Pine Barrens Tribune September 23-September 29, 2023

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Acting Evesham Clerk Appointed by Council While Bergh Reported on Health-Related Leave

VENTURING INTO THE ‘UNKNOWN’?

Temporary Township Manager Also Approved, But Just Barely While Applications Reviewed for Post Vacated by Corrales

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

EVESHAM—The Evesham Township Council at its monthly meeting on Sept.

13, unanimously approved a resolution to appoint Deputy Township Clerk Rebecca Andrews to the position of acting township clerk to fill in for Mary Lou Bergh, who has served as Evesham’s township clerk and registrar for the past decade.

In response to an inquiry from the Pine Barrens Tribune, township Human Resources Coordinator Diana DiCicco said that Bergh had not left the post, but “is on a leave.”

Confirmation of that was provided to this newspaper by Zane Clark, Evesham’s director of Public Information, who said Bergh “is on leave, dealing with personal health matters, and is still an employee of the township.”

While no formal announcement to the effect was made at the meeting, both Andrews and members of the council let it be known that Bergh, who was believed to be viewing the session from home, was in their prayers and hearts, and that her years of service were deeply appreciated.

Councilwoman Ginamarie Espinoza made a particular point of thanking Bergh “for her dedication to our town” and for having provided “unwavering support for our community, our public employees and

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

A sign for the Schultheis Farm in Tabernacle Township.

That is Fear of Committeeman Who Says He’s Hesitant to Open Tabernacle to Cannabis Industry, While Veteran Committeewoman Cites Concern ‘Actual Farming’ Might ‘Go Away’ if Allowed in; All Remarks Said in Response to Farmers’ Request for ‘Discussion’ in Considering ‘Opportunity’

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

TABERNACLE—A couple, whose family has farmed since the late 1800s, has approached the Tabernacle Township Committee to “start a discussion” about whether the governing body is willing to change its current position of disallowing c an nabis g row th, cu ltivation, and manufacturing in the municipality.

Al and Dr. Maria Schultheis, residents of Tabernacle who farm more than 130 acres at 288 Carranza Road and have a “successful wholesale business,” told the governing body during its latest Aug. 28 meeting that they “have been approached with an opportunity for growing and cultivating cannabis” on their farm and that any operation would comprise, at most, 3 acres of their farmland.

In explaining “why we are considering engaging in this opportunity,” Maria Schultheis contended “there is an economic impact and benefit to the town,” with the municipality able to assess a 2-percent tax on the total sales from any operation and realize a new revenue source, in addition to the workers having the likelihood to patronize local businesses.

See CANNABIS/ Page 7

See MANAGER/ Page 8

INDEX

Business Directory...................................12

Marketplace/ Job Board................................ 14

Local News.................................................2

Worship Guide..........................................16

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Green Bank Squad Chief Calls for Timed Openings of Green Bank Bridge Versus Current On-Demand Schedule, Citing Delays in Patient Transport

Ambulances Are Having to Detour Around Drawbridge Due to Traffic Jams, Chief Says, as Well as Getting ‘Stuck’ in Returning to Washington When Designated ‘Second Rig’; Atlantic County Schedules Paving of Thoroughfare on Border Known for Bad Potholes

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WASHINGTON—A reduction in the number of hourly openings of the Green Bank Bridge, which is a span over the Mullica River on the border of Burlington and Atlantic counties, connecting Washington Township in Burlington County to Mullica Township in Atlantic County, is something that Barbara Cavileer, chief of the Green Bank Volunteer Ambulance Company, is requesting the Washington Township Committee request of Atlantic County, which is the entity in charge of the bridge.

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Expanded Provisions Proposed for Off-Season Usage of Campgrounds in Washington Twp., with Draft Measure Also Having Golf-Cart Travel Ban

Draft Law Appears Intended to Address, in Part, Reports of Golf Carts ‘Wandering Out’ of Local Campground, onto Public Roads, By Making Such Activity Punishable Offense

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

WASHINGTON—It is “in the best interest of the health, safety and general welfare” of Washington Township residents to implement “guidelines and time periods as to when camping unit owners may visit and occupy their camping units during the off-season,” the Washington Township Committee has told its residents through a statement contained in a proposed ordinance introduced on Sept. 5 that would amend the existing municipal code to “address offseason visitation and occupancy of camping units,” as well as “use of camper-person property within the township.”

When Barbara Cavileer, chief of the G r e e n B a n k Volu nt e e r A mbu l a n c e Company, inquired as to the “background” of this proposed law, Mayor Daniel James simply responded, “Do you have a copy of the ordinance?”

A copy was later provided to th is newspaper.

As currently proposed, the draft law continues to define the campground offseason as “Nov. 1 to March 31 of any given year,” as had been previously adopted in a 2021 municipal law, and also maintains prior provisions that “no person shall occupy, as an owner or occupant, any campground unit for residential purposes” during the off-season, as well as “rent” them out during that time.

Also maintained in the draft proposal is an off-season exception previously adopted in 2021 that a campground would be able to designate “one campsite” that can be “occupied on a full-time basis by one caretaker,” so long as that unit is registered with the township code enforcement officer.

T he app a r e nt ch a nge t h at wou ld be instituted by the proposal under consideration is to specify “no person may occupy any campground unit” from Nov. 1 to March 31, of any given year, “unless that person is visiting the campground for the sole and exclusive purpose of inspecting and ensuring the safety of the campground unit on any given day.”

If the proposed amendments pass, those off-season campground visitors would also have to “vacate” the premises by 5 p.m. each day.

Prev iously, i n the spr i ng of 2021, r e pr e s e nt at ive s w it h Wa d i ng P i n e s Campground, of Washington Township, “encouraged and begged” the governing body to not pass a prohibition on the occupancy of any one camping unit, other than a caretaker’s unit, from Nov. 1 to April 1 of each year.

Those representatives argued that by doing so, it would curtail their efforts to perform maintenance and clean-up work at their campground during the off-season.

Some of the workers who perform those offseason tasks, they maintained, are residents of other states, including as far away as Indiana.

They asked for as many as five caretaker’s units be allowed, but Mayor Daniel James, at the time, responded, “then we might as well leave the campground open.”

At the time, occupancy of a camping unit in the off-season had been just “restricted to a period not to exceed 21 days during any 30-day period, or as otherwise provided by state code, whichever is greater.”

One of the Wading Pines representatives, in the wake of committee resistance to their pleas, later refined the request, stating that she simply wanted “to be able to have my

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES ♦ Page 3

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employees there for 30 days before and after I open” for the season.

James at the time, however, maintained that some campgrounds in the township are “abusing” the township code, allowing for camping all-year round.

Wading Pines representatives at the time also expressed concerns about the off-season period that had been proposed, maintaining they already had reservations on the books that ran later into the year.

It was then decided by the committee that for 2021 only, the camping season would run from April 1 to Nov. 15, and then, thereafter, from April 1 to Nov. 1. However, the tighter restrictions on campground occupancy in the off-season ultimately passed in May 2021.

The proposed campground ordinance introduced on Sept. 5 of this year would also apparently expand existing regulations governing “camping vehicles and trailers.”

The current township code provisions require camping vehicles, occupying either a campsite or storage area, to be registered, and over-the-road motor vehicles and trailers on site to be licensed in New Jersey or the state of residence of the unit owner.

The township also requires that all camping vehicles be equipped with axles and wheels, though they may be “stabilized temporarily with jacks, stands or other devices, which are normal camping or motor vehicle equipment.”

But that is the extent of the current provisions in that regard.

Proposed additions include making it “unlawful” for any occupant at the campground to “operate unregistered golf carts or all-terrain vehicles” on township and county roads, and would also require the posting of the camping vehicle and trailer rules not only on a campground’s website, but “in a conspicuous location within the campground.”

The intent of requiring the postings, the draft law states, is “so that all campground occupants are aware of the provisions.” The draft law includes a proposed fine of $200 to $1,000 for “each occurrence” in violating the golf cart provision (that particular fine is specific to the golf cart provision).

It was in 2021 when a township resident noted that an unlicensed dune buggy had been traversing the roads in the area, while Deputy Mayor Paul Seybold informed a State Trooper at the time that he has “heard rumors of golf carts wandering out” of a local campground and being driven on “township and county roads,” despite being “unregistered and unlicensed.”

James also mentioned the golf cart situation a few times that year.

It is not immediately clear, however, whether officials are acting on earlier complaints about off-season campground and golf cart use, or if there have been recent incidents spurring this law.

Officials didn’t say, and, as of press time, Committeeman C. Leigh Gadd, Jr., also the township’s public safety director, when reached for comment, said he was at work and unable to immediately speak with this reporter, but would try to call back, but as of press time, no return call came in. A text message also went unanswered as of this newspaper’s deadline time.

Previously, this newspaper reported that a permit for Wading Pines was “tabled” in June because of what Gadd described as a “zoning issue,” though no additional details See CAMPGROUNDS/ Page 15

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Elected Officials Are Accountable to Both ‘Rule of Law and People They Serve’ Is Message Sent to Tabernacle Committee Over Two-Minute Public-Comment Rule

Transparency Advocate Calls What He Sees as Effort to ‘Gag’ Elected Officials, ‘un-American’

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

TA BER NAC LE —T h e Tab e r n a c l e Township Committee is continuing to draw public criticism for standing firm with its controversial, recently-implemented twominute public comment policy, and providing what some view as limited, if any, answers to certain questions posed by residents.

The governing body’s recent approach to small town governance is drawing the ire of both local constitutionalists and transparency advocates, as was evident during the latest Aug. 28 Tabernacle committee meeting.

As previously reported by the Pine Barrens Tribune, Deputy Mayor Mark Hartman, in 2022, spearheaded a motion to reduce the time allotted to members of the public wishing to make public comments at governing body sessions from three to two minutes.

The motion passed non-unanimously, and came on the heels of the governing body deciding at the beginning of last year to remove a second public comment period during sessions, meaning that locals are only afforded two minutes during each meeting to speak on issues of community concern, as well as enter their concerns into the official record (outside of an ordinance public hearing).

Last month, outraged constitutionalists dubbed the two-minute public comment policy the “Hartman Rule,” named after the township committeeman who propelled the motion to the floor.

Constitutionalist Ryan Sherry, who pointed out to the governing body on Aug. 28 that he, “stands before you as one of the ‘people,’ a title enshrined in our New Jersey state Constitution and echoed across all of our 50 states,” pointed to Article I of the state constitution, noting it begins by stating, “All persons by nature are ‘free’ and ‘independent.’”

“This freedom and independence grants us the right to speak, and to be heard, and to participate actively in our community gover nanc e!” Sher r y de clared. “The decision to confine our voices to a mere two minutes and limit our comments solely to consent agenda items, it is not just merely a procedural change, it directly affronts our constitutional rights – rights that each of you have sworn to ‘uphold and protect.’”

Sherry continued that “every state constitution,” i ncludi ng the one for New Jersey, “guarantees its people a constitutional republic.”

“This means governance by elected officials, who are accountable to the rule of law, and most importantly, to the people they serve,” Sherry declared. “Local governance

is not just about making the decisions. It is about making decisions with the people, and for the people. I implore you, the committee members, to reflect on the gravity of your roles and the sacred trust placed in you by the people. Let us not be a community that prioritizes brevity over our foundational principles and constitutional republic. Let us honor the spirit of our constitution and the voice of the people it represents.”

Constitutionalist Raymond Ward put a question to Hartman, asking him, “When you accepted this position, when exactly did you decide to restrict the people’s right to speak freely?”

“Please give us full disclosure where you were delegated the authority to trespass on the people’s guaranteed liberty,” Ward demanded. “Show us where it is written in the New Jersey state constitution.”

As State Troopers stood watch over a township committee meeting for a second session in a row, apparently given the recent intensity of the blowback, Ward asked Hartman if he would accept a copy of the Maxims of Law, prepared by Charles A. Weisman, with Megan Ward explaining to the governing body that the Maxims of Law are “principles accepted by our Supreme Court” in conjunction with the state and U.S. Constitutions.

Hartman appeared to accept the book.

Raymond Ward reminded the elected officials that all meeting participants “pledge allegiance to the Republic, for which it stands” at the start of the governing body meetings, before declaring, “in a republican form of government” every “state officer” takes or subscribes to an oath or affirmation “to support the Constitution of New Jersey and U.S. Constitution,” pledging to “perform his duties faithfully, impartially and to the best of his ability.”

“In a republican form of government, the ‘people’ hold all the political power,” Raymond Ward declared. “Government is instituted for the protection, benefit and security of the people, not to restrict our speech.”

In reading from Article I, Section II of the state constitution, Raymond Ward pointed to a provision that “‘all power is vested in, and consequently, derived from the people.’”

“Magistrates are trustees and servants, and at all times are amenable to them (the people),” Raymond Ward asserted. “So, when you ‘pledge allegiance to the Republic,’ you accept the position of ‘trustee’ and swear an oath.”

Re s i d e nt St u a r t Bro ok s , a lo c a l transparency advocate and regular meeting attendee, took issue with his questions posed during prior public comment periods largely See OFFICIALS/ Page 10

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Owner of Bass River School Building Says He’s Willing to Limit Occupancy of Proposed Yeshiva to No More Than 50 Residents

Lakewood Developer Claims He Tried Unsuccessfully to Find Alternative Uses; Resident Asks What Will Become of N. Maple Ave. Building if It Stays Vacant

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

BA S S R I V E R— L a k e wo o d - b a s e d developer Eli Blech, in an attempt to “work things out” with residents of Bass River Township who have, for the most part, been unsupportive of his desire to turn the township’s now-vacant former elementary school, which he currently owns, into a yeshiva, or Jewish seminary for students of the Talmud, has offered to limit the number it would accommodate to 50.

That suggestion from Blech came after he told the Bass River Board of Commissioners and residents who attended its latest meeting on Sept. 11 that he had tried with no success to find “alternative” uses for the century-old building he purchased last year following his having bid on the property and won, only to file a subsequent lawsuit against the Bass River Board of Education that ended up being dismissed.

The offer also came after Blech’s failed attempt to have the residential zone on North Maple Avenue in the Village of New Gretna, where the property is located, rezoned to accommodate commercial enterprises. A standing-room only crowd had turned out to oppose the idea at a Board of Commissioners meeting in August.

A throng of a similar size appeared at a planning board meeting in July to register its resistance to turning the building’s classrooms into dormitories, even though the proposal had been set aside at the owner’s request.

The sheer number of attendees at both those sessions caused them to be held at the new Gretna firehouse rather than the much smaller courtroom where meetings such as the latest one are usually conducted.

After noting that he couldn’t be present at the previous gathering where he was the “topic of conversation” but was “here in spirit,” Blech said he was now “looking to communicate with the community and the governing body and to address concerns that were raised at the last meeting and our plans for this school building.”

He then proceeded to describe how he had taken some steps “to try to figure out alternative uses” for it, first by reaching out to Burlington County officials to see if the county would be amenable to using the structure to house satellite offices for residents of the community who have no immediate access to the services offered in Mount Holly, the county seat, which is a considerable distance away.

“I was dire ctly in touch w ith the commissioners by phone and email,” he contended, but “never heard back from them, despite having reached out more than once.”

Then, looking to figure out other ways to contribute to the community and “be a good neighbor,” Blech said he had also looked into the possibility of transforming it into a charter school, but “no one was interested.”

His original idea of turning it into a yeshiva, however, would create “a very positive environment,” he maintained, adding that “the intention is not to make it another Jewish community,” but rather into a school for “a group of 50 elite students that are focused on a similar subject, like law students that study 15 hours a day” and are completely immersed in their studies. The student body, he added, would be “limited to a group of boys who do not have a vehicle,” so there would be no resulting increase in traffic except for a few faculty members.

Blech further contended that in order to “address the community’s concerns, there perhaps could be some kinds of restrictions put into place that we stay within that path and not turn it into some kind of commercial edifice.” But he indicated that what he would hope to see is “the same kind of opting in or opting out (of a commercial zone) used along Route 9,” which despite the recent completion of the township master plan, he believed was “just a question of updating the map, which he said had been done “on numerous occasions.”

Referring to “the yeshiva environment,” he added that he hoped that “we can get to the point where once we work out these things, people will actually appreciate it, where it will be an asset to the community.”

“I would love to show you guys a video of what a yeshiva looks like,” he said at a later point in the session, adding that “talking hypothetical is very hard.”

Some residents, though, made it quite clear they were opposed to any sort of change in the environment of their community.

“Sir, you should have been at the last meeting and heard our feelings,” responded one individual, who said she had lived in Bass River for 50 years. “I’m not prejudiced, I don’t care what race, color or creed you are. We had a school, now we don’t have a school; we certainly don’t want another school. … I want my small town to stay the small town I came to live in.”

Another resident, expounding on that sentiment, told Blech, that he couldn’t just come in and ask the commissioners or the See DEVELOPER/ Page 10

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Attempt to Perform Traffic Study on Route 206 in Tabernacle Paused in Favor of Creating Subcommittee to Meet with NJDOT About Crashes

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

TABERNACLE—A pause has been placed on the municipality performing any traffic study of Route 206 in Tabernacle Township, between the Southampton Tow nsh ip -l i ne and Me d ford Lake sChatsworth Road, also known as County Route 532, with the Tabernacle Township Committee instead creating a subcommittee and expressing a desire to have it meet first with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), which is responsible for the state highway.

Previously, the committee had given a directive to Township Administrator and Clerk Maryalice Brown, as well as Township Engineer Tom Leisse, to work with the NJDOT to explore lowering the speed limit along the stretch of highway following a couple serious accidents there, including a deadly collision that occurred on June 26.

Tabernacle Mayor Samuel Moore III had previously contended there is just “too much going on there, on the highway,” to continue with the posted 50 mph speed limit.

Leisse had responded that he would provide the governing body with a proposal to perform a traffic study of the area.

That proposal was received in time for the governing body’s latest Aug. 28 session, with Leisse, of Pennoni Associates, Inc., asking for $6,950 to review and study the stretch of roadway, including by providing “engineering services for the evaluation of the speed limit on Route 206 in Tabernacle Township and the preparation of a technical memorandum presenting the findings and recommendations.”

Leisse, as part of that proposal, proposed a collection of speed data at Route 206 and Cramer Road as well as at Route 206 and Hill Road, over a seven-day period, in addition to obtaining and studying crash data from the New Jersey State Police.

A number of Pine Barrens Tribune readers, in responding to an earlier story about the Tabernacle committee’s intent to lower the speed limit, opined on social media that they felt it would do no good without enforcement, and that it would simply fail to address the problem, suggesting that instead there should be safety enhancements added to the roadway, including installing left turn lanes.

Lowering the speed limit not being enough to resolve the issue at hand is a position that resident Stuart Brooks seemed to share at the latest Tabernacle committee session.

He declared the “focus on the posted speed limit is too narrow” and the “posted speed limit is meaningless without enforcement.”

Route 206, he maintained, “would be safer” with “roadway improvements,” including “traffic signal timing and other measures,” noting “the proposal excludes them.”

“I’d like to hear a fuller discussion before accepting a $7,000 proposal,” Brooks said.

U lti mately, Moore de clare d, “My recommendation to the committee is, instead of spending a lot of money for a NJDOT roadway, why don’t we first start off by having a meeting, and a subcommittee, just to initiate a discussion on some of the problems we are having on Route 206.”

Moore asked if Committeeman Noble McNaughton would be willing to head the subcommittee with him, to which McNaughton accepted the position, so long as there would be an effort by officials to arrange for the attendance of NJDOT officials at the subcommittee meetings. He recounted a time about 15 years ago when “we tried to talk to the state about this, but we didn’t get any place, real fast.”

“There is no sense in us meeting and discussing it without the NJDOT there,” McNaughton maintained. “They have all the data about accidents and problems on Route 206, and if we are going to have a meeting, they have to bring that data with them.”

While McNaughton recounted that the state previously told the township that they are “working on the accidents” and looking into “lowering the speed,” he pointed to two crashes on the stretch of highway of concern in the past year, one that he characterized as “extremely serious” and the other as “fairly serious.”

“They might change their tune this time,” McNaughton declared. “But I can tell you it is going to be very difficult.”

It led Moore to respond that the issue is “at least worth a mention” to the NJDOT as well as worth the governing body’s investment to “see what we can do to improve” the state highway.

“At least we will start a discussion,” the mayor said. “And if we save a life, it is well worth it.”

Woodland Body Suggests Using ‘Common-Sense’ Code-Enforcement Practices After Officer Finds Five-and-a-Half Pages’ Worth of Violations in Lebanon Lakes

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

WOODLAND —“How far does the (Woodland Township) Committee want to press it,” or to what lengths would it like Code Enforcement Officer Tom Boyd to go in performing a requested code enforcement campaign in the Lebanon Lakes community, is a major discussion had by the governing body during its latest workshop session.

It was the result of both Committeewoman Donna Mull and Township Administrator and Clerk Maryalice Brown revealing that when Boyd reportedly went to the development to begin a much-advertised code enforcement crackdown, after him having just traversed through two streets, he had already developed “five-and-a-half pages’ worth of violations.”

Brown, in presenting the governing body with the township’s Property Maintenance and Zoning Ordinances, declared, “If you

read this ordinance, it is very difficult to not find violations.”

The township administrator pointed out that technically several homes in Lebanon Lakes are already in default of the ordinance if they have a backyard shed, “regardless of the size,” because “the yards are very narrow,” and there is a provision that a shed “has to be 20 feet off your sideline.”

“Some of these yards don’t have 20 feet off their sideline,” Brown said. “So, some of these sheds are in violation.

Most of the code enforcement complaints heard at recent Woodland meetings, however, which led to the campaign, had to do with the condition of the properties in Lebanon Lakes, including reported unsightly situations, such as messy yards with significant overgrowth, in addition to vacant or abandoned structures.

“I thought he was going to go out there to make people clean up their yards,” said

Mull of what she believed the intention was behind the ordered-code enforcement campaign.

Mayor William “Billy” DeGroff agreed that he was under the impression that the focus was to be on “property conditions,” and not the location or presence of sheds.

Brown acknowledged there had since been some internal deliberation over “how do you differentiate what we want to overlook versus not,” including how code enforcement can give attention to “piles of leaves,” but then overlook a “fallen down shed.” She also said there was a question about concluding that a “shed not needing setbacks is OK, but a fence not needing setbacks isn’t.”

Brown continued that, for example, if code enforcement was to enforce the current ordinance, there is a provision that you “can’t have a trailer or camper further or closer to the front of a street, than the front of your house,” something she indicated was pointed out to her by Code Enforcement Officer Tom Boyd.

“So, if you have an RV, and you are parking it closer to the front street than your front house, you are in violation, which means you can’t park an RV in your driveway,” said Brown, indicating that this would likely lead to findings of there being a number of properties currently in violation of the ordinance.

Mull responded by asking, “What were your complaints?,” with Deputy Mayor Mark Herndon answering, “Sloppiness.”

“I don’t think you should go after someone because of a trailer that is out in front of their house,” DeGroff declared. “That is ridiculous!”

Township Engineer Tom Leisse, however, appeared to come to the defense of Boyd, retorting, “the problem is, if he is going to go and do a comprehensive review, he is not just going to pick and choose things out of the ordinance.”

“He is going to look at everything,” Leisse asserted.

Mull, who in her former capacity as Pemb er ton Boroug h’s ad m i n istrator also served as that municipality’s code enforcement official, however, maintained that code enforcement should approach any issues with “common sense.”

Her approach to the job, she recounted, in “looking at someone’s yard,” is “I was not there to pick on someone who has a trailer neatly parked,” but rather, “I was there to pick on you if you have a pile of boards next to your house, or had garbage or old broken toys laying around, or grass that is 10 feet tall.”

“I was not looking at things such as sheds sitting there in perfect condition,” she declared. “If there is a falling down shed, however, that needs to be addressed.”

In the borough, she noted, “we worked off complaints.”

“You have somebody who is giving us a general complaint that it ‘looks like a mess out there,’ so I say work on the mess, and not somebody’s shed or fence, unless it is falling down,” Mull said.

DeGroff responded that he agreed with Mull, but Herndon recognized “it is a little hard” for Boyd to enforce the law by taking that approach.

After Brown asked if the governing body wanted to consider adjusting the ordinance to account for clean campers, for example, being permissible, Township Solicitor William Burns interjected that “this is not the zoning ordinance.”

“He went out there for this,” said Burns in pointing to the property maintenance code. “Not for a zoning issue. So, why is he worrying about zoning infractions, when he is going out there for this specific ordinance?”

Brown called it a “valid question,” before contending that Boyd purportedly “went out there with the eyeball of any violations on property.”

Saturday, September 23, 2023 “That is not what we want!” DeGroff declared.

Brown, however, again raised some of the current zoning standards, noting that currently a township resident cannot have a camper that is over 35 feet long.

“It needs to be changed!” DeGroff declared. “Mine is 36!”

Mull pointed out that her husband has one that is 40-feet long.

It led Brown to conclude, “Maybe, we need to update this a bit.”

But what really appeared to take aback the governing body is when Brown revealed that “one thing Tom pointed out to me, in the definitions, is that an accessory structure is incidental to the main building,” and because of that, “he said a swing set – one of those wooden swing sets with the things on top, could be considered an accessory structure.”

“Not by a sane person!” quipped Herndon, with Mull adding, “That is reaching!”

“I can see deterioration, or property maintenance issues … that is our concern, I think,” DeGroff said. “That seems to be the complaint, not somebody who has a trailer in their yard.”

Bu r n s of fe r e d a “c o m mon s e n s e suggestion” in counseling the governing body that it should “perhaps limit the 5 pages of these potential violations to the most egregious,” or ones “that people can see from the road or a neighbor’s house.”

DeGroff, however, in trying to process some of the current zoning standards in township code that he was reading during the discussion, contended, “This really needs to be redone.”

“The fact that you can’t have a trailer for more than 12 months – that’s crazy,” he declared.

Burns, however, said that particular provision is one that “prevents people from having one in their yard” on a permanent basis, pointing to instances where the provision was used to address “unsafe properties” in town where they had a “trailer with a roof caving in.” Such provisions, he noted, are designed to prevent situations of a landowner having 17 boats in their yard, for example.

“You have to have common sense,” maintained Mull of her philosophy on the matter. “If it looks good, leave it alone.”

Bu r ns ag re e d w ith the Wood land committeewoman that Boyd should take the approach that if “there is three feet tall grass” growing around a trailer, it is “probably time to issue a violation” to a landowner, but that if it is growing neatly under one, it should probably be overlooked.

“I like what Bill said, break it down – specific violations for property maintenance, leaves, limbs, etc., or a beat-up, no-good trailer, or the property is falling apart,” said DeGroff in giving direction to the administration, with Mull adding, “I don’t think we should be looking at fences.”

“My suggestion is to go through the ordinance, and have him figure out what violations he observed, and then send strongly worded letters, warning them and identifying what the violations are, describing how to cure the violations, the deadline, and if (they don’t cure them), warning they may be subject to a violation, or civil criminal penalty,” Burns said. “Then, I think that is going to have an impact for people to keep their properties nice.”

Burns also noted that the process will “put everyone on notice” that the “township has changed course” in its approach to code enforcement, with property maintenance issues, and from here on out, “the township is going to be more stringent in enforcing the ordinance.”

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Al and Dr. Maria Schultheis and an associate, Joe McNally, ask the Tabernacle Committee for consideration of allowing the cannabis industry in town.

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(Continued from Page 1) “Secondly, as a clinician, I have directly witnessed the benefits – the medicinal benefits, to people with a wide, wide variety of neurological disorders, mental health disorders and other different types of chronological disorders,” Maria Schultheis declared. “So, I, as a clinician, believe in the value of cannabis.”

Several members of the Tabernacle com m ittee, however, indicated their reluctance to change their position on the matter, though Township Solicitor William Burns maintained the governing body was open to receiving literature and reviewing schematics, including any unofficial site plans.

“It is a difficult situation,” Committeeman Noble McNaughton asserted. “I talked to a lot of people, and a lot of people are opposed to this – cannabis and production. However, there are those who are proponents of it, especially for medical use, which I can understand.”

However, McNaughton maintained, “I just don’t know, in my head, whether the people in Tabernacle want this kind of facility.”

“It is an unknown,” he further declared.

Maria Schultheis questioned, however, whether there is an ‘“unknown”’ by locals simply based on a “misconception” and “not knowing the facts.” She questioned whether a trial of the industry could alleviate any misconceptions.

The clinician explained to the Tabernacle committee that she and her husband have been “farming here in Tabernacle for almost 73 years” and are “successful growers.” Her

family has been farming since the late 1800s, she and Al Schultheis pointed out.

She also introduced Joe McNally, who moved to Tabernacle about two months ago, as their “associate” in the cannabis venture they hope to be able to undertake.

“We are here to begin a discussion regarding the position of this committee, regarding any potential modifications to that ordinance,” she said, referring to an ordinance the Tabernacle governing body passed in 2021 that prohibited all classes of licensed cannabis businesses in the municipality.

It was one that was part of a package of measures, that also “prohibited the sale of marijuana, and marijuana products, to minors and consumption of marijuana and marijuana products by minors.” The thenTabernacle Township Committee took the toughest stance against cannabis businesses (except for delivery, which a municipality cannot outlaw), and the use of recreational marijuana by minors, of all the Burlington County communities in the Pinelands.

Recreational and adult-use cannabis was legalized by Democratic Governor Phil Murphy on Feb. 22, 2021, following a voter referendum, with the state since establishing six permissible, licensed classes of cannabis.

Municipalities had until the summer of 2021 to decide whether to permit any of the classes of cannabis operations in their jurisdictions (with the exception of delivery).

Municipalities can opt-in the program at any time, but unless action was taken by a town in 2021, there is a five-year waiting period for that town to opt-out, and any establishments approved during the period are grandfathered.

Towns that took no action by the stateimposed deadline were automatically considered to have opted-in to the program.

Tabernacle’s decision to opt-out came on July 26, 2021.

“It is a relatively new ordinance, but this industry is relatively new,” Maria Schultheis declared. “It is growing and moving very fast.”

After detailing the reasons behind her family’s consideration of a cannabis enter pr ise, she pointed out some of the “oppor tu n ities” associated w ith growing cannabis crops, including that, “as an educator, I do know several local universities, such as Rutgers and Rowan, are creating internship programs to provide for specialized training, for this specific type of horticultural degree.”

“So, my question is to really come here and try to understand what the primary concerns are from the committee regarding this ordinance,” Maria Schultheis said. “I ask this, because the surrounding towns all around us are already beginning to participate in this industry. Just the other day, we saw in the newspaper that the Shamong Diner, just down the road (in neighboring Shamong Township, which has legalized most classes of cannabis, but targeted it for specific zones) will be creating a dispensary.”

McNally, who claimed to be acting as a third party, explained that he started in the cannabis industry back in 2019, “before it (cannabis) was even legal in the State of New Jersey,” and has spent time “consulting with major companies” involved in the industry, and additionally, has visited more than half-a-dozen cannabis facilities in the MidAtlantic region.

“There are a lot of misconceptions in the cannabis industry, that it would bring a lot of negative impact into the township,” McNally declared.

Howe ve r, h e m a i nt a i n e d , n e a rby Waterford Township, just across the Burlington County line, “has had zero calls for service” at a dispensary that recently opened there, which he explained began in the spring as a “medical facility” before transforming into an “adult-use facility.”

McNally also backed a position that Maria Schultheis expressed to the Tabernacle governing body: there are “economic benefits” brought about by inviting the cannabis industry into town, with a 2 percent tax on “total revenue” generated by manufacturing and cultivation sales going to the town, as well as “an economic impact with employees,” claiming one “would see them dining at local facilities, pizza places and delis,” thereby, “stimulating the local economy.”

“What opportunity would there be to try to understand the concerns that might be coming from this committee regarding this ordinance?” Maria Schultheis asked.

After McNaughton pointed to the possible “unknown” and that he feels there are a number of locals who are against the

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES ♦ Page 7 idea of allowing the industry in Tabernacle, a veteran committeewoman there, Kimberly Brown, answered Maria Schultheis that Tabernacle is a “big farming community” and “everybody is here because they like the way of life we have here,” including “farming and everything.”

“In talking for myself, I would hate to see that go away because that (cannabis) be comes more lucrative than actual farming,” Brown declared. “And then you have buildings that are going to go up, to grow in. I know you have your own buildings, but there are other farmers who do not, and may think, ‘Hey, this is a better deal for me.’ It is not that I don’t want anyone to do well, but you know ….”

Al Schultheis responded that “just because some greenhouses will be utilized for cannabis” production at his farm “does not mean I would not be farming the other 130 acres of ground.”

“I definitely will be continuing to farm the rest of the property,” he vowed. “I am only talking 2 ½ to 3 acres, tops, and using that for production of cannabis. The rest of the ground, I will still be farming.”

Tabernacle Mayor Samuel “Sammy” Moore, in also replying to Maria Schultheis’ question, pointed out that he is a farmer, “just like Noble,” and while he understands that “times have changed,” having been “born and raised here,” it is just “hard for me to look at that venue right now, until I see how other towns make out with it.”

He expressed his belief that the other towns that are welcoming the industry are simply learning by “trial and error” at the moment.

“I know this is an everchanging world we live in,” Moore said. “I totally understand that you have to open your eyes once in a while, but it is really hard for me, having seven generations here in this area, to leap into this instantly … that fast, right away … like that right now … I just have to do more research.”

McNally maintained, however, to the governing body that “you don’t have to jump in with both feet.”

“Do an exploratory avenue,” he asserted.

“Open up to four or five letters of support for cultivation and manufacturing and give it a three-year window and see how it does.”

After discussing that the state is “very, very strict” when it comes to cannabis op erational compl ianc e and that, additionally, obtaining a license is “not like it is an overnight process” given the need to go through vetting, including a compliance check, as well as secure private equity, McNally asserted, “it is not like we are sitting here, asking the committee to make an overnight decision,” but rather, “just open the horizons a little bit” and “look at what other towns are doing” and the “benefits” places, such as Waterford, are seeing.

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(Continued from Page 1) always going above and beyond to serve our employees and our council.”

Appreciation for Andrews was also voiced by Councilwoman Heather Cooper, who credited the acting clerk with having been “a phenomenal steady hand in the township” during the five years Cooper had known her and having “supported our clerk beyond expectation,” adding, “so, we thank you for hanging in there and keeping up with the demands of a very busy town.”

Cooper, however, made no mention during the meeting of her own reported medical issue that was said to have been the reason for her withdrawal since the previous meeting from the 8th Legislative District Senate race, which resulted in her having to be replaced as the Democratic candidate at the eleventh hour by retired teacher and former Pemberton Councilwoman Gaye Burton, who had worked on her campaign.

Acting on another resolution, the council voted 3-2 to appoint Director of Business and Resident Services Lavon Phillips as acting township manager, with both Mayor Jaclyn “Jackie” Veasy and Cooper opposing the appointment, but giving no reason for doing so.

Phillips will occupy the post until a permanent replacement can be found for former Township Manager Rob Corrales, who recently resigned to pursue other career options in the City of Camden, according to Veasy, who described him as having been “a great asset here with us for the last four years.” Applications for the position of township manager, the deadline for which was Sept. 22, are currently being reviewed.

In praising the new appointees as people who “will both do a fantastic job,” Espinoza especially thanked Phillips, who had worked

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM under the supervision of Corrales, for “stepping up to the plate in this transition,” noting that “he has a long-standing career in public service,” having attended the Naval War College and served in the military as a Navy Intelligence Specialist.

A third appointment that the council approved was that of Jacob Todd as a Class IV member of the planning board. He had previously been an alternate member of the board.

In other business, the council unanimously approved a “memorandum of understanding between the township and the Evesham Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #143, comprising the Officers, Patrol and Detectives Union, through 2027.

The contract, maintained Police Chief Walt Miller, “goes a long way with our staff and takes a big burden off my plate.”

In his monthly report to council, Miller also made it known that his department was in the process of hiring two social workers “to bridge the gap between social services and traditional police functions.”

This development, the chief noted, had come as welcome news to officers who were apprised of it during roll call and who cited a “couple recent events that happened where social workers would have had great value.”

The move was also lauded by Deputy Mayor Eddie Freeman, III, who called it “awesome,” predicting that it would have a “huge impact on residents,” especially in situations when police officers going out on a particular call “may not be the best option,” where “having a social worker there may be a better option.”

Other enhancements of local lawenforcement capabilities announced

by Miller included the retrofitting of department vehicles with new, in-car cameras and the stationing of a retired police sergeant to the Y.A.L.E. School for students with autism and learning

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disabilities and Sequoia Alter native program schools on Route 73.

The upgraded cameras, Miller said, will allow for better collection of evidence and also come equipped with an automatic license-plate-reading function that will enable every patrol car to record the information off plates, with the ability to read up to 2,000 plates a minute—a feature that “will alert us for wanted people, stolen cars, things along those lines.”

The new Class 3 officer, Sgt. Michael Gol l n ick, a 25 -ye ar vet eran of the Burlington City Police Department, adds to the “increased levels of security” now present in 11 schools throughout the community, according to Miller.

“Response time is critical in an incident that involves something inside of a school,” the chief pointed out. “But entry can be difficult because schools are locked up.”

That is why having an officer stationed on the premises increases the survival odds of any child or teacher who might be inside a school building during such an occurrence.

Councilwoman Patricia Hansen told those in attendance how the Evesham Environmental Commission, with the help of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and Rutgers Coop erative Extension Service, was continuing to support green infrastructure projects in town, such as the cistern recently installed at the Kings Grant firehouse, which captures rainwater that the firefighters use to wash their trucks “if they’re not doing anything else with it.”

Hansen also said she wanted to welcome EnviroSure, a new consulting business on Route 73 that helps both corporations and municipalities on all kinds of environmental issues, ranging from site assessment and industrial compliance lead-based paint and mold remediation.

In a continuation of his months-long crusade against Evesham’s having approved

the sale of recreational cannabis under the state law allowing municipalities to do so, local resident Gary Warga told Veasy she was apparently being misled by other township officials into believing that the municipality did not have to comply with a nearly decade-old U.S. Treasury Department edict requiring the filing of “suspicious activity reporting” (SAR) on cannabis-related transactions, which are still technically illegal under U.S. law.

“You are responsible for full compliance,” contended Warga, which meant she was obligated to see that cannabis sale revenue was separated from other revenue sources so that the bank in which those funds were deposited could duly report it.

“I hope it was a careless mistake,” he declared in asking the mayor to issue such an order.

Veasy did not respond, but Township Solicitor Ch r istopher Orlando, did, maintaining, as he has previously, that the U.S. Treasury Department had no “enforcement mechanism” for carrying out its order, nor has Congress been willing to provide any funds for enforcing it.

“It’s not our job,” he asserted, adding that he, as a municipal attorney, is not obligated to provide legal counsel to a bank, which has lawyers of its own.

But Orlando added that the township continues to monitor this issue and to “stay on top of all state and federal guidelines.”

At the start of the meeting, the mayor, i n ke epi ng w ith the de sig nation of September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (complete with a Minnie Mouse impersonator), proclaimed third grader Arianna Lewis as 2023 Childhood Cancer Awareness Ambassador for the township of Evesham, describing her as a child who enjoys playing outside with her dogs and family, participating in soccer and lacrosse, and who loves to read.

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(Continued from Page 2)

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Lakewood-based developer Eli Blech speaks to the Bass River Board of Commissioners during its meeting on Sept. 11.

DEVELOPER (Continued from Page 4)

planning board to “pass something that everybody in this town doesn’t want.”

“They represent us,” the resident added. “…You have people here in town that want to keep it a small town. They don’t want colleges. Sometimes, I think they don’t want commercial businesses on Route 9.”

But he also said he wanted to make it clear to the developer (whose lawsuit last year included a charge that the board was reluctant to sell him the property when they found out he was an Orthodox Jew from Lakewood) that “the commissioners never went against what you want to do or may want to do” and “never talked about your religion.”

Commissioner Nicholas Capriglione, a former Jesuit who noted that he has had experience with seminaries, told Blech that he thought it is “within your power to live within the realm of what the expectations are for North Maple and still continue along the lines of what you want to create.”

North Maple, Capriglione asserted, “is going to stay rural, because it’s a rural town.”

But the commissioner said he believed that “what you’re asking for should be able to be fitted into that scheme.”

“Granted, you may have to come up with different plans and everything,” Capriglione added.

However, he emphasized that “we are not looking to give you a hardship,” but “we are just trying to make the town’s profile stay the way the residents want it to stay.”

One resident of North Maple, Leo Assur, posed a different question entirely. Noting that “we have a building here that Eli owns,” he asked, “What do we think that building should be converted to?”

“If it sits vacant, it is going to be an eyesore and have all its windows knocked out,” Assur added. “It is here, it is an asset, what are we going to do with it?”

Bass River Mayor Deborah Buzby-Cope said the matter “sounds like something that should be brought to the planning board, not the commissioners,” to which Blech responded, “We’ll cross that bridge when we have to go in front of the planning board, but the burden will be significantly reduced.”

The mayor also reminded Blech that “because you’re in the Pinelands,” the Pinelands Commission was the ultimate authority in obtaining approval for the kind of setup he envisioned.

“You have to get a certificate of filing, mainly for septic reasons,” Buzby-Cope pointed out, in order to determine “if everything is fine for the amount of people you want to have,” adding, “You are going to have 50 men living there, you’re going to need showers and toilets and sinks for them to live there all year around. You have to make sure you have the correct system.”

closed to traffic.

Cavileer indicated that County Route 563 is a key thoroughfare that the squad often uses to transport patients to the nearest hospital, which is in Atlantic County.

“Traffic is backed up on Route 563 to the point the ambulance has to make a right,” she said, with ambulances having to detour around the closing by taking County Route 551, or River Road, to County Route 542, which can add over 10 minutes in travel time in accessing the hospital.

Additionally, according to Cavileer, there have been times where a “second rig,” or ambulance for the squad assisting the primary ambulance dispatched to a call, has been “sitting on the other side” of the river in Atlantic County (having returned from a trip to the hospital), unable to quickly access Washington.

Cavileer maintained that one of the bridge attendants had informed her he is “watching boats spaced far out” while “leaving the bridge open for these people.”

“Why can’t there be a quarter-hour opening?” she asked the Washington committee. “Why do we have to have the Green Bank Bridge going up every seven minutes, causing these delays in town? I am bringing this up so, hopefully, we don’t have these issues next year.”

The Pine Barrens Tribune previously reported that a couple years ago, the bridge had fallen into disrepair, and as a result, timed openings were implemented instead of on-demand openings. Officials from Washington Township, at the time, pushed for the timed openings to be permanent, but Mullica Township officials pushed back, with businesses in Mullica contending having the bridge open is “dire”

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for their survival and traffic.

Ultimately, officials from Atlantic County committed to maintaining “on-demand” openings for the drawbridge each year from May through September, scrapping a purported request made to the U.S. Coast Guard asking for the implementation of “timed openings” on the hour and half-hour.

Prior to the bridge issue, the Green Bank Bridge would open “on signal May 1 through Nov. 30 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.” An attempt to verify with Atlantic County whether that schedule has since resumed was unsuccessful as of press time.

Dave Simpson, emergency management coordinator of Washington, pointed out to Cavileer on Sept. 5 that Atlantic County officials were allowed to do a “timed schedule” two years ago “because of the emergency with the bridge not being in operation.”

However, if Atlantic County was to “go to every half hour” or “on the hour,” he said, it would have to “put a request in to the U.S. Coast Guard to change” the schedule.

“They just can’t change it,” he said of Atlantic County officials, with Cavileer responding that it was why she is raising the issue well ahead of the next season for Washington officials to bring to Atlantic County.

Cavileer further responded, “Even if it was every 15 minutes ….”

Wa sh i ng ton Mayor Da n iel Ja me s responded that “even every 15 minutes” is not going to bring about any meaningful relief because it takes “just three minutes to get the bridge up” and another three minutes “to get the bridge down,” while it also takes “two minutes to play with the gates.”

“And, so, you are starting all over again eight minutes later,” he declared.

Cavileer reiterated the drawbridge o p e n i n g s a r e a n “o n g o i n g i s s u e ,” emphasizing the squad has had times where See BRIDGE/ Page 11

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Constitutionalist Raymond Ward holds up a copy of the Maxims of Law, prepared by Charles A. Weisman.

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(Continued from Page 4) not being answered. As the Tabernacle governing body members and officials shifted away from answering the public and press directly during the pandemic, it appointed Township Solicitor William Burns as a public information officer (PIO) to answer queries.

“The idea that the PIO prevents you from talking is rubbish,” Brooks declared. “You

don’t have the power to prevent a committee member from speaking.”

In reviewing “PIO documents,” Brooks maintained, the “documents don’t set limits on speech” as well as “don’t even define the PIO’s duties.” The documents, he declared, are “empty” and instead refer to state Office of Emergency Management guidelines “which say PIOs are for major emergencies or disasters.”

“Your efforts to gag elected officials are unSee OFFICIALS/ Page 11

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Two Arrested, Charged After Prostitution Bust at Sunny Spa in Medford MEDFORD—A prostitution bust is reported to have occurred at a spa in Medford Township on Sept. 15, resulting in the arrests of two people, one from North Jersey and the other from New York City.

According to a press release from the Medford Township Police Department, on Sept. 15, an investigation “utilizing various law enforcement techniques and resources” resulted in the execution of a search warrant by the Medford Township Police Department at the Sunny Spa located on Stokes Road in Medford.

“Based on the evidence during this cooperative investigation,” police said, Sung Myung Hwang, 62, of New York City,

was taken into custody and charged with engaging in solicitation of prostitution.

Kyung Rye Bae, 57, of Palisades Park, was also placed under arrest, according to police, and charged with promoting prostitution.

“Both females were processed and later released pending a court appearance,” police reported.

According to police, the prostitution investigation utilized var ious public resources, the Mount Laurel and Mount Holly Township Police Departments, as well as members of the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the Department of Homeland Security.

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Atlantic County about the matter.

This month, Dixon reported that he learned from Atlantic County that it plans to pave Green Bank Road in the spring, and following that project, “depending on the progress they are making,” Lower Bank Road “will follow later in 2024 or 2025.”

“So, it is in their plans,” Dixon said.

“They are aware of the condition. They have designs to repave the roadways.”

Seybold recognized that since last month, in the interim, Atlantic County repaired the potholes on Lower Bank Road, with Dixon noting Atlantic County was “very accommodating” and “got right back to me.”

(Continued from Page 10) it is “late with the second rig” in responding to calls for service “because of that.”

Last month, Washington Deputy Mayor Paul Seybold contended that Atlantic County Route 652 (which leads up to the other bridge connecting Washington/Burlington County to Atlantic County, the Lower Bank Bridge) “is getting ratty down there” with “some sizable potholes.” Engineer Kevin Dixon, at the time, committed to contacting the engineer for

OFFICIALS

(Continued from Page 10) American, frankly,” Brooks charged. “And so are your efforts to hide information by making people ask questions over and over again.”

(Following Stuart Brooks’ comments, the mayor had some of the questions he later posed during ordinance public hearings of the evening answered by the township engineer, though McNaughton appeared to also try to answer some of the queries.)

The already outraged crowd grew even more irritated with the elected officials, however, when the two-minute speaking rule was enforced on transparency advocate Fran Brooks.

“Let her speak!” and “Show us the ‘twominutes rule’ in our constitution!” were just some of the things shouted out by the crowd.

“I’d like her to finish what she has to say to her trustees!” Raymond Ward quipped.

Mayor Samuel “Sammy” Moore, however, persisted with enforcing the rule at the twominute mark, telling Fran Brooks, “Your two minutes are up” and “Thank-you for your comments.”

“This is why you people are so disrespected by the community,” Fran Brooks retorted.

Among the points that Fran Brooks tried to convey within the two-minute timeframe was that in reviewing the resume of a new deputy clerk the governing body intended to hire, it “doesn’t show computer skills,” which she called “vital to the job.”

Fran Brooks also maintained that the township’s Personnel Manual needs to be updated, including because, as of right now, it states a deputy clerk only needs to meet “minimal qualifications,” yet, the Clerk’s Reference Desk Manual makes it clear that a deputy clerk is supposed to be ready “to do the functions” of the primary clerk in that person’s absence.

Additionally, Fran Brooks pointed to the recent resignation of Shana Gosik as township deputy clerk after only 18 months on the job, noting that she reportedly received training while on the job. The transparency advocate called on the governing body to adopt a rule similar to one in Medford Township’s manual that requires an employee that leaves before the two-year mark to reimburse the municipality for training costs.

Otherwise, Fran Brooks declared, without the policy in place, when someone like Gosik leaves after less than two years on the job, there is “little return on our investment.”

Because of the enforcement of the twominute public comment rule, Megan Ward ended up taking to the microphone to complete Fran Brooks’ comments, with the constitutionalist also cut short in her remarks at the two-minute mark. Yet again, the decision by the mayor to enforce the policy (even slamming the gavel) led to people shouting, “Let her speak!” and Megan Ward quipping, “You work for us!”

“We are going to keep showing up,” Megan Ward warned the governing body. “We are here to bring clarity to people by showing what is written in our state constitutions, and we also have the U.S. Constitution and Maximums of Law, principles accepted by Supreme Court.

“No one is coming to save us, and therefore, it is up to us to fix our towns! And the only way to do this is with the frequent reference to the fundamental principles. For far too long, our trustees have participated in maladministration, knowingly and unknowingly, causing a breach of trust.

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A new storage site for CTX equipment has been established at the abandoned Southampton Township Soccer Complex, as seen on Sept. 20.

CTX Apparently Vacates Tabernacle Firehouse Lot as Storage Site, But Now Seen Using Abandoned Southampton Soccer Complex Lot

Southampton Clerk Says ‘No Such Documents’ Exist When Asked for Contract

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

TABERNACLE—CTX, described as a trucking company, has apparently vacated the firehouse premises in Tabernacle Township, following controversy about the firm, and another company, having been allowed to use the firehouse parking lot this year as a storage site without a rental agreement in place with the township.

However, the Pine Barrens Tribune has observed CTX using the parking lot of the abandoned Southampton Township Soccer Field facility on Buddtown Road, in

Southampton Township, as a new storage site.

The controversy in Tabernacle had started after a Tabernacle resident took issue with the companies being allowed to park at the firehouse for what he learned was free, when he had been originally approached by one of those firms that offered him $1,100 a month for use of his commercial business ground.

However, that firm never finalized an agreement with the landowner, who then observed the company using the firehouse instead, along with the other.

When the resident revealed the issue publicly at a Tabernacle Township Committee meeting

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over the summer, Tabernacle Township Administrator and Clerk Maryalice Brown denied having knowledge of the arrangement until that resident brought it to her attention, and contended she learned from the fire company that a donation had been offered to the entity in exchange for use of the lot.

The Tabernacle Committee, however, has since been demanding that the firms pay $1,500 in monthly rent, backdated, for use of the fire company parking lot, with officials maintaining the fire company had no right to give the OK for its use.

However, Tabernacle officials have acknowledged there is no Tabernacle ordinance in place that outlines the guidelines for situations such as this, and it has been unclear how Tabernacle could enforce a retroactive rental agreement, outside of taking legal action.

CTX purportedly has since claimed it was not the firm that approached the landowner, and reportedly maintained last month they are a “small company” that cannot afford such a rental fee, but the governing body on July 31 had reaffirmed an initial decision requiring the rent be paid.

Brown apparently advised CTX of the Tabernacle committee’s July 31 decision.

“Mr. (Tabernacle Township Solicitor William) Burns sent an agreement to CTX trucking, stating $1,500 a month,” Brown reported to the Tabernacle governing body during its latest Aug. 28 session. “The manager of the company called me back, and said they moved in on April 15, and also said, at this time, they are only able to offer $2,500, plus stone to redo the parking lot (which was purportedly torn up by their use). They will be out the first week of September.”

Tabernacle Mayor Samuel “Sammy” Moore responded “OK.” Tabernacle Committeeman Noble McNaughton declared, “I think we should probably take it.”

“Because we don’t really have an ordinance that deals with it,” he said of his reasoning. “We really have no way of going after them.”

However, McNaughton said that accepting the offer should come with the stipulation that the firehouse parking lot is “stoned and graded upon approval of the building inspector.”

The Tabernacle governing body then approved a motion, without dissention, to

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accept the “$2,500 payment and parking lot regraveling upon approval of Mr. (Tom) Boyd.”

Later in the session, Burns asked the Tabernacle governing body for “direction” in creating a “facilities use ordinance” and its input on “how much do we charge” with “fees.” Moore appointed Tabernacle Deputy Mayor Mark Hartman and McNaughton to a subcommittee to work with Burns on developing the ordinance.

“I don’t want to involve what is happening now with groups in the township, such as the Boy and Girl Scouts, etc., with using our facilities,” McNaughton declared. “I am more concerned with what happened here with the firehouse – using a parking lot for months, or over an ongoing period.”

This newspaper observed CTX still using the firehouse parking lot on Sept. 5 as a storage site. A couple days later, it appeared vacated by the company. However, this newspaper spotted on Sept. 14 the company having brought most of the equipment that was there to the Southampton soccer complex.

The companies at issue are reportedly utility contractors. This newspaper observed CTX working near Friendship and New roads on the afternoon of Sept. 20, and then the equipment, leaving that site in the afternoon. A tractor at the work site was then observed moving at 20 mph from New Road to Buddtown Road, with area motorists having difficulty passing due to its large size and the width of the roads in the area.

This newspaper filed an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request on Sept. 15 with Southampton, seeking a contract or a memorandum of understanding between CTX and Southampton for use of the abandoned soccer facility parking lot. Additionally, this newspaper sought any financial payments given to the township.

Southampton Township Administrator and Clerk Kathleen D. Hoffman responded, “no such documents,” and did not answer an emailed, follow-up query about what, if anything has been arranged, as of press time.

One of the first things that Brown said she sought from CTX, upon learning of its use of the firehouse parking lot, was a Certificate of Insurance in the event, “God forbid, somebody should get hurt.”

Page 14 ♦

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Man Assaulted in Late Evening Robbery at Medford’s Village at Taunton Forge MEDFORD—Police are investigating a late evening robbery and assault of a man at the Village at Taunton Forge Shopping Center in Medford Township, according to a press release.

Medford Township Police were called to the shopping center on Sept. 19, around 10:21 p.m., for a report of a man suffering from a breathing difficulty.

“Officers determined that the male was actually the victim of a robbery within the complex,” the release stated. “The initial investigation determined the victim was assaulted by an unknown male, wearing black clothing and a mask.”

According to police, the suspect sprayed the victim in the face with Grizzly Bear spray to disable him, and then stole his wallet and a

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The victim, according to the release, was then transported to Virtua Marlton, where he was treated for the chemical irritant exposure as well as abrasions to his head, elbows, and knees.

Lt. James D’Averso, a spokesman for Medford Police and commander of the agency’s Criminal Investigations Bureau, told this newspaper on the afternoon of Sept. 20 that the victim is now home recovering.

A suspect, he said, had not yet been identified as of the afternoon of Sept. 20, but “we are still canvassing the area,” and Medford Police are working alongside police in nearby Evesham Township in conducting a search for the suspect, who they had not yet identified given he was “wearing all black clothing and a mask.”

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CANNABIS

(Continued from Page 7) “So, why let them have all the financial gain from an exploratory operation?” he asked. “You can make an ordinance that says you have until 2025 to get up and running. There are many different ways to structure this.”

Ta b e r n a c l e To w n s h i p S o l i c i t o r William Burns ultimately interjected, seeking clarification, because it “was my understanding, in consultation with the clerk, that you were presenting tonight to really request that your facility, or farm, become or have the ability to become an agriculture grow facility, not a manufacturing facility or dispensary.”

“It seems maybe you pivoted off of that, or that it was a misunderstanding,” he said. “Is that not the case? Are you looking to grow on your farm?”

After Maria Schultheis replied, “Yes,” Burns responded that the governing body and officials “thought there was going to be a presentation tonight of the steps you have taken to do that,” addressing things such as “safety protocols that would be in place.”

McNally, in response, pointed out that the “first step in inquiring for any type of licensing in the state” requires the obtainment of “local support from the township” and that “then you can go to the next step.” He maintained there is “no sense in applying to the state” if there is no local support.

At one point, he noted that, according to the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC), an owner must “maintain 51 percent of ownership,” while signing an operating agreement “with someone else to do the operation.” He also said that the level of security depends on the township’s standards, with some preferring 24/7 onsite security, while others require on-site security only during the daytime.

“I think there are a lot of unknowns,” Maria Schultheis said. “I think we can all agree on that. That is why we are here, because it is an opportunity to at least test something that could be very beneficial for the town – everyone. Again, it is not like we aren’t seeing this all around us. We are not going to be in a bubble or protected from it. Just because the town says ‘no,’ does not stop what is going on just down the road,

CAMPGROUNDS (Continued from Page 3)

were provided. On Sept. 5, it was reported that “everything has been taken care of” with the committee subsequently approving the issuance of the permit.

Additionally, Gadd noted that he continues to receive “positive feedback” about the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department patrolling Washington Township roadways.

The golf cart situation was one of many complaints that ultimately led officials to turn to the sheriff’s department for help, given reports of limited New Jersey State Police manpower, with the latter the primary law enforcement agency for the township.

Gadd discussed plans to meet with a sergeant of the sheriff’s department to “see what we can do, budget wise, for the remainder of the year” in continuing the added patrols. David Simpson, speaking as a resident (he is also the township’s emergency management coordinator), asked, in response, “Why are we paying extra to the county for a service they should provide?”

The township’s public safety director explained that the current sheriff’s office patrols are being funded through a grant,

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES ♦ Page 15

AD HOTLINE: (609) 801-2392 where there will be a dispensary.

“Our question is, if there are that many ‘unknowns,’ how do we clarify things, and do a trial?” she asked, also inquiring about the parameters for testing the industry out locally, noting her family will work with ‘expiration dates.”

She called on the governing body to “figure out how to try or test it.”

Burns responded that “one of the things the committee might be willing to do, is if you have any documentation with respect to what you want to do with your particular piece of property – how you see that property being used,” provide it to it for review and consideration of a “pilot program for a grow facility.”

“So, instead of talking about the ethereal (something in theory), or that it is ‘going to be great on the farm,’ (do something so) they can actually see it on paper with schematics, and how it is really going to impact your farm and community, as opposed to just talking about it,” Burns declared. “I think the committee tends to process things on paper (versus deliberating), including plans like site plans, though I don’t think it needs to be that official. Let them look at something, so they have a definitive view of what is going to happen.”

McNally extended the opportunity for the three partners in the potential cannabis venture to have an “informational chat” with officials, with Moore responding for McNally and the Schultheises to “give any information” to the township clerk/ administrator.

The associate of the Schultheises claimed that three of the top five publicly-traded cannabis companies in the country are “very anxious to come to this region of New Jersey because of its history and farming reputation,” maintaining they feel the area is “perfect” given “a lot of flat land.”

“If they don’t get to come to Tabernacle, unfortunately, the surrounding towns are going to get the benefits of this, emphasized McNally, noting the cannabis industry is projected to become a $2 billion operation soon. “… But to say to the people of this town that have great farming, and abilities, ‘No, we are not going to do it,’ (all because of the opposition) – nobody probably knows a lot about it, or the ins and outs of it. I visited many facilities, and they are like emergency rooms – clean, and the sur rounding communities seem to love them.”

and that “they don’t do a full-blown law enforcement function,” with it explained to him that “they don’t have the manpower or money” to provide towns with such services on a regular basis.

“It would be a nice service if they offered it to towns,” he said. “But, currently, they don’t have the capacity to do it.”

Gadd committed to utilizing the sheriff’s department in town for as long as the funding is available and asked if anyone has seen a noticeable difference in the problematic areas. Seybold responded that he has “seen them at work” as well as “seen cars pulled over.”

It was also noted by Seybold that resident Ron Hill, of Bulltown Road, brought to him “some concerns with a sharp, 90-degree turn” there “coming from Batsto Village toward his residence.”

“I told him I would see if we can get a ‘hidden driveway’ sign put up there for him,” Seybold declared. “There are some people who seem to be doing too much over the speed limit, and he has had some close calls coming out of his driveway.”

A State Trooper from the Tuckerton Barracks, attending the Sept. 5 session, committed to bringing any public safety concerns back to the station commander.

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Page 16 ♦

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Prayer Fellowship - Wednesdays ��������7:15 p�m�

I Am That I Am Ministries, Inc. Sunday Worship Seervice at 11:30 a.m.

Pastors Florence and Russell Webberr

Sunday School����������������������������������9:45 a�m�

Bible Study - Wednesdays �����������������6:30 p�m�

371 Lakehurst Rd., Browns Mills, NJ 609-893-4800 • www.MooreFuneralHome.com

All are welcome here to grow closer to God through scripture, prayer, music, fellowship, and service to others.

www.iamthatiamministriesinnc.com

graceepiscopalchurchnj.com graceepiscopalnj@comcast.com https://www.facebook.com/graceepiscopalpemberton/

St. Andrew’s Church 121 High St., Mt. Holly MASS: 5 PM Sat. 10 AM Sun. Morning Prayer (M-F) 9 AM on Facebook Office: (M-Th, 8 AM-Noon) 609-267-0225 E-Mail: STANDREWSCHURCHMH@gmail.com Website: WWW.STANDREWSCHURCH-MH.ORG

In-Person or Facebook Live

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

609-859-2299 Transportation Available Call 609-859-2883

2 Hartford Road | Medford NJ 08055 medfordumc.org | 609/654-8111 info@medfordumc.org

Facebook: STANDREWSCHURCHMOUNTHOLLYNJ All are invited to join in worship and fellowship!