parents. We trust parents will have a conversation with their teens about safely driving on the road. We also have faith in parents that they will spend appropriate and reasonable time with their teen behind the wheel to make sure the basics are grasped.

Additionally, most parents work at some point during the day and have other responsibilities to attend to during their time off. They don’t need another one that is unnecessary, especially when they are on the road most days and can pass on their experience and knowledge to their children.

A second bill (A-3407) cleared would require special learner’s permit holders and examination permit holders under age 21 to complete at least 50 hours of practice driving, with at least 10 of those hours completed at night, under a parent or guardian’s supervision. Current law does not require a set number of practice hours beyond a six-hour behind-the-wheel driving course.

The measure also would require permit holders to drive under an experienced driver’s supervision for one year before becoming eligible for a probationary driver’s license. Current law requires permit holders to have a permit for six months before becoming eligible for a license.

Who has the time and money to spend on all this driving practice?

Teenagers who complete the six-hour behind-the-wheel driving course are usually ready for the road and those who are not won’t pass the mandatory road test. That’s why the test exists—to catch those who aren’t ready for the road.

Sure, it’s possible and it does happen from time to time that a teen who just started driving is involved in an accident. There is always going to be an elevated risk of a new driver making a mistake.

The reality is—practice doesn’t always make perfect. Getting into an accident is always a possibility, no matter the hours spent practicing or expierence. Often, adults, some with 50 or 60 years of experience on the road, are involved in serious crashes.

Just take a look at our weekly articles.

With the hope that you are holding your elected officials responsible, here is how our Pine Barrens representatives in the Assembly voted: A-3406: 8th District Assemblyman Joseph Howarth abstained, 8th District Assemblywoman Maria Rodriguez-Gregg abstained, 9th District Assemblyman Brian Rumpf was a Nay, and 9th District Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove was a Nay. A-3407: 8th District Assemblyman Howarth abstained, 8th District Assemblywoman Rodriguez-Gregg abstained, 9th District Assemblyman Rumpf was a Yea, and 9th District Assemblywoman Gove was a Yea. Both of these onerous bills now await further Senate consideration. We hope the Senate puts this one in the garbage can.

How To Contact Your Senator: 8th Legislative District Office Senator Dawn Marie Addiego 176 Route 70, Suite 13 Medford, NJ 08055 609-654-1498 9th Legislative District Office Senator Christopher J. Connors 620 Lacey Rd. Forked River, NJ 08731 609-693-6700

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE Established 2016 Douglas D. Melegari, Publisher, CEO Pat Carney, Senior Graphic Artist Adam Tait III, Copy Editor Colleen Jordan, Copy Editor, Graphic Artist

P.O. Box 2402, Vincentown, NJ 08088 Locally owned and published.

The causes of bacteria found in the waters of New Jersey are multiple, but can be remedied.

Public health officials should evaluate the amplified need for better sewage control at the shore and near shore communities because sewage contributes to nitrification and pollution.

Fecal and waste matter, from any source, are contributory to the growth of enterococci and other gram negative bacteria which foul the unique water source of the beach and inland coastal plain populations.

Water treatment plants should be improved!

Secondly, the population explosion of non-migratory geese is devastating to the symbiosis of tidal marshes and rivulets.

Marshes and rivulets are being smothered by these fauna. Even though the fauna are majestic, they have to be curtailed.

Gulls are carrion eaters. They help clean up what is rotten and do not stay in one spot and overload it.

Which way to eradicating the state’s geese sewage problems?

H. G. Wendelken, DO Haverford, Pennsylvania

Social Media Sound Off (Re: Letter to the Editor-Sunbury Village Landlord Says He Isn’t an Absentee Landlord) Camden has surveillance cameras and microphones so every part of the city can be covered.

They can hear a gunshot and respond appropriately. As for the privacy issue, there is something called the public right-of-way. If you’re not doing anything wrong, why should it matter?

Shawn Vena (Re: Letter to the Editor-Sunbury Village Landlord Says He Isn’t an Absentee Landlord) Why don’t we put cameras all around your personal property and monitor you? People do have a right to privacy. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Your attitude is so condescending. Take a good look at yourself in the mirror! You gave only $3,000, shame on you.

You take so much more from the community in terms of services and rent, so don’t go around patting yourself on the back.

Daniel Mcrae (Re: Letter to the Editor-Sunbury Village Landlord Says He Isn’t an Absentee Landlord) I just have one question for Mr. Gober. If they are planning to rob a place in Cherry Hill, what are the cameras in Sunbury going to do for that? (In response to Gober making a connection to Cherry Hill.)

Roseann Monroe (Re: Amy Rash Named New Principal at St. Mary of the Lakes School) St. Mary of the Lakes School is so lucky to have Amy. Have a great year!

Mary Petti (Re: Attractions Were Endless at Burlington County Farm Fair) The history tent was very disappointing this year! During both times that our family attempted to check out the displays, the tent was almost empty. Only a couple of displays were set up and none of them had anything interactive or engaging for children. However, the 4H exhibits were wonderful, as always!

Caroline Weigle (Re: Woodland BOE Appoints Gahles as Permanent Business Administrator) $60,000 for working two days a week! No wonder our taxes are going up.

Dale Mull (Re: Woodland BOE Appoints Gahles as Permanent Business Administrator) Will the cooling issue be fixed before the kids return back to school? Heating and cooling seem to be ongoing issue. Any future bed bug infestation? Someone please explain what that means. Was there already an infestation?

Heather Taylor Schreiber (Re: Pemberton Police Chief Speaks Out Amid Spike in Crime) Gober should have no say in anything. He does not live there. How many of his tenants are the culprits in the crimes? He should be charged with aiding criminals. The irony is, his properties would become worth a lot more if he bothered to do background checks.

Jeremy Kahle

Please comment on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Twitter: @PineBarrensNews with the hashtag #SoundOff or Facebook: www.facebook.com/pinebarrenstribune.

Saturday, August 5, 2017

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E-Mail Story Ideas and Community Events: news@pinebarrenstribune.com

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COMMUNITY Events

August 5 Event: Coyotes in New Jersey Location: Bass River State Forest Details: Come out to Bass River State Forest, Lake Absegami Beach Breezeway, for a presentation on coyotes in New Jersey, given by Andy Burnett, NJ Div. of Fish and Wildlife. 8 p.m. Bring a flashlight and something to sit on.

Appropriate for all ages. ADA accessible. For more information, call 609-296-1114.

Event: Pinelands Summer Zenith Nature Hike Location: Batsto Details: This guided hike starts at 10:30 a.m., and is 2-4 miles in length. Bring water & snacks. Meet at Batsto Historic Village, Rt. 542. Parking fee, $5. For more information, call 609-567-4559.

August 6 Event: Kirby’s Mill Annual Art Show Location: Medford Details: The Medford Historical Society will host their Annual Art Show & Sale at historic Kirby’s Mill, 275 Church Road, Medford, Sunday, August 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Live music will be provided by the Lackawanna Rail and the School of Music. The event is free to the public; donations are welcome.

August 8 Event: National Parks with L.L. Bean Location: Evesham Details: Want to visit our nation’s most prized jewels but not sure where to start? Come join us for a presentation filled with National Park wonders that will awaken the wanderlust in you!

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Cindy Slawski, an avid outdoorsperson and traveler, will share tips, photos and highlights to get you started on the trip of a lifetime. 7 p.m. Evesham Branch Library, 984 Tuckerton Road.

Call to register, 856-983-1444.

Event: Adult Drop-In Coloring Location: Evesham Details: Coloring is a relaxing activity, even for adults. Come join us to color, unwind and socialize. We’ll supply the materials.

1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Evesham Branch Library, 984 Tuckerton Road.

For more information, call 856-983-1444.

Event: Burlington County Gardeners Association – Mapping Out next Year’s Garden Location: Westampton Details: Take time to plan the garden you envision. Bring a ruler and pencil (with eraser) and learn to map your outdoor space for success next growing season. We will also discuss sun exposure, soil condition, and other plant needs. Burlington County Library, 5 Pioneer Blvd., Westampton. Free and open to the public. For more information, email burlcogardeners@gmail. com, or visit http://burlcogardeners.com

August 9 Event: Free Summer Concert Location: Southampton Details: Come out and enjoy the Tri County Band playing marches and music from the Big Band Era. Concert starts at 7:15 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Southampton Township Building, Route 206 & Retreat Road. Bring your own chair. In case of rain, concert will be held at Southampton Township School.

August 12 Event: Perseid Meteor Shower Watch

Location: Bass River State Forest, Lake Absegami Beach Details: Come join Volunteer Wayne Vogel for the Perseid Meteor Shower Watch. 11 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Bring a blanket or reclining chair. Telescopes & binoculars are not necessary.

Cloudy sky cancels the event; make up night is August 13. For more information, call 609-296-1114.

August 15 Event: Solo Art Show Location: Medford Details: Well-known artist, Sandy Sandy, will have a solo art show at the Medford Arts Center featuring more than two decades of Sandy’s lifelong art journey. “An Evolution of Passion” will fill the whole facility. The show will run through Sept. 15; the gallery is open for viewing every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sandy will be giving demonstrations of her alcohol ink and watercolor techniques every weekend during the show. For more information, call 609304-2736.

September 16 Event: 2017 Walk-Run-Bike-a-Thon Supporting Deborah Location: Medford Details: Registration starts at 8 a.m. with the event starting at 9 a.m. at Lenape High School.

Fees: Students 10-18 years old are $15. 5K is $25, 1 mile walk is $20, and 40 mile bike ride is $50. Event day registration fees increase by $5. For a printable form or to register online, go to www.deborahfoundation.org. For more information contact, Doreen Liller at 609-893-3372 or email: dliller@deborah.org.

Events should be submitted at least three weeks in advance.

PEMBERTON TWP. SENIOR CITIZEN COLUMN Seniors Cruise on River Lady Stern Wheeler Paddleboat

By Ebba Liguori

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

PEMBERTON—The weather was cloudy and rain threatened as a Safety bus pulled into the Acme parking lot.

Marty Gravenstein was at the wheel, ready to transport 49 Pemberton seniors to Toms River for a scheduled cruise. There was very little traffic and it took less than one hour to reach the docks at Toms River. Captain Lance Chambeau was waiting and soon the seniors were boarding the River Lady.

The River Lady is a stern-wheeler paddleboat and all propulsion is provided by the large wheels in the aft. It follows the model

of the riverboats found on the Mississippi River. It runs regularly from May until midOctober. There is a historical luncheon cruise on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 11 a.m.

There are nine menu choices and all meals are well prepared and catered by a local restaurant.

There are four yacht clubs on Toms River and all run summer sailing programs for their youth members.

The seniors loved watching the young sailors practicing, especially as some tipped their boats and had to get them upright. This was all part of the learning process. Soon they will be racing in competition with each other.

Captain Lance ordered Danish pastries from

a nearby bakery and provided freshly brewed coffee. Seniors enjoyed a continental breakfast soon after boarding the vessel. The crew served large pots of coffee and trays of Danish as seniors chose seats around the cabin. There is a second level and some of the more agile seniors went there to better see all the sights.

Captain Lance narrates the historical sites as the River Lady cruises along the river. During the Revolutionary War, Toms River was a busy port with two- and three-masted schooners docked along the waterfront. Today, many historic houses have been taken over by lawyers and professionals as Toms River is now the Ocean County seat. It must have been

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

wonderful years ago to look over the water and wait for your own sailing vessel to return from afar.

One famous house located along the waterfront was used during the filming of the “Amityville Horror” and “Amityville Horror II.” This was just one of the many points of interest mentioned. During the days of filming, many movie stars were seen in the neighborhood. That must have been great fun!

The River Lady has several options for those wishing to try a cruise. Just a cruise alone costs $20, while a full meal with the cruise in $40.

This is not unreasonable for a fun time. There

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is a dinner-dance cruise available on Saturday nights and the cost of that is $60. On Mondays, there is a charter option and this is what the seniors selected. The continental breakfast was added as an extra. Captain Lance is very easy to work with and will try to accommodate your needs. More information is available online at www.RiverLady.com .

After the cruise, the bus transported the seniors to Fortune Buffet, located on Route 37 at St. Catherine Drive. This restaurant serves a variety of foods including a Mongolian grill, sushi bar, salads and fruits, and a multitude of international food choices. There are six flavors of ice cream to finish the meal along with many different desserts.

There is a private dining room which can seat up to 100 diners, so the seniors filled about half that room. Foods were easy to access and everything was delicious. The seniors enjoyed more than an hour of fellowship and dining before heading back to Browns Mills. For small groups, one does not really need reservations.

But, for larger groups, the management is very easy to work with. There is even a Sunday brunch buffet available.

This trip provided one of the most relaxing days most seniors had enjoyed, just perfect in every way. If you want to join the seniors at Lake Hopatcong, stop in soon to get your tickets. The Jefferson House on Nolan’s Point will be hosting a “Hoe Down” including a country buffet and country line dancing. The banquet room overlooks the lake and often there are watersports to view. There is a large pontoon boat available and about 20 seniors at a time will have a tour of the lake. The food is always excellent and wine and beer are served.

Dessert will be fresh apple pie.

Tickets for this trip are only $50 for Pemberton Seniors and $60 for out-of-town guests and they are available from 9 a.m. to noon daily at the Pemberton Township Senior Center. Stop in at the center and see all the options available for local seniors to enjoy. One does not have to be a resident to participate in most of the activities and nearby seniors are welcomed to join along in the fun.

Lunch is available daily at the senior center, by reservation, and is only $2 for residents and $3 for non-residents. There is a caring staff available to assist with personal

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Saturday, August 5, 2017

needs. The center is located across from the Browns Mills Post Office on Brook Street in Browns Mills.

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Saturday, August 5, 2017

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HEALTH

How to Prevent Bug Bites All Summer Long

Dear Pharmacist

By Suzy Cohen, R.Ph.

Suzy Cohen is the author of “The 24-Hour Pharmacist” and “Real Solutions.” For more information, visit www.SuzyCohen.com.

What You Eat Impacts Urine Color It’s one of those things you don’t even pay attention to, until it changes color. The yellow ‘pee’ pigment is called “urochrome” and if it’s concentrated, your urine is darker yellow.

When well hydrated, the urochrome is diluted.

A variety of surprising foods, candy, medications and disorders impacts urine color.

Here are causes for the strange colors: Red or Pink If you pee red, it’s frightening because your brain immediately thinks “Blood!” But shots or high oral doses of Vitamin B12 can cause it. Beetroot supplements and eating beets (or drinking beet juice) can also make you see pink in the potty.

If you just had two slices of rhubarb pie, or a dozen blackberries, you’ll see pink. Bladder or kidney infections, and prostate cancer are rare causes, so get it checked out if it persists beyond the beets.

Orange or Amber The popular UTI (urinary tract infection) treatment called “phenazopyridine,” will tint your urine orange. The prescription blood thinner “Coumadin” (warfarin) can do it, but usually it’s because you just drank a lot of carrot juice or took some vitamin C. If you see reddish brown urine, that could be rhabdomyolysis, which is associated with some popular medications. If you’re on a cholesterol drug, and see tinged urine, see a doctor immediately.

Yellow or Brown Yellow is normal, but bright neon yellow is not. Still, it is harmless. Supplements that contain riboflavin will make you pee in neon yellow! You’re not dying, don’t freak out.

Amber urine could be a sign of dehydration.

Go drink more water and see what happens;

your urine should go back to yellow right away. However, dark urine that is unusual, or in excess could indicate liver disease.

Methocarbamol, nitrofurantoin and laxatives (cascara or senna) can temporarily do it too.

Green Did you eat a bag of black licorice? It will make you pee green. Maybe you have a UTI? Honestly, vivid green urine is highly unusual.

It happens sometimes on the day (or day after) you’ve been sedated for surgery or a procedure.

It’s from the propofol (aka the Michael Jackson drug). This is a popular short-acting sedative that anesthesiologists frequently use, and it can tinge pee green. Cimetidine (Tagamet) sold over-the-counter for acid reflux can do it sometimes too.

Blue This one would alarm me personally, even though a number of medications produce blue urine including Elavil (amitriptyline) and Indocin (indomethacin).

Purple Purple urine is almost always associated with people who have catheters and then get a UTI. If you visit a loved one in the nursing home and see this, all they need to do to cure it is a treatment of antibiotics and a catheter change.

White Two of the most frequent causes is kidney stones or high calcium excretion (hypercalcuria) or high phosphorus in the urine (phosphaturia). You might also have a very bad kidney or bladder infection.

Black Black is sometimes associated with melanoma. It can occur when there are red blood cells being destroyed at a dangerous, rapid pace and is considered an emergency.

By Sue Hubbard, M.D. It is the time of year for bugs and bites, and to 10 percent. The higher the concentration, the I see a lot of kids with bites coming into my longer the duration of protection. So choose office. Parents ask, “What kind of bite is it?” accordingly. I often have several products at Most of the kids I see are having a our house and decide which to use based on the reaction to a mosquito bite. Parents are length of time we are enjoying the backyard, extremely concerned that the reaction may be the age of child or adult, and the method which abnormal and lead to breathing issues or that I want to use to apply (spray, lotion, wipes). the bite it is infected.

You do not want to choose a product that For some reason, baby and toddler skin just contains both sunscreen and an insect repellent. seems to swell more. That is not science, but Sunscreen should be applied about every two my observation. Maybe it’s because they are hours, and bug spray should be applied far less “yummier”? At any rate, the best way to avoid frequently. I recommend applying the insect “the mystery bite” is by using insect repellent. repellent with my hands rather than trying to The American Academy of Pediatrics spray a young child who is a moving target. I (AAP) recommends that children be protected even put the bug spray on those precious bald from mosquitoes, as they may not only cause baby heads (if over two months). At the end discomfort and itching; but also several viral of the day, make sure to wash off the insect illnesses including West Nile, Zika and repellent. Bath time for all!

Chikungunya. Insect repellents will also It is also important to dress appropriately if prevent ticks, some of which may transmit you are going outdoors. When possible, dress Lyme disease. your child in long sleeves, pants and even Both the AAP and Centers for Disease socks, which will prevent bites. Avoid brightly Control recommend the use of DEET- colored and flowery clothes (may be boring), as free repellents for children two months of these, too, attract insects. age and older. For young infants, it is often easy It is also especially important to remove to protect them from bites by using mosquito standing water around your house and yard. netting over their stroller or car seat when they After a rain or watering, check any standing are outdoors. Once your child is older and hard water and empty any residual water from to “contain” beneath mosquito netting, you buckets, candles, bird baths or empty pots. may use a DEET-containing repellent and start Standing water is an easy breeding ground for with the lowest concentration (you will need to mosquito larvae. The type of mosquito that read the labels on each product). carries Zika also prefers to be close to houses, The protection and effectiveness for DEET so it is really important drain standing water products of different concentrations is similar, near your house. but a higher concentration provides a longer Don’t be afraid of using bug sprays on duration of protection. Picaridin has also been children, if you use them appropriately, as approved for use in concentrations of 5 percent prevention is always preferable!

This information is not intended to treat, cure, or diagnose your condition.

For more information, please visit www.SuzyCohen.com. © 2017 SUZY COHEN, RPH. DISTRIBUTED BY DEAR PHARMACIST, INC.

We’ve Moved 3 Doors Down!

PAGE 16

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Saturday, August 5, 2017

Lakes Appliance

www.TheOriginalLakesAppliance.com 2 Great Locations 79A Washington St. Mt. Holly (3.5% sales tax)

609-265-8888

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Saturday, August 5, 2017

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

PAGE 17

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

FUN AND GAMES Are We There Yet?

By Lori Clinch

Lori Clinch was born and raised in North Platte, Nebraska, a hotbed of material for writers whose passion it is to make people laugh. Lori Clinch is the mother of four sons and the author of the book “Are We There Yet?”

No Steamer Trunks on This Vacation My family and I are nothing if not a frugal people.

We only shop where there are sales, take advantage of double coupons and call out an emphatic, “Go me!” anytime we can save a buck.

That being said, I’m sure you can understand why we, as a family, were just thrilled to find cheap airplane tickets with Sunshine Airlines when we planned a recent vacation.

Oh sure, we’d never heard of Sunshine Airlines, (and yes I’m making that name up to protect the innocent. No one needs a curt letter from the CEO of a happy airplane company.)

Still, we were not deterred. Lord knows that even the major airlines have their difficulties, and since we were saving about $200 each, we were as happy as could be.

We knew going into it that we would not be able to check a bag unless we wanted to spend the rest of our vacation feeling broke as a joke.

Sacrifices had to be made to make the old dollar stretch.

Still, I was a bit worried for myself. Being a woman who loves her cosmetics, curling irons and at least three different lotions with varying scents, I actually considered the bag checking.

Especially since a woman never knows how she’ll feel on any given day and various clothing options are a must and we certainly cannot forget the accessories.

But I knew I would receive a big fat, “No Fair,” from our sons who would be limited on their electronics, as well as a, “Your money certainly must come easier than mine!” from my dearly beloved spouse, Pat. I’ve been fretting about it for months. What would I take, what must I leave, however will I

get by without my special hair products?

I finally made peace with the money-saving decision, but I wasn’t happy. I comforted myself with the knowledge that I’ve seen other women get by with only a carry-on and they seemed to be put together.

The peace lasted until just today, when I checked Sunshine Airlines guidelines and size limits pertaining to carry on luggage and read their restrictions were 18” by 12” and that includes the wheels and the handles!

I’ve packed lunches bigger than that!

The first thing I had to do was see if we even possessed a suitcase that small. “Just pack a duffel bag!” suggested Vernon, our eldest and wise-cracking son.

“You don’t need to bring all of that stuff anyway,” suggested Pat. “Just toss in a couple of pairs of shorts and t-shirts and you’ll be good to go.”

What do they know about anything? Certainly they don’t expect me to wear sneakers with my Cabbi dress, flip flops on a mountain trail, and how in the world will I accessorize?

The vacation is looming on our horizon, and I’m pondering my daily routine and wondering what I can live without. I’ve settled for a pair of all-terrain shoes, gave up the idea of bringing a dress and decided that one simple, all-season necklace would simply have to do.

I’m in the process of practice packing as we speak. I’ve rolled each article of clothing tightly, as suggested by the Cheapflights website, and learned that even if I do a sit and zip maneuver I still can’t get all of my necessities in.

I’m seriously eyeballing Pat’s suitcase. After all, his extra space certainly comes much easier than mine.

C R O S S W O R D

P U Z Z L E

Across 1 “The Aviator” actor Alan 5 Subtle attention-getter 9 Charge the quarterback 14 Enter 15 Indian princess 16 Haunting 17 Boot out 18 __ before: deadline words 19 Gone up 20 Photo caption for Condoleezza with a bowl of pintos?

23 Take for granted 24 Neptune’s domain 25 White lie 28 Fillable flatbreads 31 Ultimatum words 33 “__ as directed” 36 Photo caption for Chris with a sandwich bun?

38 Headlights-in-fog effect 40 Put on television 41 Film spool 42 Photo caption for NFL Hall of Famer Sam with a pastry shell?

47 Farm pen 48 Joins 49 Uncomplaining type 51 Chewie’s shipmate

52 Like many a morning coffee: Abbr.

54 Fake 58 Photo caption for Kevin with his Easter basket?

61 Jeweler’s unit 64 Fat used in baking 65 Bellini’s “Casta diva,” e.g.

66 Love 67 Not busy 68 Become softened by cuteness 69 Study aids 70 Whole bunch 71 Canonized mlles.

Down 1 Greek marketplace 2 Jazzman Armstrong 3 Spinal column components 4 Poker dealer’s request 5 Characterized by 6 Material for some castles 7 Supercilious sort 8 Runs out of gas 9 “The Natural” author Malamud 10 Luau keepsakes 11 1040-reviewing org.

12 __ score 13 Path to enlightenment

21 “The Kite Runner” boy 22 Really long time 25 Arctic ice phenomena 26 Land in a river 27 Beer __ 29 Military sch.

30 Decides not to go to 32 Goof up 33 “Yep” 34 Steamy setting 35 Pixielike 37 Stuck in __ 39 Many a time, poetically 43 Fizzes up 44 Fraction of a min.

45 Word seen on cornerstones 46 Come across 50 Bath & Body Works products 53 Plays a round 55 Everglades wader 56 Physically well-coordinated 57 Exams for legal wannabes, for short 58 Like floors without rugs 59 Pusher catcher 60 Vicinity 61 Item in a food drive donation 62 Brouhaha 63 Go bad

© 2017 LORI CLINCH

S U D O K U

ANSWERS ON PAGE 22

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PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Saturday, August 5, 2017

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

MARKETPLACE Submit a Classified! E-mail sales@pinebarrenstribune.com to receive a form and pricing.

Auto Parts and Svcs.

SCRATCH AND DENT REPAIR BY AUTO BODY STORE. First class auto body repairs and painting. Cars, trucks, trailers, or tractors. FREE estimate. visits in LeisureTowne. 609-859-3670.

Awnings ATLANTIC AWNINGS. Professional Installations. Residential/Commercial.

Retractable Awnings, Window Awnings, Retractable and Stationary Canopies, Recovers, Repairs, Rehangs, Take Downs, Washings. Fully insured.

FREE ESTIMATES. 609-618-2420.

Lic. #13VH06758700. atlanticawningscompany.com

Beach Rental LBI, Brant Beach. Sleeps 10. Third from ocean. Vintage garden house. NonSmoking. No pets. 8/12, 8/26. $2,500 per week. 602-663-3303.

Boats and Canoes 15’ Coleman RAM-X with paddles. Must sell $250 or best offer. Call 609-965-7277 after 5 p.m.

Cleaning House cleaning, honest, reliable. Have Wednesdays available. Call Sharon Emmons 609-521-6398 after 4:30 p.m.

Community Activities Medford area seniors offer a regular schedule of events running Monday through Friday. Included are bridge, pinochle, knitting, investing, writing, painting, genealogy, yoga, healthy bones and more. Go to Medfordtownship.com for more information or visit us at Cranberry Hall behind the municipal building at 17 N. Main St.

General Merchandising Chairs, six burgundy leather swivel for office or home. Good condition, $20 each.

Will sell seperate. Must sell. 609-8010054.

General Contracting Anything We Haul It. Estates, Attics, Basements, Space Places, Odd Jobs, Yard Work, Demolition, Pools Removed, etc. Call 609-694-9356, Earl Evans.

Help Wanted As a Technician/ Mechanic, you will provide accurate and efficient services to

customers by troubleshooting, diagnosing, and repairing heavy duty semi-truck trailers in a safe, reasonable and responsible manner. You will be required to have a “whatever needs to be done” work eithic and attitude, be mechanically inclined, and a team player with neat, clean appearance. You should be self-motivated, dependable and work well with others. Qualified candidates must possess a high school diploma or GED, and pass a background check and drug screening, also a valid driver’s license is required.

401k - Benefits and paid training. Please apply online at www.mypetrojob.com

Newspaper Delivery Driver Needed.

Dependable person who can work during the daytime on Fridays. Pay is excellent.

Call 609-801-2392.

treasure! Let me list them for you. Call Debbie at 609-859-4168.

Miscellaneous

Building Lot Southampton. 4.3 acres cleared with all approvals. Asking $119,000, 609-929-3471.

The eBay Queen turns trinkets into

Real Estate

Brotherton Indian Tribal Offices Brotherton Indian Reservation, Tribal Lands Office of the Chief Brotherton Indian Reservation Indian Mills, New Jersey 08088 Attention Dr. Sam Beeler, Chief 973-222-1920 973-432-8894 Area claims writer. No experience.

PT/FT flex. hours. NJ/PA. Call or text 609-548-3108. Target income. $30k/$80k.

Great storytellers with sound news judgment sought. Strong interpersonal, writing, and AP-style skills a must! Call 609-801-2392. Must be available during the evening hours.

Extra

Saturday, August 5, 2017

CUTS PAGE 4

which I think is humanly respectful to do,” Aaronson said. “To have such a low rate, even if someone isn’t making $8.50, is outrageous.

C’mon, let’s join the 21st century here and come up with a $15 an hour minimum wage.”

Bourguignon said the municipality’s budget can’t absorb paying a person time and a half if their wage is raised to $15 an hour.

Aaronson said a foreman should have to figure out how to handle overtime.

“We have to consider the whole thing (impact),” Bourguignon said. “Not just that we want to give somebody $15 an hour.”

Bitzberger again raised the fact that the wages of two laborers was recently reduced from $15 an hour to $12 an hour. She said she was told after last month’s meeting that she wasn’t supposed to bring the topic up again.

“That is the most unprofessional thing I have ever heard of,” she said.

Bourguignon said the employees had an option and was then cut off by Township Solicitor JoAnne O’Connor.

“We can’t discuss this,” she said. “We are discussing particular employees of the township. We can’t do that.”

In June, O’Connor told Bitzberger she needed to give out a Rice notice (a notification from a public body that it is going to discuss an individual’s employment) to the affected employees before discussion could continue on the pay cuts.

Leo Assur was the lone resident in the room who sided with the board’s position.

He said minimum wage is a state issue and called on Bitzberger and Aaronson to petition the state.

“As a taxpayer, I am looking for the board to control costs,” he said. “We should have an ordinance that if people feel generous and they want to donate extra money to the town for that purpose (of raising the minimum wage), they can. Set up an ordinance where people can pay extra money to the town, so that the board can do these embellishments. But as a taxpayer, this all comes out of our taxes. Some people in the private sector don’t make $15 an hour. If you keep raising the minimum wage, everything keeps going up.”

Aaronson said he felt it was a municipal issue, not a state one.

“I am not talking about the state minimum wage,” he said. “I am talking about Bass River Township minimum wage and whether or not these three commissioners have the authority to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour like other municipalities around us.”

Assur and O’Connor discussed their concerns with starting new hires at $15 an hour.

They felt paying $15 an hour was practically starting an individual out at the top.

“If your laborers are starting at $15 an hour, what about the ones that have already been here and are making $15 an hour?” O’Connor said.

Aaronson said the township would have to increase their pay. He said it was “disgraceful” to pay anyone less than $15 an hour. He asked if any of the commissioners or officials up on the stage would work for less than $15 an hour.

“I worked for 15 years for under $10 an hour,” Bourguignon said. “When I first started working for an airport 20 years ago, I worked for $8 an hour. I was eligible for food stamps.”

Aaronson said inflation would push that well above $15 an hour today.

“I use to pay 25 cents a gallon for gas when I got my first car,” he said. “That is the argument you are making. Why shouldn’t I pay 25 cents an hour? $15 an hour is a respectable, human wage, folks.”

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Bourguignon said individuals don’t have to take the job if they believe the township isn’t offering a respectable wage.

“That is why you have the complaints that you sit up there and talk about,” Aaronson said.

“That is what you get. You get what you pay for.”

O’Connor said there has to be money in the budget to support a minimum wage increase and the money isn’t in the budget.

“Our tax base keeps shrinking and shrinking and shrinking and I can tell you it is because of the way we run the town,” Aaronson said.

Bourguignon said Aaronson answered his own question by saying the municipality’s revenue keeps shrinking.

“It keeps shrinking and you want me to give someone $15 an hour?” he said.

Aaronson said he wants the board to raise taxes.

“Oh okay,” said Bourguignon sarcastically.

“Ask all the residents in New Gretna if they want their taxes raised.”

Aaronson then chastised the board for the way they operate the municipal government.

“You are not running a feasible financial organization here,” he said. “It is not cutting it.

You are slowly failing.”

Capriglione said Aaronson’s thinking was flawed because the Pinelands Regional School District has raised taxes and burdened residents.

“You know only a fool wouldn’t want workers to get $20 an hour,” Capriglione said.

“I absolutely agree with your philosophy that you are going to get what you pay for.

However, you have to do a study to find out if the percentage increase for that salary is commensurate with the percentage increase of the revenues in the town, or if it is extremely lopsided and offset.”

He said raising the minimum wage from $8.50 to $15 an hour is nearly a 100 percent increase.

“Did we have 100 percent increase in revenues in the town?” he said.

Aaronson said you can’t compare total revenue to individual wage.

“I understand the money has to be there to pay for it,” he said. “That is a different topic. We ought to be able to pay our township employees a livable wage. A livable wage in most people’s minds these days is $15 an hour or higher. With regards to food stamps, who is paying for the food stamps? Me: the taxpayer.

We are subsidizing your low salaries.”

The discussion then reverted back to what appeared to be at least some of the reasoning behind the board’s decision to cut the pay for laborers.

“If the operation of that landfill would have been what I had hoped and expected and if the men were able to contain the amount of building materials going into those dumpsters and we didn’t have to pay as much money as we are paying now for transferring and dumping, I told the guys the savings could definitely be thrown into salary,” Capriglione said. “But if they are not going to take that seriously and they are going to let major construction material come in from God knows where and still sit by and allow it to be unloaded, then you are going to have operating costs at that landfill. The costs of that particular part of the department will keep rising and there goes their salaries.”

Aaronson said that he had an idea.

“For a 90-day period, raise the salary for the people that work down there to $15 an hour and monitor what happens and goes into that dumpster and be very specific as to this is a trial,” he said. “Say to them, ‘We are going to pay you more money because we think in the

long run we can send fewer containers up.’ and see what happens.”

Capriglione said he can’t specifically divulge as to what some of the conversations were.

“But that may have been visited already,” he said. “Maybe not in action for the salaries, but the concept—mentioning that definitely an increase would have been affordable if we could get a handle on the situation. That didn’t happen.”

O’Connor leaned forward in her chair and told Capriglione to end the conversation.

“We can’t go any further than that,” she said.

However, the conversation didn’t end there.

“Once an employee has a salary, whether it is $12, $15, or $18 an hour, I don’t think it should be dropped,” said resident Rick Adams.

“I think that it makes certain people do maybe a little less.”

He also said paying a mechanic $15 an hour was “cheap.”

Adams cited a recent incident where the laborers at the landfill stopped him from discarding a sheet of plywood into the dumpster.

Capriglione caved to public pressure and divulged some of the conversation that had taken place.

“My point—and Mr. Aaronson is absolutely right—it has been discussed—if we can control the cost, I mentioned to two of the men that if they can stop at two dumpsters a month, they could all have fantastic raises,” he said. “That was discussed. It costs $550 just to move to one of the dumpsters. If you could have saved me two dumpsters a month, which is $1,100, I could split that between four workers. I tried to explain it to them, ‘You really realize how lucrative things could be if you would only work with me.’ That fell on apparently deaf ears because instead of having less, we got more.

PROJECT PAGE 1

The committee has applied for additional grant funding and hopes to receive another $250,000 to dedicate towards the project.

A copy of the concept plan was given to the Pine Barrens Tribune last October.

In December, the concept plan was tweaked slightly just before it was presented to about 100 residents who attended a special committee meeting on the project.

A few amenities were added to the design, while the number of parking spaces was reduced.

The number of acres slated for active and passive recreation has also increased from 65 to 75.

“It is a 75-acre piece,” Darji said. “It is a fairly large piece of land.”

The overall project now involves the construction of three multi-purpose fields, four baseball fields, an amphitheater, a bocce court, a sledding hill, a skating pond, two playgrounds, a concession building and pavilion, a lawn picnic area, one storage building and a dog park.

A multi-purpose community center is also proposed which would contain senior areas and an indoor basketball court.

“The idea is to have a property or facility that is usable not just by one group in the community,” Darji said. “But to have something to offer to several local groups in the community, so everyone has something that they can use on the property.”

Officials also anticipate constructing three parking lots with a total of 367 parking spaces, two basins, and one pond. A septic bed and an irrigation well will also have to be installed.

PAGE 19

That was something that was mentioned and I told them immediately we can do this.”

Capriglione said, at the same time, residents have come to his house to complain that the laborers wouldn’t let them discard certain items in the dumpster.

“The problem in my mind is not residential,” he said. “There is enough taxpayer dollars that we should have the privilege of putting our own personal stuff, even if it is construction, in the container. But, that is not what I am seeing. Not when I see banners from Atlantic City and tires from God knows where. They certainly can’t go on my vehicle and I have tried every tire in the world. These were definitely too big. I wouldn’t even want to lift them. That wasn’t once. Three days in a row I went down there. I even went to Lou (Bourguignon’s) house. Thank God he was at his doctor. I was that upset it was being ignored that badly.”

Aaronson reiterated he wanted to see the municipality “adopt a livable minimum wage of $15 an hour.”

“It will be looked into because it is something that is already in the past been looked into and the way to do it,” Capriglione said.

The hearing closed with Bitzberger urging the board to come up with a different approach to handle “a situation.”

The board adopted the salary ordinance by a vote of 2-0. Mayor Deborah Buzby-Cope was absent from the meeting.

O’Connor, reached by phone after the meeting for comment, said there “wasn’t any one specific reason” Williams and Raff received a pay cut. She also declined to comment on whether the recent drainage of Roberts Pond was a factor in the board’s decision-making process.

“I can’t say,” she said. “It can’t be discussed.”

“Keep in mind right now, at this point, it is conceptual,” Darji said. “It is subject to change.”

Future phases would be subject to funding.

The presentation of the concept plan drew mixed reaction from the audience. Young promised an additional opportunity for public comment as a result.

This is all part of the community’s search for both active and passive recreation.

Several athletic fields may have to be abandoned altogether and the township is making plans to relocate the fields onto the Good Farm.

The Little League field and T-Ball field at the Red Lion Road Baseball and Softball Complex are plagued by sinkholes and officials closed them in October due to dangerous conditions.

Temporary ball fields were set up earlier this year, adjacent to the municipal building, after Township Administrator Kathleen D. Hoffman said, “You could be running across the field and your leg could get sucked into these holes that appear.”

She was later backed up by longtime Rancocas Valley Baseball League Manager Harry Thompson who also warned of toxic gases that may be coming out of the ground at the site because it was once a dump.

“I still maintain that I hope, God forbid, that if any child ever falls in one of the holes and we have had children fall out there, yes there are some that have gone in there, but if one ever falls in there and never gets out, the township won’t belong to Southampton,” he said. “That is for sure, because you are well aware of it, they are well aware of it, and I am sure if

PROJECT>>PAGE 21

PAGE 20

FEUD PAGE 1

cameras for all of the nearly 300 homes (in the village). Camera surveillance does not fly on one house at a time. What are you going to do, send officers out to 100 houses to watch their videos?”

The landlord also challenged Pemberton Council to hold one of their August meetings at the Nesbit Center, which is located in the village.

“I have a great idea, why not hold your August township (council) meeting at the Nesbit Center and let the people who live there tell you what it is like to live in Sunbury Village,” he said. “I dare you to do that!

Previous administrations used to do that.”

Gober also reiterated his call for the name of Sunbury Village to be changed and chastised Jantas for believing it would not help improve the situation. The landlord has offered a $100 Wawa gift card to the person who ultimately comes up with the name selected.

“The chief commented about how things are better at University Park Apartments,” he said.

“Guess what helped? They changed their name from Lake Valley Apartments when the new owner took over some years ago. This happens all over the country. I never said it will fix everything overnight; but it gives the residents that live there a chance (to improve their image). Why is there so much opposition to simply trying to help the residents who live there? Chief: you are a white man and if you were African American and seeking employment, you would understand what I mean about saying you live in Sunbury Village.”

Gober also alleged that Mayor David A. Patriarca hardly speaks with Jantas. The allegation is a veiled reference to media reports that Patriarca, Jantas and Gonzalez don’t always get along and filings made against each other in the judicial system.

“Everybody knows it,” he said.

Gonzalez, irked by Gober’s email, responded to all persons whom were copied on the email with twelve bullet points “to share the truth.” He said Gober knows nothing about the quality or quantity of interaction between him, Patriarca, and Jantas.

“Mr. Gober, I am profoundly disappointed at the meanness of your email below,” he said.

“I am particularly disturbed at your obvious intention to incite Sunbury residents through what can be generously described as ignorance.

A less generous, but apt, interpretation would be that your diatribe is undoubtedly self-serving propaganda and substantially false. I would not want anyone to assume that our silence (if I did not reply) implies, in any way, that we agree with you, or that I will tolerate mean-spirited and unwarranted personal attacks against the mayor and Chief Jantas.”

Gonzalez was particularly disturbed by the reference to race.

“The fact that Chief Jantas is a white man has absolutely nothing to do with his earnest efforts to make the township as safe as possible, including Sunbury,” he said. “Your comment about the chief makes no logical sense since then as a white man you also would not understand what it is like to live in Sunbury.

“I actually would not know where that would leave me since I am 12 percent African, 14 percent Native American, 31 percent Spanish/ Portuguese, 17 percent Italian/Greek, 9 percent English, 4 percent Irish, and bits and pieces from several Middle East, West Asia and Scandinavian countries. My point is that I take personal offense at the gross insults that you hurl at Chief Jantas and the baseless

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

implication that we ignore Sunbury because it has a high percentage of African American residents. If you wish to be taken seriously, you need to think before you rant.”

Gonzalez acknowledged that Gober never asked taxpayers to pay for cameras.

However, he also said that Gober has said that some government entity should pay for surveillance cameras and that is the only thing he could possibly mean when he asks the township to “find” a grant.

“You are correct, that I have not heard you say that you want the township to pay for surveillance cameras,” he said. “But, I have not heard you say that you will pay for the cameras, either in the public right of way or at your 61 properties.”

Gonzalez said it is “abundantly clear” that Gober has no understanding as to how government grant programs work.

“If you think that calling the (Burlington County) Freeholders or the state to ask for money for surveillance cameras is the way government funding processes work—you are ill informed,” he said. “Even if there was a grant program for which we could apply that would provide some funding for surveillance cameras, what you do not understand is that there is always a local financial or in-kind contribution required, and the operational and manpower costs for implementing any program is normally the financial responsibility of the municipality.”

Gonzalez said the value of Gober’s 61 properties in the township, some of which also fall outside of Sunbury Village, is between $4,000,000 and $5,000,000.

Gonzalez also said that Gober collects more than $500,000 per year in rents from his Pemberton tenants and the state’s Section 8 housing program; while paying property taxes that are among the lowest in the state.

“You say you want to protect your property, but have not purchased and installed surveillance cameras at any of the 61 properties that you own,” he said. You talk about cameras solving most of the problems in Sunbury, but you have chosen not to handle the problem at your own properties.”

Gonzalez chastised Gober for “sarcastically” asking if the township has considered the reason why thousands of banks in the country have surveillance cameras.

“Conveniently, (you) ignore the fact that cameras at banks are installed in the interior of buildings and immediately outside the bank building entrances to record in case there is a crime committed,” he said. “But that obviously should suggest to you that you should do the same at your 61 properties. Your example is about private property surveillance, not public streets.”

Gonzalez said it is clear Gober has done no research as to the effectiveness of surveillance cameras in public rights of way.

“There are many studies available for you to read which demonstrate that what you view as a panacea, is largely ineffective, and certainly not worth the hundreds of thousands and/or millions of dollars needed to create something that even has a chance of being marginally effective,” he said. “In short, as the studies indicate, unless you have 24/7 real-time surveillance and dozens of cameras with the capability of clearly identifying faces and vehicle tags, there is little or no benefit.”

The business administrator also appeared to dismiss Gober’s suggestion for council to hold an upcoming meeting as the Nesbit Center.

“You say ‘I dare you!’ as to holding a council meeting at Nesbit,” Gonzalez said.

“Really? The last time I heard a ‘dare’ was

when I was in 5th grade at No. 2 School in Perth Amboy in 1965.”

He also sided with Jantas’ view that changing the name of Sunbury Village isn’t going to make things different.

“You harp about changing the name of ‘Sunbury’ as one of the things that will help,” Gonzalez said. “I do not see ‘marketing’ as a solution to real conditions. Perhaps, you can explain that to me. In any event, the neighborhood commonly is referred to as ‘Sunbury’ as a historical fact dating back to the original development project for military housing. The neighborhood has no official designated name. So, how can we change an official name that does not, in fact, exist?”

Gober said that surveillance cameras would have likely captured the person(s) on film who was responsible for a recent murder in the village.

Gonzalez called Gober’s assertion “ludicrous.”

“In your e-mail below, you stated that if we had a camera at the site of a ‘murder,’ we would have caught the murderer,” he said. “Do you realize how astoundingly ludicrous that statement is? Let me show you. Yes; if there was a camera with great resolution and clarity at the location of every homicide, assault, drug deal, burglary, property mischief, domestic violence incident, theft, filing of a false tax return, embezzlement, speeding vehicle, jaywalking, truancy, trash dumping, etc.; we would be able to catch every perpetrator. Duh?” Gonzalez also took aim at Gober’s accusation that the township wasn’t trying to get the violence under control in the village and the town’s philosophy is to keep criminals limited to that section of town.

“You conclude that we are not trying because we do not act on your two great ideas; that is, installing surveillance cameras throughout Sunbury and changing the name that people call the neighborhood,” he said. “What you do not understand is that these are not great ideas.”

Gonzalez said the township considers all facially reasonable ideas and makes decisions based on whether they make operational and fiscal sense, and whether they are, or are not likely, to produce positive results.

“Just because your ideas do not pass that informed test does not mean we are not trying,” he said. “It just means we are more thoughtful and better informed than you are.”

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nurse from Lenape to Seneca and promoted a custodial shift supervisor at Shawnee to custodial supervisor.

A custodian was approved at Lenape for $37,500.

The board approved donations with a total value of $4,358.32, all to Cherokee High School, including $2,697.45 going to the Principal’s Building Improvements from the Cherokee High School Class of 2017.

Approval was given to Lenape District athletic teams to practice at the Pinelands Sports Center (Southampton), Marlton Christian Academy and Scanzano Sports Center (Cherry Hill) during the 2017-18 school year at no cost to the district. The Lenape

Saturday, August 5, 2017

Gonzalez said he found Gober’s perspective most interesting since it comes from someone who lives in Ventnor and France, and not Pemberton.

“Yes, I do not live here either,” he said. “But I do live in Trenton.”

Just hours after the two men publicly exchanged emails, there was another shooting in Sunbury Village. At approximately 5:35 p.m. on July 30, township patrol officers responded to Kinsley Road near Bush Street and found a 33-year-old man with a gunshot wound. The victim was flown to Capital Health System in Trenton for treatment.

Gober lashed out again at the township and Gonzalez following the shooting.

He called Gonzalez’s responses “hilarious.”

He also said that he hoped his $150,000 in taxes and utilities at least covered Gonzalez’s salary.

“Minutes ago, there was another shooting in Sunbury Village,” he said. “You probably already are aware of this since you live in Trenton and are closer than I am. I have my fingers crossed that no one was seriously hurt and you caught the culprit without the help of security cameras. I do know that a helicopter just picked up the young man who was shot.

“I am sure my tenants and the rest of the residents in Sunbury Village are giving some serious thoughts about who is right, you or me about my fantastic camera idea! Maybe I need to “double dare” you to have an August meeting at the Nesbit Center. Of course, if you wait until September, then I might not be able to attend.”

Township officials did not respond to Gober’s latest email as of press time. However, Gonzalez did respond to a resident who replied to all, saying that he felt the police department had given up on Sunbury Village.

“I certainly appreciate your frustrations,” Gonzalez said. “However, neither the police department nor the township administration has given up on Sunbury. The many calls for police services to Sunbury, and the response by our police department, shows that our resources are deployed to Sunbury on a regular basis. We all want the same thing; a safe Sunbury neighborhood with quality housing and opportunities. My point is that the people who make a lot of money from the residents need to do more than self-congratulate for making a few donations and self-promote; they need to step up and help do something.”

District Special Olympics Volleyball, Basketball and Softball Program for the 2017-18 school year was approved.

Approval was given for police activities during the remainder of summer.

The New Jersey State Police used Lenape High School for active shooter training through August 2 and the Evesham Township Police Department will be conducting fitness testing on the Cherokee High school track throughout August.

Under Executive Planning, a contract of services for the district with Laura Bishop Communications (handles public relations) was approved for the period of July 1 through June 30, 2018 and the law firm of Parker McCay was appointed as special counsel for the 2017-18 school year.

Saturday, August 5, 2017

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JUNKYARD

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the township’s code enforcement officer condemned it for usage. Township officials took the unusual precaution of closing the building due to the possibility that further erosion of the embankment next to the building would cause the bulkhead protecting it to fail with little or no advance notice.

The deterioration of the embankment began after unhealthy trees were removed on the other side of the creek, across from the telephone museum. Normally, tree removal on the other side of the creek would cause no harm.

However, wisteria vines grew very heavily in the area and formed a connection between the trees on both sides of the creek. As the trees were knocked down on the one side of the creek, the vines were pulled in a way that uprooted several trees along the telephone museum side of the creek. It was these roots which helped to hold the soil into place. The absence of the tree roots has led to the erosion.

The township in October decided to file an insurance claim against the policy belonging to individuals who allegedly caused the trees to be removed.

As part of the settlement, the committee acquitted, forever discharged and released Jose and Diane Lopez and the New Jersey Skylands Insurance Association from any and all claims, actions, causes of action, demands, rights, damages, costs, loss of service, expenses and compensation resulting from the “accident, casualty or event which occurred on or about June 20, 2016 at or near 27 Mill Street.”

“We received $50,000,” Young said.

According to the settlement document obtained by the Pine Barrens Tribune, the settlement is a compromise of a disputed claim and the payment made is not to be construed as an admission of liability on the part of the party or parties released.

Previously, members of the committee passionately debated each other over other possible alternatives out of fear the township wouldn’t get any money from New Jersey Skylands.

Young announced the building was reopened last month. However, township officials have not yet said how they were able to reopen the building.

An ordinance amending the township code to prohibit the use of motorized and nonmotorized recreational vehicles as living quarters was unanimously adopted on second reading.

“Recreational vehicles shall not be used as living quarters when stored or parked on residential or commercial property within the township,” the new law says.

Evidence of living quarters includes occupancy of the recreational vehicle for overnight sleeping and the connection of the recreational vehicle to a water, power or sewage source; unless the connection is made to fill, charge, or dispose of something in anticipation of offsite use within 72 hours.

The prohibitions do not apply to farm qualified properties which house seasonal workers.

A $100 fine could be imposed for the first offense. A fine of up to $2,000 could be imposed for each and every additional offense.

Each 24-hour period is considered a separate offense.

A provision exists in the law allowing for a six-month exception if a residence is uninhabitable by a fire, flood or similar natural disaster. Notice must be given to the township administrator who will then notify the committee and construction official. The construction official must OK the exception.

Four resolutions were unanimously passed together which refunded tax overpayments and adjusted the tax collector’s records and accounts.

Another resolution acknowledged acceptance of the municipality’s 2016 audit.

That was also OK’d by a 5-0 vote.

Deputy Township Clerk Sandy Lange read the results from a recent bond sale.

“On July 10, 2017, the township held a bond sale for the purchase of $4,462,395, a principal amount in bond anticipation notes of 2017” Lange said. “Four proposals were received and read. The accepted proposal was from TD Securities with an interest rate of 1.466 percent.”

The three projected proposals were from Jefferies, LCC (1.498 percent), Investors Bank (1.65 percent) and Oppenheimer & Co. (1.7626 percent).

Despite a handful of meeting attendees, nobody chose to speak during public comment.

Barry Pratt, fire chief for the Vincent Fire Company, concluded the meeting by thanking PermaFloor seamless flooring service.

“You may have noticed some activity at our station over the course of the last week,” he said. “The concrete flooring in our firehouse has taken a beating over the past 53 years due to the building settling and fire apparatus becoming much larger than ever expected. Trucks leaking fluids and general wear and tear have also deteriorated the 20-year paint job of the floor.

“We spent time researching options over the years and found nothing with an attainable cost that would provide a long-lasting, durable repair. That is until a recent meeting with a caring local business owner. The Vincent Fire Company would like to publicly thank Howard Ackerman, Chris Roswell and their team at PermaFloor located on Ridge Road in Southampton for their generous and philanthropic work in restoring the firehouse floor over several days last week. The new epoxy coating they put down will protect it from anything and everything for the next 100 years.”

Following Pratt’s remarks, the committee entered into executive session to discuss personnel contract negotiations.

PROJECT PAGE 19

anything happened to a child, they would sue.”

In addition, there are multiple soccer fields on Buddtown Road, part of the Municipal Sports Complex that is located on the east side of Route 206, which are considered to be located improperly by the

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Pinelands Commission.

The township’s request to build a new 6,000 sq. ft. public works building and a 2,000 sq. ft. salt shed at the complex was approved by the Pinelands Commission, pending removal of the contested soccer fields by the end of this year.

action.

“This (filling out and returning the PAGE 5 questionnaire) needs to be done,” she said.

O’Connor also said determining the number Agent (QPA) position was approved on second reading. Tax Collector Al Stanley will serve as of permanent residences can be difficult as the municipality can’t go door to door. the municipality’s QPA. All actions taken by the board were “This is to create the QPA position in the finance office so that we have a higher bid unanimous.

A number of other topics were discussed threshold,” Somes said.

Bourguignon said he has confidence in during committee reports and public comment.

Here are the highlights: Stanley as he does “unbelievable work” for Deputy Mayor Nicholas Capriglione the town.

Duplicate tax-sale certificates were issued expressed disappointment with the way for three properties since they were lost or Pinelands Regional School District officials handled a recent bond referendum. He said displaced.

An outstanding tax receivable related to liens he had asked a question about it and never received a response. the township foreclosed on was canceled.

Capriglione said that a meeting took place $450.38 was accepted from the state’s Drug recently with the New Jersey State Police, New Alcohol Rehab Enforcement Fund.

Another resolution acknowledged acceptance Jersey State Park Police, local officials, Judge of the municipality’s 2016 audit. A Adolph P. Sicheri of the Bass River Township corresponding corrective action plan was also - Washington Township - Woodland Township approved, but officials didn’t comment on the Shared Municipal Court, and forestry personnel to discuss “improvements in operations.” item(s) that required correcting.

Bourguignon said township has about A resolution tabled last month concerning the purchase of electricity supply services for $79,000 in funding obtained through County municipal park public use from EMEX, an online auction Burlington development grants. website, was passed this time. $50,000 will be spent on constructing a Somes said Mayor Deborah Buzby-Cope (who was absent from the latest board meeting) half-court basketball court near an existing reviewed the township’s savings from the playground on Maple Avenue, across from the program and felt “even a small savings is a municipal building.

“The rest of it will be put towards equipment savings.”

Campground permits for Arrowhead for the younger kids, like some of the stuff we Campground and Chips Folly Campground got out there already,” he said. “We may also throw in a lawn mower or edger. You have to were approved.

Aaronson and Bitzberger raised a number of use the money before you lose it.”

Resident Marian Assur said state park concerns with the campground approvals.

“I met several times with (Tax Assessor) visitors are creating a safety hazard on Stage Jay (Renwick) as part of my campaign to raise Road.

“On Sunday morning, going down Stage our tax base and he is very frustrated that when he sends a questionnaire to the campgrounds, Road, all these people were parked along the they never respond,” he said. “So, he has no side of the road to go into the park,” she said. clue what goes on up in those campgrounds. I “People get there at 4 a.m. to get into the park. would like to encourage the commissioners to Why don’t they put a shoulder on the road for put some teeth into this renewal process and these people to park on?”

Bourguignon said he would ask the New make one of the requirements that they return these questionnaires that the tax assessor sends Jersey State Park Police to enforce the parking rules. out because he is completely in the dark.”

Some discussion ensued about the New Bitzberger said there was a recent meeting with Renwick and he didn’t even know there Jersey State Park Police possibly not enforcing were permanent residences at the campgrounds. the parking rules because of the effect it may Bourguignon said it was the first time he was have on visitation to the state park.

“Pretty soon Pinelands will have taken over hearing about issues with a questionnaire.

O’Connor said in a later interview that she the whole Route 9 corridor and you don’t have researched the issue and Renwick did not the town,” said resident Leo Assur. “The whole receive a response to the questionnaires. She intent of Pinelands is to decimate New Gretna said the matter has been forwarded to her for and return everything back to its natural state.”

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said. “Our Public Works Department has been bundied around for a little over three years now and I think it is time to show our commitment to them.”

Young, visibly upset with Raftery’s comments about the surplus and tax increase, agreed with his overall argument.

“When I first came onto this committee, the first thing that was said to me was, ‘Whatever you do—never, never, never touch the trash,’” he said. “If anything works well in this township, it is trash pick-up.”

The committee did not take any formal action on the garbage truck.

Young said that Township Administrator and Clerk Kathleen D. Hoffman, who was absent from the meeting, was on a planned vacation.

He also said the committee has to run this potential purchase by Treasurer Nancy Gower.

Hoffman previously told the committee that a new garbage truck costs $350,000.

“Our personnel do more than trash,” Heston said. “When they are done early, there are other duties that they can perform. If it is privatized, those duties don’t get performed. It is a two-way street—you keep them and they work for us. It is a great deal.”

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PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

Saturday, August 5, 2017

HOME, GARDEN, AND FARMING Farm and Food File

By Alan Guebert

Alan Guebert is an award-winning agriculture columnist who was raised on a 720-acre, 100-cow southern Illinois dairy farm.

Rules for Fools During my first days of Lutheran grade school, I was surprised to learn that the world had only 10 rules. Sure, eight of them ordered what I “shalt not” do and just two told me what I must do. Still, no Lutheran worth his catechism ever had a problem with a negative four-to-one ratio.

But then Mrs. Kuring, my teacher, added more rules. No talking in school. No running in the hallway. No biting your classmates.

We quickly learned to follow Mrs. Kuring’s rules more diligently than the commandments because hers were backside-tested; the Big Ten were merely time-tested. Later, either through fear or faith, we learned to follow both because there would be hell to pay, either now or later, if we didn’t.

Presidents of the United States face the same trade-off: you can choose not to follow the rules but it can be a costly choice.

Donald J. Trump is a rule breaker. That was a key reason why the majority of rural voters chose him over his 2016 challenger. And he has kept his word; rule-making Washington has never seen, heard, or been hit with a tweeting tornado like The Donald.

Much of the President’s rule breaking, however, hasn’t yielded tangible results. In mid-July, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its 2018 budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) which, noted several Capitol Hill policy watchers, broadly and soundly rejected the deep cuts Trump had proposed for USDA only two months earlier.

The Senate bill also restored the undersecretary for rural development that Trump previously had ticketed to eliminate.

These setbacks did not set back the President.

The same week of his Senate rebuke, Trump nominated Iowan Sam Clovis, a former campaign official and radio talk show host, to be USDA’s undersecretary of research, education, and economics.

It’s not a controversial, rule-bending choice. It’s an outrageous, rule-breaking choice. By statute, noted the July 24 San Jose (CA) Mercury-News, this “undersecretary is to be chosen from ‘distinguished scientists with specialized or

significant experience in agricultural research, education and economics.’ By contrast... Clovis has never taken a graduate course in science and is openly skeptical of climate change.”

And, it went on, “The Senate should reject the nomination. Naming an anti-science blowhard to a job meant for a scientist would be like Ford picking a CEO who rides a horse to work.”

Despite that ringing denouncement, 22 of the most powerful, well-funded American farm and commodity groups, representing everything from dry beans to soybeans, offered Clovis a ringing endorsement in a flowery letter sent to Senate Ag Committee leaders.

“Some have suggested that Dr. Clovis is not qualified for this position due to his lack of hands-on science and research experience. We do not share this point of view,” it explained. After all, USDA “already employs some of the finest and most dedicated scientists in the world. They do not need a peer. They need someone to champion their work…”

Call it the Rick Perry Standard: just because you don’t know anything about a federal agency—including its name—or how it operates, doesn’t mean you can’t become its leader.

Three days after posting its We Love Clovis letter, Big Ag’s biggest ag groups learned—in a Senate Ag Committee hearing on farm credit and crop insurance, no less—that Clovis had labeled crop insurance, the central pillar of U.S. farm policy, “unconstitutional.”

When told of this Farm Bill heresy, the committee’s crop insurance-loving chairman, Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, announced to many of the letter-sending farm group leaders in the hearing room, “If there is some nominee coming before this committee who says crop insurance is unconstitutional, they might as well not show up.”

The farm leaders didn’t flinch. Why would they?

The rules, they recently learned, do not apply and the truth is simply what the loudest, most persistent yeller says it is.

Which brings us back to Mrs. Kuring. You don’t have to follow the rules but, sooner or later, there will be hell to pay.

© 2017 AG COMM.

The views expressed in this column are the author’s own views and do not reflect the view of the Pine Barrens Tribune.

CROSSWORD

SOLUTIONS

SUDOKU

Saturday, August 5, 2017

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PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

AUTOMOTIVE New Vehicle Buying Guide Compiled by Motor Matters

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2017 Cadillac Escalade The 2017 Cadillac Escalade features a modern design, powerful capability and sumptuous amenities that keep luxury firmly in the driver’s seat.

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Base model estimated mpg: 15/22 Estimated starting price: $72,970

Compiled by Motor Matters.

2017 Cadillac Escalade.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

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Saturday, August 5, 2017