Pine Barrens Tribune October 2, 2020-October 9, 2020

Prepare for unexpected power outages with a Generac home standby generator SCHEDULE YOUR FREE IN-HOME ASSESSMENT TODAY!

609-714-2856

FREE

7-Year Extended Warranty* A $695 Value!

Offer valid August 24, 2020 - December 31, 2020

Special Financing Available

Subject to Credit Approval

www.pinebarrenstribune.com

Vol. 5 – No. 3 ♦

*Terms & Conditions Apply

Facebook.com/PineBarrensTribune

@PineBarrensNews

The News Leader of the Pines

♦

To Advertise Call: 609-801-2392

FR

EE

October 3, 2020 – October 9, 2020

Transparency Concerns Arise Over Activities of Committee, Township Clerk in Woodland

‘TIRADE’

‘Transparency Left the Building’ Resident Concludes After Meeting • Municipal Taxes to Rise Slightly in Woodland, After Mayor Told Public They Wouldn’t • Municipal Audit Concludes Computerized Lien Regis ter is ‘Not B eing Correc tly Maintained’ • Minutes That Clerk ‘Forgot’ to Do Appear for Approval Seven Months After Meeting

Photo By Ryan Marchese

August “Augie” Daleo, who served on the Little Egg Harbor School District’s Board of Education, before beginning a term on the Pinelands Regional Board of Education. Photo taken in 2018.

Bass River Representative, Along with Former School Board President, of Pinelands Regional BOE Excoriated by Freshman Member Who Played Key Role in Arranging Final Execution of Agreement Allowing for Superintendent to Be Shared by Both Pinelands Regional and Little Egg Harbor Districts Heated Remarks Come Amidst Administrator’s Request for Five Year Contract Extension That Seems to Have Given Way to Consternation on School Board, Leading to Ugly Rift

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

LITTLE EGG HARBOR—Dr. Melissa McCooley, shared superintendent of the Little Egg Harbor School and Pinelands Regional School districts, made clear during the latest Pinelands Regional Board of Education meeting that she is not backing down in her pursuit of a fiveyear contract extension with both districts, all as the request is giving way to an ugly rift between members of the regional high school district’s governing body.

Tom “Tommy” Williams, who represents Bass River Township on the Pinelands Regional Board of Education, was lambasted for several minutes during the Sept. 23 meeting by colleague August “Augie” Daleo, an ardent supporter of the superintendent who helped arrange the final execution of the current shared service agreement (while he served on the Little Egg Harbor Board of Education).

Daleo, who now represents Little Egg Harbor on the Pinelands Regional board, during his Sept. 23 public remarks, in

which Williams later called a “tirade,” also apparently excoriated Susan Ernst, former president of the Pinelands Regional board, contending that she recently attempted to harass the superintendent, and called board members “stupid” or “idiots” in a text message inadvertently sent to the superintendent.

Ernst, who has recently written in local social media pages about her concerns with the direction of the board and

• Minutes Posted to Town Website Different from Ones Given to Newspaper; Reveal Clerk Was to Probe Financial Activity of Woodland Township Recreation Association After Mayor’s Inquiry • Officials Say They Can No Longer Discuss Cellphone Tower Projec t at Committee Meetings • Resident Contends Special Counsel Was Paid for Unapproved Work, to Review Tribune Article All as Legal Bills to Defend Three State Government Records Council Complaints Tops $4,500 • Timing of Motion to Amend Clerk’s Hours Questioned; Committee Approves 2 Percent Raises

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

WO ODL A N D — I n o n e of m a ny developments that have lef t residents questioning the transparency of Woodland Township officials, municipal taxes in the municipality will be increasing slightly this year despite Mayor William “Billy” DeGroff assuring residents during both the July and August meetings of the Woodland Township Committee that “there will not be any local purpose tax increase” as a result of the Fiscal

See TIRADE/ Page 9

See WOODLAND/ Page 8

INDEX Business Directory... 16

Job Board.....................18

Marketplace.............. 19

Games..........................18

Local News................. 3

Worship Guide.......... 15

****ECRWSS**** LOCAL POSTAL CUSTOMER

Vincentown, NJ Permit 190

PAID Presorted Standard US Postage

Page 2 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Saturday, October 3, 2020

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Contract Awarded for Streetscaping Project to ‘Beautify’ Shabby Browns Mills Corridor Officials Also Plan to Create ‘Robust Park System’ Throughout Pemberton Township and Connect All Its Neighborhoods Through Trails, Bike Paths

♦ Page 3

Local Family Owned

JerseyShoreDelivers.com

Beverages & Snacks Delivered Free To Your Door

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

A woman walks along a dilapidated corridor adjacent to the Browns Mills Shopping Center in Pemberton Township.

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—A $390,999 contract for streetscaping improvements to PembertonBrowns Mills Road, between Juliustown and Trenton roads, has been unanimously awarded to Charles Marandino, LLC by Pemberton Township Council.

The concrete contractor, based in Milmay, was awarded the contract on Sept. 16 through negotiation after council rejected bids for the project in both July and August.

Township Solicitor Andrew “Andy” Bayer, during an Aug. 19 council meeting, explained that there can be negotiation with bidders after council rejects bids for a project on two occasions.

His remarks came after it was revealed that the lowest project bidder during the second round of offers had neglected to complete a state-mandated form, and all other bidders proposed a cost in excess of the budgeted amount for the project.

The township was awarded last year a New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Small Cities $400,000 grant to improve streetscaping along the 800-foot section of Pemberton-Browns Mills Road.

Officials recently expressed their hope that improved streetscaping will attract developers to the area, which currently has several vacant and dilapidated buildings, in addition to empty lots that can be developed.

The dilapidated Browns Mills Shopping Center, a key landmark in the center of Browns Mills, sits at the corner of Juliustown and Pemberton-Browns Mills roads.

“I thinkDownsize this ad isv2.pdf a great project for 1 9/21/2020 6:12:40 PM the township,” said Councilman Jason Allen.

The township’s streetscaping project includes excavating, roadway restoration, driveway restoration, sidewalks, landscaping, street trees, tree wells, a bike rack, benches, trash receptacles, lighting and other site amenities.

According to the University of Delaware’s Complete Communities Toolbox published on its website, if properly executed, streetscaping can positively affect a community in multiple ways.

Improvements to crosswalks, traffic control devices, treatments to assist persons with disabilities, bus-stop placement, safe routes to school, and traffic-calming can enhance safety and provide effective countermeasures to accidents, according to the website.

Streetscapes that provide greater mobility and access to transportation choice can also lead to more healthy and active lifestyles, notes the website.

According to a report, Walking the Walk, walkability can help revitalize a downtown, increase private investment, and support the development of a good business climate.

Streetscapes, it read, can help increase the environmental sustainability by decreasing automobile dependency, minimizing traffic and congestion, and reducing carbon emissions; and landscaping beautification encourages the enrichment of biodiversity in a community.

Pemberton Township Council, on July 15, unanimously approved of Mayor David Patriarca’s administration applying to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a Rural Development Grant for a second phase of streetscape improvements to PembertonBrowns Mills Road, from its intersection with See BEAUTIFY/ Page 8

C

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Enter Coupon Code PINES

Wholesale Infomation JerseyShoreDistributors.com

NEW PATIENT

SPECIAL

99

$

FOR A DENTAL CLEANING, EXAM AND X-RAYS (over $300 value)!

We need to schedule your new patient visit by October 31, 2020.

We are SAFE! We are NECESSARY! We are OPEN!!

Richard J. Weber, DMD

M

Y

SAVE 10%

Dr. Weber has been recognized for excellence in dentistry and has trained nationally and internationally with the most prestigious members of the profession.

Is it time to Downsize?

Ask Jennifer...

CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE YOUR NEW PATIENT APPOINTMENT.

Jennifer Tedeschi REALTOR Associate Licensed in New Jersey

10 W. MAIN STREET, MOORESTOWN NJ 08057 CALL OR TEXT: 609-923-3737 Email: Jennifer.Tedeschi@LNF.com

609-388-1101 QUALITY. CARING. CONVENIENT.

www.LoveYourSmileDental.com • info@LoveYourSmileDental.com 1529 Rt. 206, Unit D (Next to Pizza 206), Tabernacle, NJ 08088

Page 4 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Tree Service Owners Contend Medford Council Should Support Premise ‘My Land. My Trees.’

Controversial Provisions Regarding Wood Sales, Solar Installations and Right-of-Way Obligations Appear in Draft Law with Oct. 6 Public Hearing

Photo By David Carns

A “My Land. My Trees.” sign posted at the entranceway of a construction site for the new Medford Town Hall, under another sign with the names of members of Medford Council, and near indications of recent tree removal.

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD—Bright yellow signs with a message “My Land, My Trees” are “sprouting” around Medford Township as a tree ordinance proposed by Medford Township Council is scheduled for a second reading and public hearing this upcoming Tuesday night, Oct. 6.

The proposed law, fraught with controversy, represents one of the most challenging, consequential and controversial council decisions under Mayor Charles “Chuck” Watson’s leadership in quite some time.

David and Brian Carns, twin brothers and both residents of Medford Township, who own Cornerstone Tree Service, told this newspaper the pending decision is “keeping them up at night,” and are fearful not enough residents are paying attention to the pending ordinance, distracted, in part, by the Coronavir us pandemic. They believe township homeowners will be in for a real shock, should the law pass, when they ask that trees be removed from their yard.

The proposed law, which the Carns oppose in its current form, if passed, would disallow residential property owners in Medford from removing more than three trees every 12 months, and prohibit the removal of more than 10 trees within any five-year period.

Currently, Medford homeowners are allowed to remove as many trees as they want, without restriction, from their property.

If a residential property owner wants to remove any more than the allotted annual amount of trees, they would have to seek a $25 permit from the township’s zoning official,

after submitting “a map, legal survey or site plan,” which is “drawn to scale and is of a suitable size” to depict the total number and the location and size of each tree proposed to be removed; the total number and approximate location of any trees removed from the lot in the preceding twelve months, if known; the location of the principal building and all accessory buildings on the subject property; the location of any driveway on the subject property; and the location of any deed restricted areas, scenic buffers, and/or HOA restricted areas on the subject property.

There is, however, an “emergency” exception in the proposed law, allowing residential property owners to remove “any dead or diseased tree, or any tree that creates an imminent hazard, or danger to persons and property, or an emergency.”

“They (dead trees) are not the issues; it is the live trees,” David Carns told this newspaper.

“The leaves on live trees catch the wind, and live trees have a ton of moisture in them, and that is why they uproot and fall over. We are not seeing dead trees fall over on houses, it is live trees.”

David Carns told this newspaper he believes council “is completely out of touch” on the tree issue, and “does not understand trees,” particularly given that there are developments in town built on wetlands, where trees may be “perfectly healthy,” but there is “nothing for their roots to anchor to.”

Watson, in justifying the need for a tree ordinance in town, pointed to a property that See TREE/ Page 7

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Bass River Man Given 20-Year Prison Sentence for Sexually Assaulting Girl Over Several Years BASS RIVER—A 62-year-old Bass River Township man was sentenced on Sept. 25 in Superior Court to 20 years in state prison for sexually assaulting an underage girl over a period of several years.

Joseph Kaelin, who was arrested in June 2019 following a New Jersey State Police investigation that began when the victim divulged the abuse to family members, pled guilty in February to first-degree aggravated sexual assault.

Judge Terrence R. Cook handed down the sentence, the result of a plea agreement with the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.

Under the agreement, Kaelin will not become eligible for parole and must serve the entire 20-year sentence.

“Tod ay, just ice was ser ved for t he despicable cr i mes com m it ted by t h is defendant on someone whom he was supposed t o prot e ct ,” s a id Bu rl i ng t on C ou nt y Prosecutor Scott Coffina said. “The survivor demonst r ated t remendou s cou r age i n presenting the court with a powerful statement

KAELIN today, and we as an office express our admiration for her family in pulling together to support her. We pray for healing for them all.”

The investigation, according to Coffina, revealed that Kaelin had abused the girl over a multi-year period. He ordered his victim not to tell anyone about the abuse.

Two Arrested, Charged in Roadway Shooting Near Border of JBMDL, Pemberton Township PEMBERTON—The Pemberton Township Police Depar tment has made ar rests in one of five shooting cases opened over the summer.

The arrests were made for a July 15 shooting that occurred just outside of the Pemberton Township line on the Joint Base McGuire-DixLakehurst (JBMDL) portion of Fort Dix Road, which was called in by eyewitnesses who were in the area at the time.

A police investigation had determined that two vehicles were involved in the shooting, and that multiple shots were purportedly fired at one of the vehicles.

That investigation led authorities to identify Desmond Crawley and Shaquille Crawley as suspects in the shooting, and warrants were issued for the Crawleys with assistance from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Crawley was arrested on Sept. 9 by Pemberton Police during a motor vehicle stop. He was lodged in the Burlington County Jail pending a future court date.

Pemberton Police, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshal’s New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, arrested Shaquille Crawley on Sept. 29. He was also lodged in the Burlington County Jail pending a future court date.

Both individuals were charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, as well as conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. Shaquille Crawley was also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Police have not said where the Crawleys reside.

There were five reported shootings during June and July in and near Pemberton Township, including two in which bullets were fired into homes, and another that police concluded evolved into an all-out gun battle.

The violence subsided in late July after police made a number of traffic stops that seized handguns, and filed weapons charges against multiple individuals. Police previously said they believed some of the incidents to be connected.

Follow @PineBarrensNews on Twitter

Saturday, October 3, 2020

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Man Accused of Stabbing His Girlfriend LITTLE EGG HARBOR—A Little Egg Harbor Township woman is recovering after being allegedly stabbed multiple times by her boyfriend on Sept. 21.

Little Egg Harbor Township Police were called to an address on Buckhorn Lake Court at around 12:14 a.m., when they observed a 38-year-old woman suffering from multiple lacerations and stab wounds on, and around her neck, according to a press release issued by authorities.

The woman was treated at the scene by police and Great Bay Regional Ambulance Service,

before being airlifted to the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Atlantic City Campus. She has since been released from the hospital.

The boyfriend, Calvin Smith, 36, of Little Egg Harbor, purportedly fled the scene prior to police arrival, but was later arrested without incident, the press release stated.

Smith was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and weapons charges.

Smith was being held in a secure hospital, as of Sept. 22, but was expected to be lodged in the Ocean County Jail.

♦ Page 5

Pemboro Pitched Affordable Housing Plan for Early Street Site of Former Grade School

Motor Vehicle Stop Leads to Gun Arrest EVESHAM—A Camden City man is facing a weapons charge after police located a loaded 9mm handgun in his vehicle during a motor vehicle stop in Evesham Township.

On Sept. 23, Evesham Police conducted a motor vehicle stop that led to the arrest of Bernard Gibson, 20, of Camden, for possession of marijuana, according to a press release from authorities.

During the motor vehicle stop, “K9 Moose” gave a positive indication during an exterior

sniff of the vehicle, which led to the seizure of the vehicle and the obtainment of a search warrant.

During the execution of the search warrant, additional marijuana was discovered along with a loaded 9mm handgun, according to the press release.

Gibson was then additionally charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and lodged in Burlington County Jail.

Got A News Scoop?

Send It Over to

News@PineBarrensTribune.com

Accepting New Patients Our Browns Mills office, which is conveniently located on the Deborah Heart & Lung campus, along with our Whiting office location, are proud to be servicing our neighbors in the Vincentown, Pemberton, Manchester, Southampton and Tabernacle areas.

Ocean County Foot & Ankle Surgical Associates, P.C. is your trusted provider of podiatry services in Burlington and Ocean Counties that offers a wide range of procedures performed by our team of highly experienced and compassionate foot and ankle specialists.

BROWNS MILLS

WHITING

6 Earlin Avenue, Suite 240 Browns Mills, NJ 08015 (609) 836-6608

61 Lacey Road Whiting, NJ 08759 (732) 350-2424

Photo By Andy Milone

The former site of the old Pemberton Borough Elementary School on Early Street.

By Andy Milone Staff Writer

PEMBERTON BOROUGH—A majority of Pemberton Borough Council members who took part in a Sept. 21 virtual council meeting expressed interest in learning more about a proposal to potentially erect an affordable housing development that would consist of 10 moderate-income units on the site where the old Pemberton Borough Elementary School once stood on Early Street.

Kent Pipes, president and CEO of the Affordable Homes Group, based out of Westampton, pitched the concept for council’s consideration as a way of fulfilling the borough’s state-mandated affordable housing obligation.

In addition, Borough Administrator Donna Mull reminded the governing body that these units would provide “much-needed” ratables, from which tax revenue would be drawn.

“W hat is cr itically needed are lowmaintenance, energy-ef ficient, moder n structures that can serve an income-restricted family for many years in a community that offers good schools, safe neighborhoods and other amenities,” states a description of the proposed project, obtained by this newspaper.

“The ‘Early Court’ project … satisfies all the critical components of a great project for those seeking affordable housing in today’s NJ marketplace.”

Should the council decide to move in this direction, Pemberton Borough would enter into a development agreement with The Salt and Light Company, Inc., one of the firms, within the Affordable Homes Group’s family of nonprofit corporations.

The proposal calls for the borough to sell the See HOUSING/ Page 6

SPECIALIZING IN: • General foot and ankle care • Traumatic and sportsrelated injuries • Foot and ankle surgery • Heel pain/plantar fasciitis • Warts and ingrown nails • Diabetic foot care • Pediatric foot conditions • Diabetic Shoe Program and Custom Bracing • Wound Care • Noninvasive Vascular Testing

OCFASA.com

Page 6 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

HOUSING (Continued from Page 5)

property for $175,000 to Salt and Light, which, in turn, would be in charge of developing the Early Court project for the purpose of selling, rather than renting the units, and to commit $315,000 of Housing Trust Fund money for development of the residential complex.

After hearing Pipes’ proposal, three of the four members of council who attended then voted to authorize its staff to seek information from a yet-to-be-named “special counsel” with the expertise to determine if the plan, which would need judicial approval from New Jersey Superior Court, actually fulfills the borough’s current affordable housing obligation.

Pipes contended it would meet the borough’s requirement for nine affordable units, but Borough Solicitor David Serlin recommended this specialized legal counsel be sought, as this New Jersey requirement is a “bizarre” constitutional issue dating back to the early 1990s.

Councilman Tim Quinlan was the lone member of the governing body present to vote against the motion, noting he is “absolutely opposed to this project,” and “will vote against anything advancing this proposal.” Council President Bonnie Haines and Councilman Cliff Rutherford did not attend the session.

“I am never going to vote to bring Sunbury Village to this borough,” said Quinlan right before casting his vote, in a reference to a low-income section of adjacent Pemberton Township that has been plagued by high crime and violent incidents.

While this meeting marked the first time that this specific proposal was formally presented to council, it was noted during discussion that there had been a similar project in the works some seven or eight years ago when the deteriorating school building was still standing.

The borough, in 2012, went as far as entering into a development agreement, obtained by this newspaper, for a proposed six units of affordable housing (three low-income and three moderate-income units), as well as four units of market-rate housing on the old school site.

The municipal Planning/Zoning board also approved that proposal, which in 2013, required approval of a land-use variance.

That agreement, which was between the borough, The Salt and Light Company, Inc. and another firm, Trenton-based Tara Developers, LLC, fell apart after Robert Kahan, a principal figure in the latter for-profit firm, was indicted on multiple criminal charges and subsequently, pled guilty to the “wrongful use of federal funds in a Trenton project,” as noted in the description of the proposed project and further chronicled in Trenton newspapers at the time.

The composition of the income-based housing units is the primary difference between that earlier proposal and the latest one, according to Pipes.

“I’m deeply concerned that low-income

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM people will not have the credit ability to buy the units, and/or if they buy them, the sustaining power, financially, to maintain them adequately over the next 25 to 30 years, so we would see some deterioration in the quality of the maintenance and the upkeep of those properties,” he said.

Pipes added that the time is right for this “ideal project,” because Salt and Light has “built its (capital) capacity to the point” where it can take on this project on its own. Also, there is “steady stream of (federal) money coming into the state,” Pipes contended, that could be tapped, specifically by municipalities looking to meet affordable housing obligations with projects featuring 25 units or less.

It also was noted that New Jersey, as well as the entire nation, is experiencing a “tremendous demand” for affordable housing in numbers that “vastly exceed what previously was understood to meet the demand.”

Affordable rental housing is being built in much greater numbers than units slated for owner-occupancy, which, according to the proposal’s description, presents the borough with an opportunity.

“Aspiring homeowners who are first-time homebuyers, both those seeking affordable housing and those seeking market-rate housing, are left with the only option of purchasing existing dwelling units that are in need of continual repair and upgrading due to the age of the electrical, plumbing, roofing and HVAC systems,” the project description states.

An affordable housing development is not the only proposed use that has been considered for the 5.9- acre Early Street site, between Egbert and Davis streets, which includes a track and ballfield.

After paying more than $150,000 to have the school building razed and the area cleaned up this past summer, council has considered using the land as a possible spot for a new recreational facility, such as a dog park, or for bocce ball or tennis courts.

The borough sent out a survey to gauge public interest in seven potential recreational facilities and applied for reimbursable grant funding through the Burlington County Municipal Park Development Program in 2019, which it ultimately received in the form of $60,000, to be utilized, on top of some $80,000 of past grant money that the county said could be used for the school demolition and the recreation project.

However, borough administration announced in the spring that it had lost $73,000 in electric utility revenue for no specific reason, “other than people are using less electric,” resulting in $64,000 in cuts, combined with a tax hike, being used to balance the borough’s 2020 fiscal year budget. The borough also lost about a million dollars’ worth of annual ratables as a result of the Burlington County Board of Commissioners (back at that time it was called a freeholder board) acquiring privately owned properties along County Route 530 for See HOUSING/ Page 18

Man Accused of Stealing Proprietary Information While Working for Bass River Boat Manufacturer BASS RIVER—A Bordentown City man has been charged with stealing proprietary intellectual property while he was employed by a luxury boat manufacturer in Bass River Township.

Cameron O’Connell, 27, of the 100 block of Pr ince St reet, was recently charged with second-degree computer crime, and t wo second-deg ree counts of unlawf ul possession of a weapon.

T he weapons cha rges, accord i ng to B u rl i ng t o n C ou nt y P r o s e c u t o r S c ot t Coff ina, are un related to the computer crime, and were filed after two handguns were found during the execution of a search warrant by New Jersey State Police on Sept.

22 at O’Connell’s residence.

Coff ina said that a New Jersey State Police investigation into O’Connell began earlier this month after representatives from Viking Yacht Company contacted New Jersey State Police and indicated their inter nal infor mation network had been compromised.

T he c omp a ny h a d d e t e r m i ne d t h at propr iet a r y i nt el le ct u al prope r t y ha d been downloaded onto a USB device via O’Connell’s desktop computer after his login information had been utilized to gain access.

“O’Connell stole intellectual property by secretly downloading data from his e m ploye r’s i nt e r n a l ne t wor k u si ng a U S B s t o r a g e d e v i c e ,” s a i d C o l o n e l Patrick Callahan, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “This type of theft comes with real-life consequences, which can cost companies millions and lead to job loss.”

O’Connell, who was taken into custody

on Sept. 22, was released following an i n it ial ap p e a r a nce i n Sup e r ior Cou r t i n Mou nt y Hol ly. T he ca se w i l l now be prepa red for present at ion to a Burlington County Grand Jury for possible indictment.

“I ndust r ial espionage is a ver y serious crime; the theft of trade secrets a nd other propr iet a r y i nfor mat ion can be devastating to a company,” Coffina said. “We are com mit ted to protecting Bu rling ton Cou nt y businesses f rom the stealing of their proper t y, whether at t he sale s cou nt e r or i n t he de sig n room.”

O’Connell is no longer with Viking Yacht Company, according to Coffina.

Callahan vowed to continue to “vigorously investigate and pursue” those who seek to “harm New Jersey businesses” and ensure that anyone who attempts to profit from the thef t of protected and propr iet ar y information is held accountable.

ADD TO YOUR PACKAGE FOR ONLY

19.99

$

2-YEAR TV PRICE

GUARANTEE America’s Top 120 Package

MO.

for 12 Mos.

CALL TODAY - For $100 Gift Card

1-877-846-6559

190 CHANNELS Including Local Channels!

Promo Code: DISH100 Offer ends 1/31/21.

All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification.

20% off Accessories

½ Mile from Route 70 via Medford-Mount Holly Road

• Tennis Court Remodel • Safety Pool Fencing • Adobe Solid Fencing

Call For an Estimate Today!

Ask for Mike • 610-999-9753

/mo.

where available

Mon-Sat 10am-8pm Sun 11am-5pm

www.pattersonfencing.com

O’CONNELL

Blazing Fast Internet!

Serving All of South Jersey for or Over 20 Years!!

• Wood Vista Fencing • Vinyl Vista Fencing • Aluminum Fencing

Saturday, October 3, 2020

For all First Responders, Military, Teachers, and Nurses

In-Store Shopping

Curbside Service

FREE Screen Protector With purchase of any Smartphone on Device Payment Agreement.

Limit One Per Guest

In-Store Pick-Up

The Shoppes at Wilkins Station 5 Wilkins Station Road #104 Medford, NJ 08055 Locally owned and operated under new management since October 2019

Saturday, October 3, 2020

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

TREE

(Continued from Page 4) was recently clear-cut, later revealed through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to be 51 Tallowood Drive.

David Carns told this newspaper he since made contact with the owner of the tree service who did that job, and was told that most of the trees removed had English ivy, which in many cases had concealed base rot. As this newspaper previously reported, the home was recently sold, and the realtor that conducted the transaction, said several trees on the lot were dead.

Councilman Bradley Denn, at a Sept. 15 council meeting, indicated that since the clearcut happened around the same time council’s intentions made the news, he was fearful more homeowners would rush to take down their trees. He successfully urged his colleagues to move the proposed tree ordinance from being a discussion item to an action item during the Sept. 15 council meeting.

“They are saying, ‘Hurry up! People are rushing to cut down their trees,’” David Carns said. “I did 32 estimates on Saturday. Nobody is going around panicking, saying let’s cut down all our trees. He is lying about that.”

David Carns noted he fears that not only will surveys cost residents hundreds of dollars, but that some may be forced to put a continuous amount of money in escrow accounts, while the township’s professionals review any denial appeals and decide what trees might have to come down. He added that he is concerned such surveys could also result in the township’s zoning official, upon review, asking homeowners to submit retroactive permit applications for structures, etc. He told this newspaper his apprehensions are based on his own family’s experience with the municipality.

Cornerstone Tree Service, according to David Carns, has contracted in the past with

local municipalities to remove potentially hazardous trees in the public right-of-way, or an easement alongside municipal roads, for travel safety reasons.

Under the proposed ordinance, all trees would be “the responsibility of the property owner of the property on which the tree is located, including all trees in the ‘right-of way’ located between the sidewalk and the curb line.”

“We do work for Mt. Holly Township,” David Carns said. “The township’s Public Works Department (DPW) hires us to remove trees. They paid us to remove a bunch of trees recently between sidewalk and the curb. This is not normal. They have hired us multiple times to remove trees.

“A lot of times, township DPW’s are going to remove trees themselves, and if it is a large tree, they will sub it out to another tree company. I think they are trying to side-step their responsibility, and if they are going to tell you what you can and can’t do with your trees, it just seems awful.”

Township Manager Kathy Burger did not return requests for comment on this story, including an emailed question asking her if the township’s Department of Public Works (known as Neighborhood Services) has removed trees in the past in the public rightof-way, or if the township has contracted for tree work alongside roadways.

Serving as another sore spot with the Carns is a provision in the tree ordinance that would prohibit the sale of wood at “wood stands” or similar facilities, except at retail commercial establishment or garden centers, and on properties that are 5-acres or more and farmland assessed. That latter exception was added to the proposal just a few days ago, according to the tree service co-owners.

The Carns, who maintain a 30-acre family farm in town, told this newspaper that the See TREE/ Page 8

Save Now On Home Security Monitored by ADT ® the #1 home security company in the U.S. ADT® 24/7 Monitored Home Security

GREAT

LOW PRICE

MONITORING

24/7 monitoring provides peace of mind Yard sign and window decals help deter crime Quickly connect to emergency response May qualify for a homeowners insurance discount

PER MONTH

FREE HOME SECURITY SYSTEM ®

FREE SECURITY SYSTEM

FREE VISA GIFT CARD

New customers only. Early termination fee applies. Installation starts $ at $99 with 36 monitoring 850 VALUE agreement. See all offer details below.

From Protect Your Home —$100 Value

FREE WIRELESS REMOTE CONTROL —$139 Value

FREE 7 WIRELESS FREE INDOOR HD CAMERA DOOR/WINDOW When you upgrade to ADT SENSORS —$695 VALUE! Video Lite —$299 VALUE! See all offer details below.

LIMITED TIME OFFER—CALL TODAY!

1-888-509-3890

Ask about same-day installation!

Reply By Oct 30, 2020

GIFT CARD: $100 Visa Gift Card fulfilled by Protect Your Home through third-party provider, Mpell, upon installation of a security system and execution of monitoring contract. $4.95 shipping and handling fee, gift cards can take up to 8 weeks to arrive after following the Mpell redemption process. BASIC SYSTEM: $99 Installation. 36-Month Monitoring Agreement required at $27.99 per month ($1,007.64). 24-Month Monitoring Agreement required at $27.99 per month ($671.76) for California. Offer applies to homeowners only. Basic system requires landline phone. Offer valid for new ADT Authorized Premier Provider customers only and not on purchases from ADT LLC. Cannot be combined with any other offer. The $27.99 Offer does not include Quality Service Plan (QSP), ADT’s Extended Limited Warranty. ADT Pulse: ADT Pulse Interactive Solutions Services (“ADT Pulse”), which help you manage your home environment and family lifestyle, require the purchase and/or activation of an ADT alarm system with monitored burglary service and a compatible computer, cell phone or PDA with Internet and email access. These ADT Pulse services do not cover the operation or maintenance of any household equipment/systems that are connected to the ADT Pulse equipment. All ADT Pulse services are not available with the various levels of ADT Pulse. All ADT Pulse services may not be available in all geographic areas. You may be required to pay additional charges to purchase equipment required to utilize the ADT Pulse features you desire. ADT PULSE + VIDEO: ADT Pulse + Video installation is an additional $299. 36-month monitoring contract required from ADT Pulse + Video: $59.99 per month, ($2,159.64), including Quality Service Plan (QSP). Doorbell camera may not be available in all areas. GENERAL: For all offers, the form of payment must be by credit card or electronic charge to your checking or savings account, satisfactory credit history is required and termination fee applies. Certain packages require approved landline phone. Local permit fees may be required. Certain restrictions may apply. Additional monitoring fees required for some services. For example, Burglary, Fire, Carbon Monoxide and Emergency Alert monitoring requires purchase and/or activation of an ADT security system with monitored Burglary, Fire, Carbon Monoxide and Emergency Alert devices and are an additional charge. Additional equipment may be purchased for an additional charge. Additional charges may apply in areas that require guard response service for municipal alarm verification. Prices subject to change. Prices may vary by market. Some insurance companies offer discounts on Homeowner’s Insurance. Please consult your insurance company. Photos are for illustrative purposes only and may not reflect the exact product/service actually provided. Licenses: AL-21-001104, AR-CMPY.0001725 AZ-ROC217517, CA-ACO6320, CT-ELC.0193944-L5, DC-EMS902653, DC-602516000016, DE-07-212, FL-EC13003427, EC13003401, GA-LVA205395, IA-AS-0206, ID-ELE-SJ-39131, IL-127.001042, IN-C.P.D. Reg. No. – 19-08088, City of Indianapolis: LAC-000156, KY-City of Louisville: 483, LA-F1914, LA-F1915, LA-F1082, MA-1355C, MD-107-1626, ME-LM50017382, MI-3601205773, MN-TS01807, MO-City of St. Louis: CC#354, St. Louis County: 100194, MS-15007958,MT-PSP-ELS-LIC-247, NC-25310-SP-FA/LV, NC-1622-CSA, NE-14451, NJ Burglar Alarm Lic. # -NJ-34BF00021800, NM-353366, NV-0068518, City of Las Vegas: 3000008296, NY-Licensed by the N.Y.S. Department of State UID#12000317691, NYS #12000286451,OH-53891446, City of Cincinnati: AC86, OK-AC1048, OR-170997, Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor Registration Number: PA022999, RI-3582, RI-7508, SC-BAC5630, SD- 1025-7001-ET, TN-1520, TX-B13734, ACR-3492, UT-6422596-6501, VA-115120, VT-ES-2382(7C),WA-602588694/ECPROTEYH934RS, WI-City of Milwaukee: PAS-0002966, WV-WV042433, WY-LV-G-21499. 3750 Priority Way South Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46240 ©2017 DEFENDERS, Inc. dba Protect Your Home DF-CD-NP-Q320

Our Family Serving Yours for Over 21 Years

Family Owned and

♦ Page 7

Operated

We Accept Funeral Arrangements Made at Any Other Funeral Home!

Moore Funeral Home Dawn M. Moore,

Owner/Grief Recovery Specialist

Ernest G. Dobronte, Manager, NJ Lic. # 4312

Jared Kirshenbaum,

Director, NJ Lic. # 4716

371 Lakehurst Road, Browns Mills, NJ 08015

Phone: (609) 893-4800

Visit Us Visit Us at at www.moorefuneralhome.com www.moorefuneralhome.com We Honor the Dignity of Those Entrusted to Our Care

• Providing Memorable Funeral and Cremation Services • Grief Recovery Specialists on Staff • Offering Funeral Insurance Program • NJ Funeral Prepaid Trust Fund • Wheelchair Accessible • Serving All Faiths • Children’s Play Area

PROUDLY SERVING THOSE WHO HAVE PROUDLY SERVED

SM

*A *All All ppersons ersons aare re llicensed icensed aand nd aable ble tto o eembalm, mbalm, arrange and direct funerals in the State of New Jersey with the exception of Dawn Moore. © NFDA 2020. All rights reserved.

Page 8 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

BEAUTIFY (Continued from Page 3)

Juliustown Road to at least the entranceway to Lakeshore Mobile Village.

The township, on Aug. 4, in response, was awarded a $234,000 USDA grant that requires a 45 percent local match, according to David J. Benedetti, director of Pemberton’s Office of Community Development.

The estimated project cost of Phase II, according to Business Administrator Daniel Hor nickel, is $434,862. The mayor, as previously reported by this newspaper, said that the municipality can fund the cost share in next year’s budget as cash, without increasing the township’s taxes or debt service, because next year’s debt service will be reduced by $1 million to as much as $1.5 million.

“We would like to go from the intersection of Juliustown and Pemberton-Browns Mills roads and work our way back to the municipal building, or at least the length of the Browns Mills Shopping Center,” Hornickel said. “We want to make improvements to the sidewalks (on both sides of the roadway), including making them handicap-accessible. We want to upgrade our lighting, trim our trees and do as much as we possibly can to beautify the downtown.”

During the latest council meeting, Hornickel noted that the municipality was collaborating with Business View magazine that will soon be featuring the township, highlighting what officials would like to get done over the next five years and “why companies should consider investing in Pemberton Township.”

TREE

(Continued from Page 7) township’s zoning officer, Beth Portocallis, “shutdown” their firewood stand several years ago, and would not leave them alone until they disassembled it. Firewood stands in Medford Township are currently prohibited, according to past remarks by Watson, though the Carns have questioned how such a ban could ever have been applied to qualified (Q) farms.

“I don’t think it should be any part of this ordinance,” David Carns said. “It shouldn’t be included on there. Firewood is a complete, separate discussion.”

The wood prohibition has appeared in the draft ordinance despite Watson, just a few months ago at a council meeting, entertaining the possibility of permitting both farm and firewood stands. Council has moved to introduce an ordinance that would allow for farm stands, all as the mayor concluded that he views farm stands and firewood stands “as two separate issues,” and that they may require two separate ordinances.

It is unclear why the mayor has moved away

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM The business administrator said the article will discuss the township’s available resources, “our ability to extend water and sewer service,” the municipality’s “low tax rates,” and “even our low utility rates.” The magazine’s readership includes executives, entrepreneurs, business owners and franchisers, and the business administrator said the piece will essentially provide the town with a marketing toolkit for them to review.

“Council has fostered a business-friendly environment here,” Hornickel said. “That is a message we want to get out through this magazine.”

Hornickel added that multiple municipal governmental departments are currently collaborating on a “park improvement plan” to establish a “robust park system” in Pemberton.

He said the township’s director of Recreation is currently conducting an inventory of township parks, and suggesting to administration ways to improve them.

“If our parks look good, people will want to maintain their properties,” the business administrator said. “The properties complement the parks. … The other thing that would be extremely enticing for the township is to have biking and hiking trails that connect all our neighborhoods.”

Officials already have spent the last couple of weeks drawing possible connections out on municipal maps, including connecting Browns Mills to Presidential Lakes, Hornickel said, and connecting Country Lakes to Presidential Lakes.

“We thi n k we can get most of ou r neighborhoods connected through trails, or dedicated bike lanes on existing roads,” Hornickel asserted. from a separate ordinance.

Also drawing scrutiny is a provision in the proposed tree ordinance that stipulates “no trees may be removed or ‘topped’ to expose ground mounted, or roof mounted, solar panels unless expressly permitted as a part of the Zoning Permit application process.”

“I just think it is totally unfair,” said David Carns of all of the proposed law’s provisions.

While the measure was introduced before a few members of the public last month, a number of people have expressed online that they want to attend the Oct. 6 public hearing at 7 p.m.

Meetings are usually held at the township’s Public Safety Building, but due to social distancing requirements, it is unclear how the municipality would handle any capacity issues. There are also questions about how the township would be able to hear from any high-risk populations who may be unable to attend the meeting, as no telephone number to accept public comment was provided at the last council meeting.

Watson previously expressed that he did not agree with the premise that council should hold off on acting on any tree ordinance because of the pandemic.

390 Lakehurst Road, Browns Mills, NJ 08015

609-283-0036

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

The Woodland Township Municipal Building.

WOODLAND (Continued from Page 1)

Year 2020 budget.

“With the municipal budget, as we stated during the last meeting, there will be no local purpose tax increase,” contended DeGroff during an Aug. 26 public hearing on the $1,429,987 budget, before the committee voted 3-0 to adopt it, without any public objection. “It is a flat budget, so there will be no increase.”

When the budget was first introduced in July, in a response to questions about it from this newspaper, the mayor reiterated at the time that there would be no local purpose tax increase.

The committee, in 2019, approved a 22-cent increase, “or really significant increase” in the municipal tax levy, but assured residents this summer that “we don’t see that happening, hopefully, for the next several years.”

Even though the budget was formally adopted in August on the premise that there would be no local purpose tax increase, and with the public hearing on it closed, Township Clerk Maryalice Brown, during a Sept. 23 committee meeting, announced municipal taxes would rise slightly due to what she contended was a “timing mistake,” remarking that it was connected to the budget being adopted so late in the year due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

“I realize that you (DeGroff ) and the committee … we all told the public that there would be no local purpose tax increase this year,” Brown said. “That was definitely the intention. We certified our budget to the state, and once it is certified, it is pretty stuck there.

Right after we certified it to the state, we realized that the county made an adjustment to our ratables and it did adjust our (tax levy) rate (upwards) by about $0.02.”

According to Brown, the (tax levy) increase will result in an increase in municipal taxes of $10 on a home assessed at the township average of $252,000.

“Of course, if your assessment is less than $252,000, it won’t even be $10,” Brown contended. “If it is more than $252,000, it will be a little more than $10.”

Brow n asser ted that it would “cost considerable monies” and “time” to “go back and recertify the budget,” though it is unclear how the municipality can legally proceed with a budget that was adopted under different pretenses.

“As you know, we are already into September in adopting our budget,” Brown said. “We didn’t want to take it any further into the year.”

Both Brown and DeGroff contended the situation “had nothing to do with the committee,” with the mayor adding that he “wanted the people to understand that.”

Brown did not return multiple messages seeking comment on this story, as of press time, including ones that sought further details about the circumstances surrounding the responsibility for the tax increase. Tax Collector Nancy Seeland, and the township’s financial department, also did not return messages seeking information for this story.

The committee, during its Sept. 23 meeting, did not take any vote during its latest regular meeting to amend the budget adopted in August, nor schedule another public hearing, despite the change in circumstances.

Spokespeople for the New Jersey Department of Treasury, and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, did not return messages seeking comment on this story.

In addition to the tax issue, during the public comment portion of the latest township committee meeting, a number of other issues relating to transparency on the part of township officials were raised by residents, and there were also some developments during the meeting that left one attendee, Terry Sheerin, to remark after it was all over that “transparency has left the building” at town hall since Matthew Henrich departed the committee in December of last See WOODLAND/ Page 13

Do you hear but have trouble understanding the words?

Schedule a FREE HEARING TEST and CONSULTATION and take advantage of our FREE 2 week trial.

The Cigar Hub in Browns Mills is completely renovated and we have fine cigars in our large walk-in humidor.

Domestic cigars, pipes, pipe tobacco, and roll your own tobacco are also available. We have 26 years of experience and are excited to be joining a new community.

Come check us out...you won’t be disappointed! pp Like Us on

We have hearing aids for every budget and lifestyle starting at $2,500/pair.

Every hearing aid purchase includes our expert programming and our unsurpassed, world-class service!

Rechargeable and cell phone compatible hearing aids now available.

Medford • Whiting Bridgeton • Columbus Hammonton

Call 877-924-3477 • Since 1985 • scottwilsonhearingaids.com Scott Wilson, Owner, NJ Lic #484 • Kirsten Corcoran, NJ Lic #1123 • Kelli Byrne, NJ Lic #1350 • Hearing Aid Dispensers

PBT

Saturday, October 3, 2020

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

TIRADE

(Continued from Page 1) superintendent, told this newspaper on Sept. 28 that she has owned calling out some members of the Pinelands Regional board in a text message originally meant for a member of the board, who she said is a friend, but denied harassing anyone, and contended that she used the word “idiots,” not “stupid,” and there is a “big difference.” As a former 35-year employee of Pinelands, community member, and past board member, she told this newspaper that her loyalty and dedication is with Pinelands Regional, and that while she has tried to stay silent, she just can’t sit idly by on the sidelines with what she has observed over the last several months.

Daleo, in his Sept. 23 remarks, also raised William’s intent -- later confirmed by this newspaper -- to file an ethics complaint with the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE)’s School Ethics Commission against Betti Anne McVey, current president of the Pinelands Regional board.

McVey has since told this newspaper that she has two daughters employed full-time in the Little Egg Harbor School District, along with an ex-son-in-law. Williams, also in a later interview with this newspaper, explained that McVey’s children and ex-son-in-law fall under the supervision of McCooley, and questioned how the board president can act impartially on matters relating to the superintendent. He believes McVey cannot vote in the contract extension matter, and her past votes on matters relating to the superintendent are conflicted.

McVey pointed to an advisory opinion she received from the commission that purportedly said she can vote on superintendent matters so long as her children are not dependents who live in the same household, but added that she is seeking yet another opinion before the critical contract vote.

Photo By Ryan Marchese

Dr. Melissa McCooley, shared superintendent of the Little Egg Harbor School and Pinelands Regional School districts.

McCooley, as this newspaper previously reported, has a year and a half left on her contract with the Pinelands Regional School District, after beginning to provide her services to the regional district in late May of 2018. She signed a five-year agreement in July 2017 with the Little Egg Harbor School District, and has served as the superintendent of schools in Little Egg Harbor since 2015.

According to Business Administrator Nick Brown, who serves as board secretary for both the Little Egg Harbor and Pinelands Regional boards, the superintendent wants to extend her contract to ensure the Pinelands Regional district effectively manages the COVID-19 pandemic, and so that the administration can complete “the numerous initiatives” that were started prior to the contagion spreading. The continuity in administrative leadership, he said, is important to the superintendent.

While the Pinelands Regional School District has had a number of superintendents

over the years, and times without a permanent superintendent, sources recently told this newspaper that some area church leaders, especially from the evangelical Christian community, angered by McCooley’s initiative to implement a pilot LGBTQ curriculum program in Pinelands Regional schools, have reportedly thrown their support behind at least some of the candidates running for open seats on both the Little Egg Harbor and Pinelands Regional boards. These sources contended that the superintendent is now purportedly concerned about her future with the two school districts if the potential new leadership takes hold, and is seeking to extend it before Election Day. McCooley recently told this newspaper that her contract is anticipated to be revised on Oct. 30. A planned public hearing on the superintendent’s contract was pulled at the last minute from an Aug. 26 Pinelands Regional board meeting agenda for “personal reasons.”

“My desire to extend my contract at this time comes with only good intentions,” said the superintendent during the Sept. 23 Pinelands Regional board meeting. “In an arduous time, with so much stress and uncertainty, numerous superintendents are retiring and resigning. I would like to show the board, and the community, that I am fully devoted to Pinelands and would like to be here to see the district through this pandemic, as well as rebuild afterward. I can assure you, there is no malfeasance associated with my request to extend my contract.”

McCooley noted that a required 30-day public notice was published recently in the district’s legal newspaper that announced that she would like to make a change to her current contract at the October Pinelands Regional board meeting.

McCooley, in a later interview with this newspaper, when asked about the charges that she was seeking a contract extension because of the upcoming school board election, replied that “she has said numerous times,” she is only extending her contract because of her “devotion to this district.”

“I have a lot of work to still do and the pandemic set us back,” McCooley said.

Patricia Chambers, a Pinelands Regional board member, who served as vice president of the school governing body under Ernst, questioned the scheduling of the meeting for the night of Oct. 30. She noted that the meeting would coincide with a scheduled varsity football game that many school families want to attend, would commence the night that a week-long school break begins, and would occur the night before Halloween. She also noted the meeting would be scheduled for a Friday night, which is when many in the community traditionally spend time with friends and families and relax after working a full-work week.

Many questions about transparency surfaced See TIRADE/ Page 11

NEVER CLEAN YOUR GUTTERS ® AGAIN!

After

Before

40

♦ Page 9

YEARS

40 Years of Trusted Service

FOR GUTTER PROTECTION

Installs over your existing gutters. Stay off the

Limited Time Fall Sale

10%OFF

22” RAIN

GUTTER

S

G

/hr

Helm

®

et

Senior and Veteran Discounts

of

ter

609-631-3420

Handles

Offer Ends 10/31/20

ut

Call Today, FREE Estimates

For 12 Months †

g

+

0% Interest

ofin

Installation*

Ro

FREE

ladder this FALL, protect your home and family.

*Offer expires 10/31/20, call for more details. Min. purchase is required. Offer applies to Gutter Helmet gutter protection installations only and must be presented at time of estimate, cannot be combined with any other offers and subject to change without notice. Void where prohibited by law. †Subject to credit approval. Interest does accrue during promotional period but all interest is waived if paid in full within selected promo period. Lednor is neither a broker nor a lender.

Financing is provided by 3rd party lenders, under terms & conditions arranged directly between the customer and such lenders, satisfactory completion of finance documents is required. Any finance terms advertised are estimates only. NJ HIC Reg. #13VH04341800 - PA #010099 © 2020 Lednor Corporation.

Page 10 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Saturday, October 3, 2020

CLOG-FREE GUT TERS

OR YOUR MONEY BACK

GUARANTEED!

ER

AFT r

ilte

NATIO

TT

’S

GU

1

D

E

N

TH

fF Lea

R

ORE

BEF

r ilte F f Lea

ER GUA

INSTALLS ON NEW & EXISTING GUTTERS

LIFETIME WARRANTY

15% OFF

“My only regret is that I wish I had known about LeafFilter sooner.”

–Doug L.

YOUR ENTIRE LEAFFILTER PURCHASE* Exclusive Offer – Redeem By Phone Today!

The LeafFilter System

ADDITIONALLY

10% OFF SENIOR &

Micromesh

MILITARY DISCOUNTS

uPVC Frame

PLUS!

Keeps Out All Debris Completely sealed system protects your gutters — and entire home — from damaging debris.

Hanger

Existing Gutter

THE FIRST 50 CALLERS WILL

RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL

5% OFF

YOUR ENTIRE INSTALL! **Offer valid at estimate only

Total Debris Protection 365 Days A Year: No matter where you live, LeafFilter keeps all types of debris out of your gutters.

FINANCING THAT FITS 1 YOUR BUDGET! Subject to credit approval.

Call for details.

1

CALL US TODAY FOR

A FREE ESTIMATE

1-866-926-0884 Promo Code: 285

Pine Needles

Twigs & Debris

Shingle Grit

Leaves

Moss & Pollen

Seed Pods

Insects

Mon-Thurs: 8am-11pm, Fri-Sat: 8am-5pm, Sun: 2pm-8pm EST

*For those who qualify. **One coupon per household. No obligation estimate valid for 1 year. *The leading consumer reporting agency conducted a 16 month outdoor test of gutter guards in 2010 and recognized LeafFilter as the “#1 rated professionally installed gutter guard system in America.” CSLB# 1035795 DOPL #10783658-5501 License# 7656 License# 50145 License# 41354 License# 99338 License# 128344 License# 218294 License# 603 233 977 License# 2102212986 License# 2106212946 License# 2705132153A License# LEAFFNW822JZ License# WV056912 License# WC-29998-H17 Nassau HIC License# H01067000 Registration# 176447 Registration# HIC.0649905 Registration#C127229 Registration# C127230 Registration# 366920918 Registration# PC6475 Registration# IR731804 Registration# 13VH09953900 Registration# PA069383 Suffolk HIC License# 52229-H License# 2705169445 License# 262000022

Saturday, October 3, 2020

TIRADE

(Continued from Page 9) in regards to the original Aug. 26 hearing that was scheduled regarding the superintendent’s contract, including the decision to change the longtime location of Pinelands Regional board meetings beginning with its Aug. 26 meeting.

“In regards to the change in the October meeting date, was this decided at the last board meeting?” Chambers asked.

McCooley contended that since the last Pinelands Regional board meeting that was held in August, the administration heard from one of the Pinelands Regional board members that they had a conflict with the originally scheduled October 23 meeting date. The superintendent said she spoke with McVey about that board member’s request to have the date changed, and Brown “put it out there.”

“He felt it was enough notice – a month and a half – to give everyone for the change,” the superintendent said.

K a r e n Po k l i k u h a , w h o r e p r e s e nt s Eagleswood Township, said it would be nice if the other members of the board could be consulted before the date of Pinelands Regional board meetings are changed. She noted that a number of scheduled meeting dates have been changed recently. McCooley asserted that an email had been sent out asking if any of the board members had an issue with the Oct. 30 date change, “but no one responded.”

Brow n, af ter Chambers pressed the superintendent further on the issue, said he had “announced the date” to the Pinelands Regional board members and “believed” he asked the regional school board members to notify him with any potential conflicts.

Kim Hanadel, current vice president of the Pinelands Regional board, representing Tuckerton, asked if the school governing body always discussed its meeting dates during an actual board meeting, or if such changes were arranged through email. She contended that she believed changes in the meeting dates for school board meetings were always discussed in emails. Chambers replied that there had been times where email was used, but usually changes in the schedule “were discussed by “the board as a whole” and the members “were asked if it was convenient.”

“What is the reason it has been changed?”

Chambers asked.

After the superintendent explained the meeting date was changed because one board member had to report to work, Chambers appeared to be in shock that it was only done because one board member had a conflict (in which it wouldn’t prevent a quorum from being reached). McCooley, appearing to pick up on Chamber’s disbelief, noted that Pinelands Regional board members have emailed her an hour before the meetings are to begin to inform her that they can’t attend.

McVey said she would take responsibility for what occurred, and going forward she would make sure to “poll the board” about any change in the meeting dates.

“I just thought enough notice had been given and we all have been so adaptable over the last 8 months in trying to figure out how to get together,” McVey said. “I know there has been a few meetings missed by people and I wanted to do everything we could do for somebody who took the time and energy six weeks in advance to request that the meeting date be changed. If it is a hardship, I apologize, and going forward, I will make sure to poll the board.”

Christie Palladino, representing Little Egg Harbor on the Pinelands Regional board as well, who was absent when the school governing body approved the pilot program, but has since expressed strong support for the LGBTQ curriculum, contended that she requested the meeting be held on Oct. 30 because her work schedule is “real hectic.”

“I work 12-hour shifts, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., or 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.” she said. “And I really do try to make all the meetings that I can, and I

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM know I missed a few, unfortunately, because of my schedule and I am really trying to not miss anymore.”

Palladino said she would “leave early” or “take off that day” if her colleagues want to reschedule the meeting back to Oct. 23.

However, Brown and McCooley noted that the 30-day advertisement window was believed to have passed.

“We were told when it was going to be,” Chambers said. “I don’t feel that as a board of the whole, we were given an opportunity to speak on this, to decide if it was convenient for everybody. And the fact that it was thrown to a Friday night, which in my tenure on this board that has been almost nine years, (has never happened).”

Daleo, in reply, asked who is charged with the responsibility to schedule special meetings of the board. McVey said that responsibility rests with the president of the board. Daleo, who has been on the Pinelands Regional board for nine months, the second-to-last board member to speak during the Sept. 23 meeting, contended that what he has “watched and observed over the last nine months is unnerving to say the least.”

His remarks came just minutes after a member of public not only questioned the way the LGBTQ curriculum was adopted by the Pinelands Regional board, contending there was no second reading of the policy, but added “there is a lot of stuff people in the community have seen as shady” with a lot of “he said-she said” situations.

“I am still waiting for this board to start what boards do: that is policy setting,” Daleo said. “However, this has not been what has been happening. I look at our board and I see micromanagement of the administration, basically to run the district, instead of having the superintendent and the administration run the district.”

Daleo, who contended “he does not like calling people out,” then lambasted Williams, calling his behavior “troublesome.”

“During my time on the board, I have watched Mr. Williams not take part in evaluating the superintendent, which is an integral part of what we do as board members” Daleo said. “All the other board members completed this very important responsibility. Notwithstanding, Mr. Williams also did not take part in the board’s self-evaluation. This is very disappointing, knowing he is a longtime board member who should set an example for all new board members to follow.”

Daleo also contended that Williams missed a number of board meetings.

“I don’t know if Mr. Williams is part of anything this board does,” Daleo said. “He just shows up sometimes. He seems to be more interested in politics, then supporting positive change. Mr. Williams has been nothing but an agitator.”

Daleo, in continuing his admonishment of Williams, then reported his observation that the Bass River representative was seen talking with “religious groups against the LGBTQ curriculum” in the regional high school’s parking lot after the Aug. 26 Pinelands Regional board meeting.

Members of the religious community attended that meeting, purportedly planning to speak in opposition to the superintendent receiving any contract extension, and were upset after reportedly being told that there was no meeting inside the high school, according to several sources, especially after reporting to the regional junior high school’s Media Center, unaware that the longtime location of Pinelands Regional board meetings had been changed beginning that night.

“I hope these religious groups are not being misled, or misinformed that the LGBTQ curriculum is something that the district can opt out of,” Daleo said. “You cannot. It is a state mandate, it is the law, and public schools have to implement this mandate.”

Recently passed legislation, signed into See TIRADE/ Page 12

♦ Page 11

Efficient & Courteous Service

The Proper Care & Maintenance of Your Septic Tank Can SaveYouThousands of Dollars in Repair Replacement Costs. Don’t Neglect It Any Longer.

NO Gimmicks! Honest Pricing!

Our Reputation & Experience Allow Us to Pass Extraordinary Savings to You!

We Do Septic Installations!

SEPTIC CLEANING SPECIAL

SEPTIC TANK RESTORATION SPECIAL

(up to 1,000 gallons)

$

199

+Sales Tax

Plus get a free one year supply of septic tank bacteria treatment.

19.9¢/each additional gallon over 1,000 gallons.

Other fees may apply depending upon needed service. Call for details.

Mention this ad in the Pine Barrens Tribune at the time of scheduling.

Not to be combined with any other offers or coupons.

Expires 9-5-2020 10/31/20 Monday-Friday only. Residential Customers Only. Expires

A-L Septic Service

200 OFF

$

Not to be combined with any other offers or coupons. Must present coupon at time of purchase. Expires Expires9-5-2020 10/31/20

A-L Septic Service

Call Today for More Details and Mention This Ad!

800-229-6411

SERVING BURLINGTON AND OCEAN COUNTIES AS WELL AS SURROUNDING AREAS! WWW.ALSEPTIC.COM • ALSEPTIC@COMCAST.NET

Residential • Commercial • Industrial

WANTED!ALL FIREARMS Gun Collections * Military/Hunting An Antique n Arr * Military Artifacts Swords/Bayonets We pay CASH on the spot!

Call John & Stephanie

609-4788-22839 • 610-7116-55353 email: antiqueandrareguns@gmail.com Federal Firearms License Holder

Travis Garage Doors & Repair Broken Springs/ Cables

Operator Remotes

Since 1971 New Garage Doors + Electric Openers Service & Repair 7 Days a Week for Your Convenience

(609) 859-2992 All Credit Cards Accepted

Page 12 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Saturday, October 3, 2020

TIRADE

(Continued from Page 11) law by Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, is requiring that all school districts include LGBTQ curriculum in their curriculum programs, but the issue the local religious groups have is that Pinelands Regional offered to become a pilot for curriculum, thereby implementing it earlier than most other school districts in the state. Some church leaders are also trying to encourage the regional district to dispense of the LGBTQ curriculum entirely, and mount a challenge to the state.

McCooley, later told this newspaper, in defending her support of allowing Pinelands Regional to become part of the pilot program, that the regional district was “fortunate” to “provide input” on the curriculum the district has to adopt anyway under state law. She said it is “only a benefit to be part of the process.”

She added that any one elected to the board, once they become part of the process, their perspective changes, and they see what they can and cannot do. Their “eyes open,” she said.

“Another discouraging situation is that at our last board meeting, Mr. Williams stated he would file an ethics charge against the sitting president if she voted for the superintendent’s new contract,” Daleo said. “He said she would be conflicted, and I find that insulting, because the School Ethics Commission has already ruled on this (an advisory opinion was given).”

Several parents and community members, in online forums, expressed dismay with Daleo’s comments about the 20-year board member after the meeting, calling them “very unclassy,” “tasteless and disgusting,” “unprofessional” and “arrogant.”

“It was a pitiful bashing,” said one parent.

Williams did not respond to Daleo’s remarks during the meeting, but did so in a Sept. 28 interview with this newspaper. He called Daleo’s “tirade,” as he put it, “disheartening,” “ i n a p p r o p r i a t e b o a r d m a n s h i p ,” a n d “unprofessional.”

“It should have been shut down by the president, and or the board attorney,” Williams said. “Mr. Daleo, if he was feeling that way, could have reached out to me at any time for us to sit down and have a discussion.”

The Bass River representative, when asked about Daleo’s observation that he was speaking with religious groups, replied that he has “a duty and obligation to speak to my constituents” as an elected official.

“It is very unfortunate,” he said of Daleo’s remarks. “We are elected by the public and we need to be very transparent with our public.

One of the board goals is ‘transparency. The structure of the Board of Education at Pinelands -- it is not a dictatorship.’”

As for the purported absenteeism from board meetings, Williams contended that 13 board meetings were scheduled for 2020, and the dates for four of them were changed, and “extra meetings were added.” He said he missed a total

Susan Ernst, former Pinelands Regional Board of Education president.

Photo By Ryan Marchese

Tom “Tommy” Williams, a Bass River representative on the Pinelands Regional Board of Education. of four meetings this year because of “some personal medical issues and complications,” the rescheduling, and “security breaches” with virtual applications implemented because of the pandemic. When asked for more details about the security breaches, the school board member pointed to an incident involving the technology, and said he had to wait until he received a device from the school with appropriate security measures.

“I would really like you (the public/readers) to know my attendance has not been in any way shape or form alarming,” Williams contended.

Williams told this newspaper that, “I am concerned about some of the things going on surrounding the superintendent.” The Bass River representative told this newspaper that he is particularly concerned with an email exchange that occurred recently over board members being able to talk to members of the press.

Daleo’s remarks against Williams came just days after the Bass River representative had told

With over 40 years in Service we offer Small Classes Experienced & caring teachers 2 Hartford Road Medford, NJ 609/654-8111 Developmentally appropriate curriculum Large fenced in playground

There are still openings in our 3-4 yr. old program!

Classes begin October 1st!

Photo By Ryan Marchese

*COMPREHENSIVE COVID 19 PLAN IN PLACE*

Please call 609-654-8112 for more information or to enroll.

Medford United Methodist Church

2 Hartford Rd Medford NJ 08055

this newspaper that he had been fielding a lot of phone calls from parents with children in the district who have all kinds of questions about its COVID-19 response, and “unfortunately, aren’t getting clear directions.”

McCooley and other school administrators did not respond to this newspaper’s questions about the Pinelands Regional’s pandemic response, and Williams, when contacted for the story and told of the lack of response, had not only stated on the record what he knew, but emailed the superintendent about it, hoping to facilitate on-the-record remarks from the administration. McCooley then voiced her displeasure, both in correspondence to this newspaper, and Williams, about the board member talking to the press, and this newspaper reaching out to a board member for comment, calling it “inappropriate.”

Following the submission of an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) to Brown seeking items related to developments this newspaper lear ned through its sources, McCooley

replied, contending she found it “odd” that it came around the same time Williams agreed to be interviewed by this newspaper for the COVID-19 article.

Williams, on Sept. 28, asser ted that he believed this newspaper’s repor ting “precipitated all of this,” (Daleo’s remarks about him) but said he couldn’t understand why, because this newspaper’s reporting was “very balanced and very fair” toward the school district.

“We should be accessible to you,” Williams said. “We should be answering questions of our public, and our press. Our press is our public, aren’t they?”

McCooley has since told this newspaper that its reporting has been fair, and has asked that the newspaper call her anytime with questions and she will answer them. She contended that she was preoccupied with the many responsibilities of seeing the district reopen through the pandemic.

Williams, when asked if he is in fact is planning to pursue an ethic complaint against McVey, replied it “is still in process.”

“It is based on the fact that McCooley is superintendent in both districts, and Ms. McVey’s daughters work full-time in LEHSD.” The Bass River Board of Education member contended that the Pinelands Regional district’s assistant superintendent, Gina Fresca, filed an Ethics Complaint in 2014, for a similar situation, but against a different board member representing the Little Egg Harbor School District, and the conclusion the School Ethics Commission arrived at in that case provided justification for his complaint that is in process.

“Pull that case up and look at it,” Williams said.

McVey, in a Sept. 29 interview with this newspaper, contended that the School Ethics Commission says that in order for somebody to be considered a conflicted board member, that person has to be an immediate family member of someone who would cause a conflict with school officials. She said the commission defines an ‘immediate family member’ as someone who is a spouse, or dependent child, residing in the same household.

“I have no spouse, I am widowed,” McVey said. “A ‘dependent child’ is defined as any child who is listed as a dependent on school documents, or any federal or state tax return.

My daughters are grown, on their own and I certainly don’t declare them on my tax returns.”

McVey added that when McCooley was first considered for the shared superintendent role, she “voluntarily stepped away” from the process until the School Ethics Commission provided an advisory opinion, at the request of Ernst.

“I was told that I was not conflicted (by the commission) and I participated in the vote for her hiring, but by that time, the interview process had been completed,” McVey said.

“The vote to approve her was unanimous. Given that, and what I know is definition of being See TIRADE/ Page 14

Riephoff Sawmill 609-259-7265

www.riephoffsawmill.com

We are a family-owned business for over 50 years supplying top-quality lumber products.

• Oak Fence Boards & Posts • Custom Cut Hardwood Lumber • Tree Stakes - Trailer Decking • Crane Mats

WE BUY STANDING TIMBER 763 Route 524, Allentown, NJ 08501

Saturday, October 3, 2020

WOODLAND (Continued from Page 8)

year, after Committeeman Derrick Daniels defeated him in a GOP primary.

Sheerin, notably, disagreed with Henrich many times during the years that he held elected office, and even got into clashes with the former mayor.

Among the items drawing public scrutiny on Sept. 23 was the committee’s decision to only now approve the minutes of a “special meeting and executive session” purportedly held on Feb. 5.

“We have no idea what minutes you approved from a Feb. 5, 2020 meeting,” said resident Jane Donoghue. “Why are we just now approving the minutes for this, seven months down the road?”

This newspaper was previously unaware of the Feb. 5 meeting. A search of a public meeting notice database maintained by the New Jersey Press Association came up short in locating the required legal notice advertisement for the meeting. The township clerk did not provide a corresponding affidavit, as of press time, despite a written request that was made by this newspaper.

“What took seven months, and what do they (the minutes) entail?” asked Sheerin during the meeting. “Because none of us know—it has been seven months now. What would they entail that took seven months to get to the agenda?”

Brown contended that “the meeting was a very simple meeting,” in which officials acclimated Daniels to the township’s Department of Public Works (DPW), along with its supervisor and foreman, and that procedures were outlined for the DPW to follow.

“To be quite honest, in my 27 years, it is the first time I forgot to do the minutes and put the minutes forward for approval,” Brown said. “It was a very simple, easy meeting. To be very honest—I didn’t even realize that we had … it was an official executive meeting in which I needed to lay minutes out for.”

DeGroff added that Daniels, who replaced Henrich, is now “in charge” of DPW and “therefore wanted to sit down and introduce himself ” to the department’s supervisory workers.

The mayor called the questions surrounding the timeliness of the meeting minutes “certainly understandable.”

It had long been the practice of Brown to include drafts of meeting minutes to be voted on by the governing body in meeting agenda packets made available to the public prior to each regular meeting.

The draft minutes for the Feb. 5 meeting, along with ones for other meetings, were not included in the Sept. 23 committee meeting packet.

Donoghue pointed out that Robert’s Rules of Order states that meeting minutes of public bodies are to be provided in draft form, or read aloud, before they are voted on by officials, but Township Solicitor Evan Crook asserted that governing bodies in the state are not bound by the manual of parliamentary procedure, but rather the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA).

“I believe what the township is doing, in terms of having the draft minutes first approved by the township and then making them available is appropriate and consistent with New Jersey law,” Crook said. “Robert’s Rules are guidelines, but it is not necessarily binding.”

Brown noted that William Burns, the township’s now-former solicitor after quietly switching law firms around February and relinquishing his municipal solicitor duties at that time, had recommended that the committee withhold the release of meeting minutes until they are formally approved by the governing body.

“Here is the issue—we are (months removed) from the meeting and I have, personally, had quotes that were said by me that weren’t said by me, and I know other people have too,” Donoghue said. “I was called ‘Mr. Donoghue’

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM several times and that has never been corrected.

That is the kind of stuff that we need to know about.”

Donoghue, in continuing to question the transparency of officials, pointed out that many residents only found out about an August resolution and vote to change Brown’s office hours through a Pine Barrens Tribune article.

Brown now works remotely on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with the condition that the Woodland Township Municipal Building will be open from 4 p.m. to at least 6 p.m. on the night of the governing body’s regular meetings.

This latest township committee meeting was virtual, said to be due to capacity concerns resulting from social distancing requirements.

“Ms. Donoghue—I need to correct you right there,” Brown said. “It was discussed in the public portion of last month’s meeting. A motion was made during the meeting.”

The resolution and vote on Brown’s hours occurred during an Aug. 26 committee workshop meeting, held an hour before the committee’s regular August meeting. Although the workshop meeting was legally noticed, a physical meeting agenda is only traditionally provided by Brown for regular meetings, and most residents only attend the regular meetings.

“I was on that call, and not during the general meeting, it was not,” Donoghue said.

“And that is another problem—what happens in the workshop meeting doesn’t come to the full meeting that most of us attend.”

Brown contended that the decision pertaining to her work hours was noted in the minutes for the Aug. 26 workshop meeting, but Donoghue pointed out “we haven’t seen them” due to the new minutes release procedure. Brown replied that they would be posted to the website the next day.

“Exactly!” Donoghue said. “We don’t know.

It is an issue of transparency.”

De G rof f t hen ke pt i nter r upt i ng Donoghue, repeating several times, “They will be up tomorrow,” and “You will be seeing them.” The minutes for both the February and August meetings have since been posted to the township’s website.

One version of special meeting minutes released for Feb. 5, saved under the file name “020520executive,” are written in a format usually reserved for the municipality’s agenda.

One can only locate them, as of press time, if they click the link “Agenda 2-5-20” on the municipality’s website. Underneath the statement, “Mayor DeGroff made a motion to go into executive session to discuss personnel issues, 2nd by Mr. (Deputy Mayor Mark) Herndon,” it says among the items discussed were a review of equipment, equipment repairs, selling a riding mower, grass cutting, bathroom repairs, tree removal and launching a better Facebook page with “no public comments.”

Under the OPMA, there are a limited number of reasons public bodies can enter executive session, and if it is for personnel matters, according to the ACLU, such closed-door discussions can only consist of the employment, appointment or termination of current or prospective employees.

A second version of Feb. 5 special meeting minutes do not contain any mention of DPW, but briefly remark that the governing body entered an executive session to discuss personnel. The minutes also note that once that session was completed, the committee went into a “second executive session with Chatsworth School personnel.”

Brown, in response to an OPRA request from this newspaper, on Sept. 28, provided this newspaper with a copy of the meeting minutes for Feb. 5. The minutes provided to this newspaper were significantly different from the two versions posted to the township website, calling the entire Feb. 5 assembly “an executive meeting.”

Most notably, the statement explaining the reason that the committee entered executive session on Feb. 5 was omitted.

The Feb. 5 minutes provided to this newspaper See WOODLAND/ Page 15

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES ♦

Page 13

at the BEST Prices!

We install Stone Pads!

We Move Sheds!

Email Us Today at info@AmishCountrySheds.com!

609-284-8776• AMISHCOUNTRYSHEDS.COM NJHIC#13VH09843900

Hours: Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Traditional Lancaster County Food & Crafts

FRESH FOODS F S

• Corner Café • Stoltzf zfus f Bakery •P Pequea Valley Meats • Pretzel Plaace • Dutch Country Salads • Paradise Valley Poultry Come in and experience a little slice of Lancaster County, Pa. right here in Medford, NJ. Among our stands, you’ll find everything from wooden furniture hand crafted by Amish artisans, to delicious handrolled soft pretzels, made fresh before your very eyes. We also feature fresh homemade salads, jams and jellies, mouthwatering baked goods, farm-fresh eggs, bulk candies, a fresh deli and meats, hand-dipped ice cream, homemade mustards, pretzels and chips, the best barbecue chicken and ribs, Corner Café, good food and friendly service. So, come in and treat yourself to a “goodie,” bring the kids and let ‘em play on the wooden swing sets and take a break from the ordinary. See you at the Market!

109 Route 70, Medford, NJ 08055 609-953-7633

Page 14 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

TIRADE

(Continued from Page 12) ‘conflicted,’ I don’t feel like I am conflicted. I certainly understand the process enough, and have independent judgement of what is right and wrong.”

McVey, a ten-year board member who served as both president of the board and vice president of the board before Ernst’s time on it, told this newspaper that given all of the concerns, on Aug. 26, she requested that the School Ethics Commission provide a second advisory opinion.

“Whatever the decision is, I will certainly respect that,” McVey said. “If it comes back that I am conflicted, I will do what is right.

If not conflicted, I hope the board members respect that as well.”

McVey added that “most cer tainly” members of the press can contact school board members, and that she would “never, ever think otherwise.”

“That is why I reached out and gave you to call back,” the board president said. “Everybody (all the board members) is entitled to speak to the press. But you are not entitled to certain facts though, and when you misrepresent information to the public and press, you should expect somebody to call you out on that.”

The board president contended that she believed Williams “made statements that are inaccurate.”

Daleo, in his Sept. 23 remarks, contended that the “second part” of his concerns had to do with an ex-board member who “once held the seat of president,” apparently referring to Ernst.

“I have observed on social media a lot of negativity too,” Daleo said. “I have read comments that were put out there by an ex-board member, who once held the seat of president – constant attacks on the superintendent, constant attacks on board, emailing the board in attempts to harass and attack the superintendent.

Honestly, I really don’t understand where all this animosity comes from. But it is very clear this ex-board member as an axe to grind.

“Besides the emailing of board members and tirades on social media, at one of our meetings, this ex-member was texting the superintendent, thinking she was texting a sitting board member. In that text, this ex-board member called some of us sitting here today, ‘stupid’ or, I am not sure, maybe ‘idiots.’ It seems if someone disagrees with her, or has a different opinion, they are labeled ‘idiots’ or ‘bobbleheads.’”

Daleo added that he became “more concerned” with what purportedly “private information” is “being leaked out” to the public after learning of the text message exchange.

“This did not appear to me to be an isolated incident,” he said. “So, I am very concerned with staff or board members discussing private board business with select members from the public.”

Daleo claimed that the “ex-board member” wrote information in social media postings that was part of emails containing school business.

“She says she has friends who send her stuff,” Daleo said. “I wonder who would do that? That needs to stop, and I truly find this behavior outrageous.”

Daleo pointed out that the “ex-board member” he was speaking of gave “accolades and affirmation” to McCooley, only to now state “she is horrible and not transparent.”

“What really changed in such a short time frame?” asked Daleo, who contended he was frustrated because he thought McCooley was doing an amazing job. “Was it power? Was it control? Or was it that you couldn’t tell the superintendent what to do like a puppet?

I adhere to the philosophy of letting the administration do their jobs.”

Ernst, on Sept. 29, called Daleo’s remarks “a 10-minute rant” that she called, among other things, “laughable.”

“As to Mr. Daleo’s remarks regarding a past member and president (which would be me),

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM most are inaccurate. I do not recall ever saying Dr. McCooley was ‘horrible.’ I do not recall ever saying she is ‘not transparent,’ though I have said I find some information misleading.

I haven’t changed my mind. I did, inadvertently, text Dr. McCooley (it was meant for a board member, but obviously was not received by that member.) I owned it. I don’t regret it. And yes, I did refer to some members as ‘idiots,’ not ‘stupid.’ There is a huge difference.”

She added that most of the remainder of his “tirade” was “drivel, his opinion, and certainly not something I hadn’t heard from him before” in an apparent response to an email she sent to the Pinelands Regional board regarding attendance.

“I guess I should assume that it is OK for a board member to harass, bully and write nasty things via email, texts, etc. to community members,” Ernst said. “I am certainly not the only person who has had this occur. Apparently, according to Mr. Daleo, I am ‘bitter,’ regretful of loss of power (never had any), have an ‘axe to grind’ … blah, blah, blah. I am none of those things.”

Ernst added that as for her “supposed vendetta” against McCooley, she clearly stated in a requested exit interview with McCooley in December that she felt the superintendent “had the ability to be the best PInelands ever had,” but also voiced “some concerns.”

“Oh, is that ‘private’ school business?” Ernst asked. “School business is not private unless it falls under the category of executive session.”

The former Pinelands Regional board president contended to this newspaper “it is a bit hypocritical” for current board president, and others, to ask that the school governing body work together and then “allow one member” to stand publicly and berate a board member for what he perceives as “misconduct.”

“That was certainly divisive and uncalled for, and, in my opinion, should have been shut down,” Ernst asserted.

McVey, in the Sept. 29 interview with this newspaper, when asked whether she regretted not asking Daleo to stop with his remarks, replied that during the board forum portion of Pinelands Regional board meetings, board members have” a little more time to speak their mind” and ask a particular question or statement.

“I was not aware he was going to read that, but I do believe that is his opinion, and he stated that it was the opinion of his own, and at that time, I thought it was appropriate to allow him to speak his opinion.”

Daleo, in a Sept. 30 interview with this newspaper, said he “stands by” his remarks.

He said he decided to speak out during the Sept.

23 board meeting due to his “observations over a nine-month period” and because what he “has been digesting over the last nine months,” and that his speaking out did not have to do with the newspaper—contending he didn’t care about that.

“It was based on some of the things I read, some of the things put out there,” he said of what he read in emails and on social media.

Daleo added that he feels that what he has observed take place on the Pinelands Regional board since his tenure on it began “seems to be to be non-productive” and “some of the same kind of stuff as seen before.”

He repeated his observation that Williams did not participate in the evaluations during his time on the Pinelands Regional board, and said emails were sent multiple times asking for all of the board’s participation. He added that he was not privy to whether Williams had participated in such evaluations in previous years, and that he could only speak for the time he had been on the board. He noted it was the first time he heard Williams had technology issues that prevented his attendance at meetings.

“Board members should be able to sit and discuss things,” Daleo said. “There should be room for discussion.”

Daleo asserted that he believes every board member has a “right to the first amendment,” See TIRADE/ Page 15

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Saving a Life from a potential catastrophe EVERY 10 MINUTES

I live

alone but I’m never alone.

I have Life Alert . ®

Fall Emergency

Home Invasion

Fire Emergency

One press of a button sends help fast, 24/7, for: medical • fall • fire • invasion • CO gas emergencies even when you can’t reach a phone.

No landline? No problem!

For a FREE brochure call:

1-877-662-2418

Saturday, October 3, 2020

WORSHIP GUIDE

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Messiah Lutheran L Brethren Church

Join our Catholic faith community on the weekend Mass Times: Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

Sundays at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. or 6:00 p.m.

WELCOME!

THERE IS A SEAT OPEN FOR YOU!

Visit our website for more information holyeucharist.org “Like” us on Facebook

♦ Page 15

“To Know Jesus Christ and to Make Him Known”

*Please contact your church for COVID-19 service updates.

There Are No Accidents “Accidents exist only in our heads, in our limited perceptions. They are the reflections of the limits of our knowledge.”

Pastor Todd Anderson

www.MessiahLBC.church Church (609) 893-1700 530 Virginia Drive Presidential Lakes, NJ 08015 Worship Service - 10 a.m.

–– Franz Kafka

Join us for service on Sundays at 9:30 am on Facebook Facebook.com/MedfordUMC Get the daily devotional @ medfordumc/devotional 2 Hartford Road • Medford, NJ • 609/654-8111 medfordumc.org • Like us on Facebook/@MedfordUMC ~OUR FACILITIES ARE ACCESSIBLE~

TIRADE

(Continued from Page 14) but yet cannot speak for the entire board, and must remember “we have bylaws.” His concern, he said, is “misinformation.”

“I think we all try to be there for the benefit of all the students,” he said.

Daleo added that he thought McCooley was “doing a very good job,” and pointed to the number of certifications she has, along with her master’s and doctorate degrees.

The superintendent, in a later interview with this newspaper, said that she was not personally aware of Ernst calling her hor r ible or saying that she was being misleading, but she does not know what was said on Facebook, and thought Daleo was referring to what he may have seen posted on online for ums. She told this newspaper that Ernst left the exit interview “on really good ter ms,” a nd t hat t he former school board president even “gave me a hug.”

“She said to me, ‘I feel I can support you more by not being a board member,’” contended McCooley, who added that Ernst always had given her glowing reviews and the two stayed in close contact during the time that both served Pinelands Regional.

McCooley asserted she “did not know” about Daleo’s speech beforehand.

McCooley, during the Sept. 23 Pinelands Regional board meeting, said “Pinelands is in my heart and where I want to stay.”

“The administrative team, the staff, and t h e c o m m u n i t y a r e a m a z i n g ,” t h e superintendent said. “Numerous shared services have been implemented to save taxpayer money and provide continuity.

T h e r e a r e s o m a ny p r og r e s sive a n d much-needed programs started that need to

Franz Kafka, the existential-surrealist writer, worked for an insurance company. His stories often have the feel of something from a bureaucratic nightmare in a totalitarian state, people being arrested and brought before a judge but never told what they are charged with. Or consider the story “The Metamorphosis,” where the main character wakes up to find out he has turned into an insect, something resembling a beetle that is stuck on its back and can’t turn itself over.

Kafka had a vivid imagination, but his day job was more prosaic: he was essentially the person at the insurance company who figured out what people should be paid for their injuries. And thus, the force of the quote above; accidents are not truly accidental, but the result of actions and events which we sometimes don’t see. The insurance agent asks a lot of questions because a multitude of factors go into figuring out your likelihood of having

be seen through. I am asking for more time to see through what has been started. I want to thank the board for all of your support.

As always, if the board or communit y members have any questions or concerns, please contact me. I look forward to speaking with you.”

McVey told this newspaper that she was “seriously concerned” the Pinelands Regional district could lose McCooley and yet again be without a superintendent.

“We at Pinelands have had a long history of turnover of superintendents,” McVey said. “It is most unfortunate. In the 10 years that I have been here on this board, we have had six different superintendents. That comes out to be about tur nover of one every 18 months. This is not an optimum sit uation you want for school dist r ict, e s p e c i a l l y d u r i n g t h e s e t i m e s of a pandemic. I am afraid we are headed in that direction. I believe it comes from a true misunderstanding of what some board members think their role is. There is a clear distinction of what a superintendent does, and when a board member wants to micromanage t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t , it i s a fo r m u l a for conflict.

“Dr. McCooley was hired unanimously.

He r e x p e r t i s e a n d t a le nt h ave b e e n touted, and we tr uly thought we found someone who is homegrown, came up through the district, and had ever y intention of wanting to be here a longtime. She is loyal, and knows her students. At the time that she was hired, I believed she represented exactly what is needed, and I still believe she is the person for the job. It is a shame some board members try to micromanage things to make it harder to do her job.”

Mc C o oley r e m i nde d t he P i nela nd s Regional board on Sept. 23 that the regional school district is only responsible for half of her salary ($94,000).

Trinity Episcopal Church an accident, everything from your zip code to your age and occupation, your gender, and whether you’re married or not. From a spiritual perspective, we should realize how little we actually know.

God sees the whole picture; we never do.

The actuary knows the right questions to ask to figure out your premium, but even that is something more akin to an estimate than true knowledge. If we knew everything, as God does, we’d have no use for the word “accident,” because we’d see that nothing is truly accidental, but rather everything is part of the Big Plan.

18 Mill St. Vincentown, NJ 08088 Worship: Sundays 10 a.m.

609-859-2299

– Christopher Simon

WOODLAND (Continued from Page 13)

through the township clerk also had a more detailed description of what was discussed in the second executive session held that day with Chatsworth School personnel, including the municipality potentially cutting the grass at the school’s sports field so that the Woodland Township School District would not have to pay a landscaper, dried grass and sprinkler timing issues, a request for the municipality to repair the school’s sidewalk, basketball court, and tennis court, tree trimming, recreation field lighting and how the municipality should handle anonymous complaints about the school, with the conclusion that any anonymous complaints would not be addressed by the township.

DeGroff, according to the minutes provided

by Brown, also asked “what is going on with” the Woodland Township Recreation Association (WTRA) [a separate entity from the township], and it was agreed that Brown would write a letter requesting information on its “banking activity” and “any surplus.”

Another municipal clerk who works in a New Jersey municipality, when asked by this newspaper if it would be appropriate for a township clerk to seek banking activity of a separate entity, replied it would not be if any request was made while that person acted in their official capacity.

Brown, in response to a Sept. 29 OPRA request seeking any municipal correspondence sent to the WTRA, along with any response, financial statements, bank records or any other financial statements it received in reply from the association, replied “no records exist.”

Carolyn Fischl, a super visor for the Woodland Township School District, in response to another OPRA request, said that the school district administration has no written

correspondence with the association, and that there had not been an “organized association” for years.

“The district does not have any WTRA financial records,” she added. “You may be best reaching out to the township.”

Brown, in an emailed media inquiry, was asked by this newspaper why she didn’t disclose the Chatsworth School discussion to residents on Sept. 23, and why there were discrepant meeting minutes for Feb. 5, but again, as of press time, did not respond. DeGroff, on several occasions over the last two years, told residents that the township has nothing to do with the school, and can’t get involved in its affairs.

As previously reported by this newspaper, three Government Record Council (GRC) complaints were filed by Donoghue to challenge three OPRA denials. Donoghue eventually reached a settlement agreement with the township to drop all three complaints— but paperwork agreeing to settle one of the complaints had purportedly not been received by the GRC. During a June 23 committee meeting, Burns was unanimously appointed by the committee as a special counsel to defend the remaining complaint at a rate of $165 per hour, with officials contending at the time that the mediator had turned the third complaint back over to GRC for disposition since a signed settlement agreement for it had not been received.

Donoghue, during the Sept. 23 committee meeting, noted that she had recently reviewed bills paid by the township for the work that Burns did in handling the GRC complaints.

She claimed she obtained them through a recent OPRA request.

The resident reiterated what she told this newspaper previously—that the June 23 committee meeting was the first time she had heard the settlement paperwork for the third See WOODLAND/ Page 17

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Page 16 ♦

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Local BUSINESS & SERVICE DIRECTORY

ATTORNEY

BATHTUB REFINISHING

LAW OFFICE OF KIT APPLEGATE

Making Old Tubs Look New! Tub and Tile Tii Glazing

VINCENTOWN, NJ

(609) 228-5750 GENERAL PRACTICE ATTORNEY SERVING THE RESIDENTS OF LEISURETOWNE SERVING THE SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESSES OF SOUTH JERSEY HOME AND OFFICE VISITS AVAILABLE FREE IN-HOME CONSULTATION ESTATE PLANNING PACKAGES STARTING AT $500

• •

Countert rtop t Refinishing

ASPHALT MAINTENANCE

10 % OFF

For Jobs Over $500.

10% OFF

Driveways & Parking Lots

SEALCOATING:

for Military Vets or Senior Citizens.

Asphalt Overlays Repairs • Asphalt Patching Hot Pour Crack Repair Line Striping • Stenciling Sign Installation/Sign Removal Speed Bump & Bollard Installation

Driveway B-ball keys

Commercial, Industrial, Residential

Quiles Quality Tubs

Free Estimates • Fully Insured Commercial/Residential • 10% Senior and Veteran Discouunt

Over 10 Years Experience

only $300

Free Estimates Fully Insured

Liike Us on Facebook

Please don’t hesitate to call for more information: (609) 228-5750 or www.kitapplegatelaw.com

Call Jorge 609-752-2308 • Email quilesqualitytubs@yahoo.com

609-859-8668 • www.nickolausconstruction.com

AUTO BODY

AUTO REPAIR AUTOMOTIVE

ELECTRICAL

P 609.893.8285 F 609.893.4770 Open 8 a.m. to 5p.m. Mon.- Fri.

576 Lakehurst Road Browns Mills, NJ 08015 NJ Body Shop Lic#01873A

42 Ye ars in Bu sines s

rk All Wo d ntee a r a u G

Ridge Auto Body

NJ Lic. #0450332322

P 609.893.8285 F 609.893.4770 Open 8 a.m. to 5p.m. Mon.- Fri.

576 Lakehurst Road Browns Mills, NJ 08015 NJ Body Shop Lic#01873A

42 Ye ars in Bu sines s

rk All Wo d ntee a r a u G

Ridge Auto Body Ridge Auto Repair

Dent Removal • Frame Repair Paint Restoration (with color matching) Major Collision Repairs • Rust Repair • Paint Services Auto Glass Repair/Replacement • Truck Bed Liner Installation

Check Engine Light • Brake Work • Transmission Work ASE & I-Car Certified For 24 Hr. Towing, Call 609.969.1114

Servicing Browns Mills, Pemberton and Whiting

Servicing Browns Mills, Pemberton and Whiting

ELECTRICAL/SOLAR

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Free Estimates

Full Auto Repair, Free Estimates

FHA or VA Streamline Refinance Give Licensed Loan Originator

AL CONINE

(NMLS #293934) a call toda ay. .

—609-304-9951—

Acre Mort Mortgage and Financial, Inc.,

NMLS # 13988 70 E. Main Street, Marllton, N.J. 08053 Licensed Mortgage Banker - NJ Dep partment of Banking & Insurance For more information please visit:

LAND SURVEYOR

Russsell T. Patterson, P.L.S. NJ Professional Land Surveyor LIC #36270

• Property Surveys, Topography • Construction Layout • Subdivision and Variance Plats • Riparian, Wetland Location • FEMA Certificates • Pinelands Submissions

266 Lighthouse Dr., Manahawkin, NJ 08050 p: 609.713.0503 e: RUSSPATTERSONLS@aol.com

HIC:13VH09369600

SINCE 1989

COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL Whole House Generators Backhoe & Bucket Truck Service A+ BBB Rating • FREE Estimates

RUSS HUBSCHMAN OWNER • LIC# 9924

609-894-9014 www.bearelectricco.com

FULL AUTO REPAIR P 609.893.8285 F 609.893.4770 Open 8 a.m. to 5p.m. Mon.- Fri.

576 Lakehurst Road Browns Mills, NJ 08015 NJ Body Shop Lic#01873A

42 Ye ars in Bu sines s

rk All Wo d ntee a r a u G

Ridge Auto Repair Check Engine Light • Brake Work • Transmission Work ASE & I-Car Certified For 24 Hr. Towing, Call 609.969.1114

Full Auto Repair, Free Estimates

https://acremortgage.com/page/licensing

Servicing Browns Mills, Pemberton and Whiting

MASONRY

PAINTING Joe Posch

Cell: (609) 709-1331 (609) 494-6566 Fax: (609) 812-9281

ALL TYPES OF MASONRY • Garage Slabs • Driveways • Sidewalks • Curbs • House Raising • Foundations • Etc. Lic. #13VH06233700 FREE ESTIMATES • FULLY INSURED • COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL

PET SERVICES

Phone: (609) 535-5201 • Fax: (609) 535-5202 Email: bbpetsalon@yahoo.com 125 Red Lion Road Southampton, NJ 08088

From Our Decks To Yours PA I N T I N G HANDYMAN ODD JOBS KEVIN GRAHAM

H E A D PA I N T E R NO JOB TOO BIG OR SMALL

609.680.0150

Saturday, October 3, 2020

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Local BUSINESS & SERVICE DIRECTORY ROOFING

TREE SERVICES

WE BEAT EVERY WRITTEN OFFER...

DIAMOND ROOFING

Has Been in Business For Over 35 Years

Guaranteed Return Phone Call Within 24 Hours!

Owned & Operated By Dave Mikulski

Lic.#13H01716900

Call 609-268-9200

Operates in All of South Jersey Specializing in Roofing and Gutters FREE Estimates • Fully Insured Operates from Sunrise to Sunset

OFFERING FREE ESTIMATES

Removals

TREE SERVICES

24/7 Emergency Service | 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed Same-Day FREE Estimates Main: (856) 796 6-3536 • Toll Free: (866) 375-8733 Mo obile: (856) 883-7682 Email: captaainstreeservicellc@gmail.com Serving Burlington, Atlantic, Camden, and d Gloucester Counties State License # 13VH088223900 • Board of Tree Experts License # NJTC768356 • ww ww.captainstreeservicellc.com

WELDING Firewood

♦ Page 17

• Full-Service Tree Removal • Tree Trimming • Pruning • Land Clearing

TREE SERVICES Land Clearing

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

S T2

N.J. Lic. #NJTC768133

WELL SERVICES

WELDIN G Tom Fenton Owner

P.O. Box 311 Medford, N.J. 08055 Robert H. Griscom Fully Insured NJTC768766

(609) 654-6602

NJ Lic. 13VH06395500

WOODLAND (Continued from Page 15)

complaint had not been received by the GRC, and that the issue could have been resolved by officials just simply communicating with her. Donoghue added that after that June 23 meeting, she resubmitted the paperwork, and had to follow-up four times before the issue was resolved.

“I looked through the bills, and what I don’t understand is you approved Mr. Burns as special counsel on June 23, yet we have bills from Mr. Burns prior to that agreement,” Donoghue said. “And they are not small bills.”

Donoghue contended that Burns billed the township for $879, $279 and another $966, each on separate occasions, for GRC-related work from April to June 23.

“The resolution for him was only to cover the (open) GRC complaint,” she said.

Donoghue pointed out that an itemized breakdown from Burns included “conferring with clients over a Notice of Tort Claim,” and “reviewing a client’s article in the Pine Barrens Tribune.”

“That has nothing to do with (GRC Complaint No.) 213,” Donoghue said.

Brown interjected that the newspaper article Burns reviewed was “about the OPRA complaint.”

“The last thing that really kind of bothers me is that he ran conflict checks, prepared new files and drafted a contract for legal services,” Donoghue said. “This all could have been resolved with a simple phone call, and it wasn’t. Now we have a decent size bill that was completely, and totally, unnecessary.”

Donoghue, in a previous interview with this newspaper, contended “what is interesting” is that the third complaint is related to an OPRA request in which she purportedly requested time sheets for five township employees, including Brown, in her quest to see whether savings could be obtained by the municipality through salaries. Donoghue said that Brown had responded to that OPRA request by providing the time sheets for four of the five employees. She said time sheets for Brown were not provided, and unlike prior circumstances

FABRICATION LLC

609-254-4590 t2s722@yahoo.com

Tabernacle, NJ (609) 254-4590

where the records custodian would notate the reason any documents weren’t provided in an OPRA response, no explanation was provided for the missing documents pertaining to the township clerk. Donoghue added that during the mediation, Burns said that “Brown doesn’t have any documents, she doesn’t fill out time sheets. She only answers to the township committee.”

“All we (those who have suppor ted Donoghue’s initiative) were trying to do is find out how to save the township some money,” she said at the time, pointing to Brown’s recent onthe-record comments, in which DeGroff later backtracked, saying that the municipality was broke. “I am big on saving the township money, and if they paid people for the hours that they worked, they could save $80,000 a year. They don’t want to listen to me.”

Donoghue also had told this newspaper she is “absolutely” convinced that what occurred during the June 23 meeting was a setup by officials to portray her as actually wanting to cost the township money.

According to bills lists provided by the township during committee meetings, Burns’ law firm has now received over $4,500 to handle the GRC complaints.

“The transparency of this thing is just amazing,” said Donoghue during the Sept.

23 committee meeting. “I have gotten up in front of you guys and said, ‘You need to save money. You need to save money. You need to save money.’ I brought to you a proposal where we could save $80,000 a year and it has just fallen on deaf ears.”

DeGroff suggested that Brown contact Burns to see if he could “breakdown his summary of his bills,” and then someone could get back to Donoghue. The mayor added he has nothing in front of him, and he doesn’t believe any other officials do either.

Brown, Daniels and Herndon agreed to proceed in that fashion, but Crook “cautioned” that whatever is asked of Burns in terms of the advice, discussions and opinions he gave to the committee “is subject to attorney-client privilege.”

“I don’t want to put Mr. Burns in a position where he would have to violate that,” Crook said. “… I can see what Mr. Burns can produce, but I don’t want to give the impression the town

is waiving its attorney-client privilege in terms of its interaction with Mr. Burns, its attorney.”

Donoghue replied “I have the breakdown of the bills,” but that she “does not think anybody looked at them before we (the town) paid them.”

“Because you wouldn’t be paying him for stuff outside the scope of the resolution,” she added.

The mayor responded that he would have to look at those bills and he does not have them in front of him. Crook said he would speak to both Brown and Burns to “get a clarification that protects the township’s rights under attorneyclient privilege.”

Sheerin asked if a cradle-to-grave approach to billing for any future GRC complaints was a consideration. The mayor replied “yes,” but when Sheerin asked Crook if he would agree to it, the solicitor responded “you are not my client, and my client hasn’t asked that I specifically address that.”

“That is the other thing—I find it interesting you are saying ‘attorney-client privilege,’” Sheerin said. “But the funds of the public— our taxpayer dollars—are the funds that pay for your fees, and for the employees. That is why I am confused that we all of a sudden have a confidentiality agreement. In the past, we never had a problem. Has something changed in the law that now makes it more difficult for the taxpayer to get an understanding of what is going on in the township?”

Crook said the law, which was in place before his time, is clear that his client is the township committee, and he represents its members— though he looks out for the best interests of the town and its citizens.

“In terms of attorney-client privilege, my clients are the township committee, not the citizens, not the residents,” Crook said.

Prior to the meeting, several Facebook posts, along with a petition in local social media groups, surfaced, calling on the township to reconsider the location of a planned cellphone tower due to concerns over aesthetics and possible negative health effects.

As previously reported by this newspaper, a portion of Giles Avenue, a township paper street located behind the Woodland Volunteer Fire and EMS Company’s building in the Chatsworth section of the township, had been vacated on June 23 by the committee for the

tower.

The proposed 140- to 150-foot cellphone tower would be constructed by Centerline Communications LLC, utilizing AT&T technology available through FirstNet, an independent authority within the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The fire company was approved in May 2019 by the federal government to have a cellphone tower installed for public-safety purposes near its Chatsworth firehouse, where cellphone reception is often spotty and unreliable as existing cellphone towers nearest to the area are about 15 minutes away in each direction.

When Sheerin mentioned the cellphone tower and online postings, she was cut off by officials, with DeGroff contending “we can’t discuss the cellphone tower.”

“We aren’t the applicant,” one official shouted.

Donoghue, who later posted underneath one of the cellphone tower Facebook postings that garnered over 200 comments, pointed out that the topic had been discussed by the committee in February, July and August, and the discussion was noted in meeting minutes.

This newspaper was present not only for those discussions, but also for several that occurred in 2019.

“And as recent as last month the cell tower was discussed in the general meeting,” Sheerin wrote. “So, what is really going on?

Transparency left the building when Matt Henrich did.”

Crook, after Sheerin was cut off by officials during the Sept. 23 committee meeting, contended that the cell tower matter is now before the Woodland Township Land Use Board and it would “not be legally appropriate” for the committee to “comment or in any way interfere with that decision.”

The solicitor’s remarks raised new questions about why the committee did comment in the past about the cell tower, and why the issue is only now in the hands of the Land Use Board.

“It was discussed at a Land Use Board meeting last week,” DeGroff said. “Unfortunately, we cannot discuss at this time because it no longer pertains to the committee.”

Brown, the secretary for the Land Use See WOODLAND/ Page 18

Page 18 ♦

JOB BOARD

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

.JOBS

SE CALL OR EMAIL

Construction Laborer Wanted

• 609-801-2392 • JSEELEY@PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Games Sponsored By — Grandmas For Justice

9 A.M. TO 5 P.M.

Local company looking for laborers help on oil and gas pipeline maintenance projects.

Competitive starting pay, daily food per diem, healthcare, 401k, end of year bonus.

Most work requires over-night stays Monday to Friday with hotels, gas and tolls paid by company. Most weeks include OT and are around 50 paid hours. Area of work is NJ, PA, MD, DE, NY, CT, RI, and MA. Must pass DOT drug test and be part of random drug screenings. Don’t bother applying if this is a problem. Opportunity to progress in job responsibility and pay. Must be able to work hard, smart, and safe.

Contact with resume to jobs@pointintegrity.com or call 609-859-4323.

HELP ANTED HELP W HE WANTED MIG WELDER

Full-Time F ull-Time M Machine achine S Shop hop O Operator perator Southampton, S oSouthampton, uthampton, New New J Jersey e r sey NJ

Full-Time F Machine Shop Operator for manufacturing Manufacturer located in Southampton, NJ is seeking a MIG Welder facility located in Southampton, to perform all-position MIG welding to join steel ofNJ. all thicknesses. will be responsible various types MustCandidate be mechanically inclined,forable to lift upoftoweld 70 lbs., preparation, welding and weld finishing.

Must have a read micrometer and/or dial caliper for quality control and minimum of one (1) year MIG welding experience. perform simple machine set-ups.

Competitive pay Schedule: 8AM - 4:30PM, Mon. - Fri. Paid holidays, vacation benefit and sick days, healthand insurance andpackage.

401K Plan. Interested Send resumé to dougm@triplednj.com. individuals send resume' to sales@triplednj.com Company located in Southampton Twp., NJ. Interested persons should send resume to sales@triplednj.com.

WOODLAND (Continued from Page 17)

Board, said a resolution memorializing its decision on the cell tower will be heard at the next board meeting.

The committee, during its Sept. 23 meeting, approved giving all employees 2 percent raises.

“There was a 2 percent increase across the board, except the committee,” Brown said.

Brown, who now works remotely two days a week, is listed in a corresponding resolution as holding a total of 7 positions— township administrator ($16,236), township clerk ($43,252), deputy tax collector ($5,953),

HOUSING (Continued from Page 6)

a massive transportation project.

This financial situation prompted borough administration to recommend to council that it consider marketing the land for possible sale to a developer.

The latest affordable housing proposal specifies that the $175,000 sale price on the old schoolyard would be used to pay off the bonds that helped finance the demolition of the deteriorating school building.

It then calls for 10 affordable housing units, all designated as “deed restricted,” to be constructed for families earning 50 to 80 percent of median household income, which in Burlington County is approximately $91,000, according to Pipes, with their range of affordability averaging 70 percent of the area median income.

“These are folks who would be your schoolteachers and some of your public servants in the borough,” Pipes said. “They are not poor folks. They are people earning

tech nical assistant ($2,080), recycling coordinator ($351), Board of Health secretary ($351) and Land Use Board secretary ($3,876).

It was noted during the latest meeting that the township’s computerized lien register is not being correctly maintained, per an audit, and that the “balance due on the current register is overstated.” Officials contended in a “cor rective action plan,” approved by the committee on Sept. 23, that a “cumbersome proje c t ” is u nde r way t o c onve r t a l l lien balances over from previously used software to Edmunds software currently being utilized by the Tax Office. The township just cut a check for $1,420 to suppor t “software maintenance” and “email service to Edmunds.” $50,000 to $80,000 per year, but they would get a decent house that would be modern with efficient electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, and be easy to maintain. It would be a real asset in the borough for many years.”

These units would be contained in five twin (duplex) buildings, divided by party walls, in a row on a new road with a circular cul-de-sac at the end.

Councilman Terry Jerome contended that designating all ten units as moderate-income housing would be a “palatable” alternative to low-income housing, “simply because I don’t want to degrade the character of the neighborhood.”

“That’s not a blanket statement... Mr. Pipes said it well,” Jerome said. “I want to make sure that the units are well-kept.”

Councilman Steve Fenster acknowledged the borough needs to generate ratables and fulfill its affordable housing obligation, and said his “choice is to move forward.” He did note that he has specific questions about the smaller details he would like answered and guaranteed in any See HOUSING/ Page 19

CLUES ACROSS

1. Dutch word for “language” 5. Popular music style 8. Body part 11. Largely dry valleys 13. Brew 14. Ancient Greek sophist 15. Where rockers play 16. Human gene 17. One point east of northeast 18. Adversary 20. Small cask or barrel 21. About ear 22. Benign tumors 25. In a different way 30. One charged with a crime 31.C h i n e s e p r i n c i p l e underlying the universe 32. Long, narrow straps 33. Passover 38. O t t o m a n m i l i t a r y commander 41.One who does not succeed 43. Data 45. 3D image 47. Whale ship captain 49. Japanese title 50. Made of wood

55. Yokel 56. Exercise system __-bo 57. Supreme being 59. Playing card with three spots 60. Hostelry 61. Spiritual leader 62. Single lens reflex 63.Time of the 90th meridian, used in the central U.S. 64.Thomas __, American cartoonist

CLUES DOWN

1. Shuttered airline 2. Swiss river 3. Port city in Yemen 4. It can be straight 5. Tennis player’s tool 6. Estranged 7. Garden archway 8. Assists 9. Grain crop 10. Millisecond 12. U.S. Founding Father Adams 14. Small, deerlike buffalo 19. Easily manageable 23. Male parent

24. Nearsightedness 25. Patriotic women 26.Decorate a cake with frosting 27. __ fi (slang) 28. A joke rooted in wordplay 29. Attack violently 34. Keyboard key 35. __ juris: independent 36.Corporate executive (abbr.)

37. Adult female bird 39. Pertains to knowledge 40. Pashtoes 41. Prefixed title for Italian monks 42. To be fired from a gun 44. A way to position 45. __ process: produces ammonia 46. Follow instructions 47. Humanistic discipline 48. Throw 51. Swiss river 52. American hate group 53. Actor Idris 54. Seizes 58. Baseball stat

ANSWERS ON PAGE 19 Sudoku puzzles are format ted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

Saturday, October 3, 2020

TO ADVERTISE CALL OR EMAIL

609-801-2392 • SALES@PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM DEADLINE: TUESDAYS AT 4 P.M. 9 A.M. TO 5 P.M. AUTO REPAIR On-site Auto Repair. Foreign and domestic, light and heavy trucks. Heavy and farm equipment. Fleet service. Electrical, hydraulic and watercraft. Mount Holly and surrounding areas. Call 609-667-8938.

AUTOMOBILES/TRUCKS Cash Paid for Your Car. Looking to buy better than junk cars. Call 1-866-261-5277.

We come to you.

AUTOS WANTED CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!! All Makes/Models 2002-2019! Any condition. Running or not. Top $$$ paid! Free towing! We’re nationwide! Call Now: 1-888-985-1806.

FURNITURE REPAIR Adam’s Furniture Restoration, LLC. Fully insured. Furniture repair, kitchen cabinet refinishing, touch-ups, and in-home services.

Call 1-856-979-6210. Visit www.facebook.com/ adamsfurnres

GARDENING Rototilling. Call Joe, 609-713-7913.

HAULING ANYTHING, WE HAUL IT. ATTICS, BASEMENTS, DEMOLOTIONS, SHEDS REMOVED, POOLS REMOVED, SPACEPLACES CLEANED OUT, ETC. CALL 609-694-9356.

Household appliances.

Televisions, furniture, etc. for disposal or transport.

Garage and yard clean ups along with gutter cleaning. Free estimates. Call Bob at 1-609880-3789.

HOUSING (Continued from Page 18)

future agreement, such as making sure streets are wide enough to allow for on-street parking.

Councilman Robert Brock, prior to voting in favor of having the additional research conducted, noted he “wants to see where we are going to go.”

Mayor Harold Griffin said a formal decision

MARKETPLACE

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

12

$ AD RATES AS LOW AS

95 PER WEEK

HEALTH AND FITNESS

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

Generic Viagra and Cialis! 100 Pills $99 with free Shipping! 100 percent guaranteed. Open 24/7, call now! 1-888-889-5515.

Dental Insurance from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Not just a discount plan, real coverage for [350+] procedures. Don’t wait, call now at 1-877-308-2834 for details. www.dental50plus.com/cadnet#6258 .

Thinking about installing a new shower?

American Standard makes it easy. Free design consultation. Enjoy your shower again! Call 1-855-337-8855 today to see how you can save $1,000 on installation, or visit www. newshowerdeal.com/cadnet .

Recently diagnosed with lung cancer or mesothelioma? Exposed to asbestos pre1980 at work or in the U.S. Navy? You may be entitled to a significant cash award! Smoking history okay! Call 1-855-591-0517.

Seriously injured in an auto accident? Let us fight for you! Our network has recovered millions for clients! Call today for a free consultation at 1-888-409-1261!

INSURANCE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PROPER COVERAGE. DON’T ASSUME. GET PROFESSIONAL SERVICE, DEAL WITH AN INDEPENDENT AGENT. O’NEAL INSURANCE AGENCY, 1614 ROUTE 206, TABERNACLE, NEW JERSEY, 08088.

PHONE NUMBER: 1-609-268-2158.

LAWN CUTTING Lawn cutting, along with yard and gutter clean up. Shrub pruning and some tree work, along with hauling. Free estimates=reasonable rates. Call Bob at 1-609-880-3789.

MISCELLANEOUS Call Empire Today® to schedule a free in-home estimate on carpeting and flooring. Call today!

1-855-404-2366.

Cross Country Moving, long-distance moving company, out-of-state move $799. Longdistance movers. Get a free quote on your longdistance move. 1-844-452-1706.

on the project would “probably” be made by the next council meeting, at the latest.

Pipes noted he wasn’t looking for a formal vote at the latest council meeting, and that the borough was welcome to negotiate and come back to the table with an alternate plan.

However, he also noted his desire to “move fairly quickly into an agreement stage,” with a goal of having the developer, Salt and Light, obtain construction commitments and financing sometime next year.

SOLUTIONS FOR PAGE 18

DIRECTV—Switch and Save! $39.99/month.

Select All-Included Package. 155 Channels.

1000s of Shows/Movies on Demand. FREE Genie HD DVR Upgrade. Premium movie channels, FREE for 3 months! Call 1-855-7811565.

DISH Network special—$59.99 for 190 channels. Add high-Speed internet for only $19.95/mo. Call today for $100 gift card! Best value and technology. Free installation. Some restrictions apply. Call 1-855-837-9146.

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a free LeafFilter estimate today. 15 percent off entire purchase. 10 percent off senior and military discounts. Call 1-855-402-0373.

Hearing Aids! Buy one/get one free! Highquality, rechargeable Nano hearing aids priced 90 percent less than competitors. Nearly invisible! 45-day money back guarantee! Call 1-855-619-0190

Stay in your home longer with an American Standard Walk-In Bathtub. Receive up to $1,500 off, including a free toilet, and a lifetime warranty on the tub and installation! Call us at 1-855-481-3969 or visit www.walkintubquote. com/national .

PETS AND ANIMALS Stalls available – self boarding. $165 per month. 65-acres of trails. Lumberton. Call 609-502-8451.

REAL ESTATE Southampton Twp. Highway Commercial Zoning, Two-Story Home, 4 Beds, 2 Bath, 2 Car Garage and possible office space, with .60 ac on Route 206, next to several businesses. Asking $205,000, or best offer.

Call 609-314-0588 for additional information and tour of the property.

WANTED TO BUY Wants to purchase minerals and other oil and gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557, Denver, CO 80201.

CIRCULATION

The Pine Barrens Tribune is published every Saturday. This newspaper is protected under the Federal Copyright Act. Reproduction of any part is not permitted by mechanical or electronic means without the expressed written permission of the Publisher. The Publisher reserves the right to revise or reject any advertisement. No liability shall be attached to the Publisher for interruption of publication or limitation of size and/or number of pages due to shortage of material, failure of transportation, flood, fire, severe weather, winter weather, riots, strikes, acts of God, a public health emergency or other causes beyond his or her control.

It is our policy to promptly correct errors. If you believe that you see a mistake, please call (609) 801-2392.

© 2020 Pine Barrens Tribune

PPine Grove Tenants

Pine Grove Plaza 18 BROADWAY, 5 BROWNS MILLS, NEW JERSEY 08015 RETAIL SPACE AVAILABLE! FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL:

SUDOKU

Two great new offers from AT&T Wireless!

Ask how to get the Next Generation Samsung Galaxy S10e for free. Get a free iPhone with AT&T’s buy one, give one special. While supplies last! Call 1-866-565-8452 or www. freephonesnow.com//cadnet .

Need IRS Relief? $10K - $125K+ … get fresh start or forgiveness. Call 1-877-378-1182 Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

PST.

Shopping Center

CROSSWORD

♦ Page 19

856-218-8677 7

ALBA PIZZA

TOP NAIL SALON

PINE GROVE DRY CLEANERS

Page 20 ♦

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Saturday, October 3, 2020

And so do we.

You’d do anything to make sure they took care of themselves. Start by taking care of yourself – and be here for them.

With complete physicals, screenings, health counselings and well visits. With specialists to address sleep, weight, appetite and mood. With appointments long enough that your doctor really gets to know you. With doctors who talk across specialties, for crossdiscipline collaboration. With primary care offices from Bordentown to Columbus and coming soon to Browns Mills.

Because we know there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for them.

And we feel the same way about you.

Become a part of it today at CapitalMedicalGroup.org

MEDICAL GROUP Accepting Most Insurances, Including TRICARE