Pine Barrens Tribune April 1, 2023-April 14, 2023

Pemberton Officials Quarrel Over Payment of Two Bills for Legal Services Rendered During Solicitor Showdown

Council President Had Wanted to ‘Hold Off’ on Payment, But One Democratic Colleague Joins with Two GOP Members to Approve

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—While a two-month long showdown between the Republican mayor of Pemberton Township and narrowly Democratic-controlled Township Council over who will serve as the township solicitor for the year had seemingly been resolved during a Feb. 15 council meeting with a pronouncement that there had been a compromise that was reached, two bills later submitted, totaling over $4,000, for legal services reportedly performed by an attorney initially temporary appointed by the mayor during the feud apparently was not a settled matter.

By Douglas D. Melegari

Staff Writer

TABERNACLE—Preliminary floor plans, as well as a draft site plan for a “potential, future town hall complex,” as Tabernacle Township Mayor Samuel “Sammy” Moore III put it during a March 27 Tabernacle Township Committee meeting, have been unveiled to the public.

The unveiling occurred about 15 minutes into the township committee’s first regular in-person meeting in three years on March 27, amid Tabernacle’s search for a new town hall after the existing one was rendered unsafe for occupancy in late 2021 and subsequently closed last year, with municipal services having since been run out of three

construction trailers.

It also followed a previous township committee meeting in which the governing body expressed it was “desirous to acquire” two lots “known as 144 Carranza Road” to build such a complex from Russo’s Fruit and Vegetable Farm, Inc., with one lot some 19 acres, and the other about an acre in size.

It was at that meeting that it was announced the parties agreed to a purchase price of $825,000 for the properties (after having received a $941,900 appraisal), exclusive of the closing costs, with the township committee authorizing the approval of a purchase agreement, also known as a “contract for sale” or what is also known as a “real estate or purchase agreement for sale of real estate.”

Any purchase, it was said at the time, would be contingent on the township receiving all the necessary approvals and would be authorized through a later ordinance, which would provide for an opportunity for a public hearing.

Township Architect Scott England, an over 30-year resident of Tabernacle, exclaimed during the township committee’s March 27 session that he was “very excited” in “presenting a building that will satisfy the residents of Tabernacle for next 50 to 100 years.”

After cautioning that the design is in its “infantile stages” and that the townshipis “very, very, very early on” in the process, See

And it led to a public argument between the council president, township business administrator and mayor during a March 15 council meeting, which appeared to be one that would be carried on to at least another meeting.

That is until Democratic Councilman Paul Detrick broke ranks with his two Democratic colleagues, Council President Donovan Gardner and Councilwoman Elisabeth McCartney, and joined with the Republicans, Councilmen Joshua Ward and Dan Dewey, in denying Gardner’s motion to “hold off” on paying two bills from the bill’s list and have them removed from it, and approving a subsequent motion to approve the bill’s list without any amendments.

Photo By Tom Valentino

A preliminary floor plan for a prospective Tabernacle municipal building.

‘POTENTIAL, FUTURE TOWN HALL COMPLEX’

Pinelands Commission Approves of Drafting Seldomly-Issued Agreement to Allow for Surfacing of Handicapped-Accessible Trail at Pemberton Lake Business Administrator ‘Very Happy’ with Commission ‘Relaxing Some of Its Standards,’ Led by Director Permanently Appointed in February, But Approval Process Could Linger into July; Residents Voice Concern About ‘Significant Trash Problem’ at ‘Very Scenic’ Lake

full commission has not adopted a new Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) with a municipality in “quite some time.”

By Douglas D. M elegari

Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—A plan to officially expand the Pemberton Lake trail network, which will help to complement the municipality’s Trails and Bikes Master Plan (part of a two-pronged recreation plan that includes improvements to 17 of 19 municipal parks as well), previously unveiled in 2021, appears to be finally inching forward after a hold up in receiving the necessary state approvals.

A “significant trash problem” at the “popular” and “very scenic” lake, however, has also been a topic of concern at a recent Pemberton Township Council meeting.

As previously reported by this newspaper, the Pinelands Preservation Alliance (PPA) after hearing about the town’s intentions to expand its trail network, approached the township in the spring of 2021 about Pemberton Lake, which abuts both Magnolia and Coleman’s Bridge roads, as well as the Pemberton Bypass (County Route 530).

The lake ownership is essentially split in half, with the township owning about 50 percent of it, and the state owning the rest, the business administrator noted in a previous statement to this newspaper.

An existing trail at the site, Hornickel said, goes from a state-owned parking lot for the lake and runs “partway down” the Northshore of the lake, before coming back up along the bypass to the state parking lot, forming what is effectively a triangle.

The project, which got partially underway back in 2021, has included putting in a second part for the trail that goes from another parking lot for the lake, along Magnolia Road and maintained by the township, and connecting it with the existing trail, “creating a (complete) trail around Lake Pemberton,” according to the township business administrator.

The township, Hornickel pointed out, had already utilized its tree crew and brush cutting equipment in 2021 to clear an approximately 1,700 linear foot path for the new portion of the trail, which he called both a “walking trail” and “nature trail.”

However, it reportedly has taken some convincing to get the Pinelands Commission and state Division of Fish and Wildlife to both agree to allow the PPA to “install a stable trail surface material” to make the trail there, about “six-tenths of a mile,” handicapped accessible.

Hornickel told this newspaper in a second Oct. 17, 2022, statement that “once Pinelands staff is comfortable with that, then the PPA, with support from the township, will submit an application for public development.”

But now the business administrator, during a March 1 Pemberton council meeting, announced that things are now “moving forward” for the township and PPA to be able to “negotiate a Memoranda of Agreement (MOA)” between them and the state entities “so we can construct a handicap accessible trail around Pemberton Lake.”

It had been reported at a Feb. 24 meeting of the Pinelands Commission’s Policy and Implementation Committee that the

Susan R. Grogan, appointed Feb. 10 the commission’s executive director after having served in that role in an acting capacity for 18 months, explained that the commission’s Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) authorizes the commission to enter into such agreements with public entities for either “establishing a streamlined permitting procedure” or to “authorize deviations from CMP standards, provided the measures are included to ensure equivalent protection of Pinelands resources.”

Only 23 of them, she noted, have been entered into since 2002, with 10 of them dealing with “public expansion” projects.

It was proposed at a Policy and Implementation Committee session that there would be recommended “changes” to the process to grant MOAs moving forward, essentially “expanding” the process, including to allow for a public hearing on such requests, as well as for a formal recommendation from the Policy and Implementation Committee to the full commission before a final resolution is considered by the commission granting approval.

Among the township and PPA’s “key points” for forging ahead with such a trail project, as presented to the committee, is that “there is a public need for more accessible trails, this park is easy to reach for Pemberton residents, the lake and trail are very scenic, it uses an existing trail with no need to widen or remove vegetation, and both the PPA and Division of Fish and Wildlife will restore a damaged area.”

It was described that “stone” will “stabilize the surface and not change soil chemistry or water quality.”

The Policy and Implementation Committee, during its Feb. 24 meeting, recommended that “based on the process laid out” the “full commission consider approving the MOA,” with it later noted by this year’s commission chairwoman, Laura E. Maton, that the committee was “very supportive” of the plan.

The full commission, on March 10, after it was noted by Maton that the “handicap trail” would entail working near “a wetlands buffer,” but that the PPA and Pemberton have presented how they would “use a surface to minimize environmental disruption,” verbally consented to having the MOA drafted for the Pemberton Lake project, with it noted that several “standards” would be built into the agreement to make sure of things such as the material being put down is of quality.

After Maton described the commission as being “all in support” of moving the process forward to get a MOA drafted and thanked the parties for their help in “getting the MOA up and running,” Grogan described that tentatively, in May, the Policy and Implementation Committee will meet to review a draft of the MOA, with a public hearing then tentatively scheduled for June. The Policy and Implementation Committee would then meet again later in the month to review any public comments, with the agreement potentially coming to the full commission for a vote as early as July.

“This would be the first project that the Pinelands Commission would eventually approve that would be handicapped accessible, other than the state parks, which have done it without their permission,” said

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

Pemberton Lake Wildlife Management area.

Pemboro Hears Requests for ‘Better Solution’ to Address Two ‘Eyesores’ Amid Residents Recognizing Significant ‘Progress’ Elsewhere in Town

she recently met with Code Enforcement Officer Steve Phillips and mentioned the condition of the property, informing him that a “former councilman brought it up.”

Fanucci contended that Phillips responded by informing her that some “25 tons have been taken out of there already.”

“It is an ongoing process,” Fanucci said. “As you know, there is a lot of metal there.”

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By Douglas D. M elegari

Staff Writer

PEMBERTON

BOROUGH—Two

described “eyesores” in Pemberton Borough that have reportedly lingered for years have residents here demanding “a better solution.”

The condition of a house at 115 Hanover Street, and Thompson’s Lawn and Garden Center on County Route 530, drew the ire of residents during a March 20 Pemberton Borough Council meeting, with it being about the third consecutive meeting in which the condition of these two properties have been raised by residents.

Resident Lois Sickles, in fact, said she “came before COVID to these council meetings complaining about disgraceful Thompson’s Lawn and Garden Center.”

“In case you don’t know what that is, in my younger days, it used to be Thompson’s ‘Lawn and Garden.’ It was a place that had machinery, lawn mowers, and you took your ice skates there to be sharpened, as well as sleds and everything. It used to be a beautiful piece of property,” Sickles said. “Well now, it is a junkyard. As you are leaving and entering Pemberton Borough – this is what you see – it is an eyesore.”

Recently, County Route 530 was widened and repaved by Burlington County. Sickles quipped, “I have to admit that since redoing Route 530, there has been an improvement as far as moving the junk back from the road, but it is still an eyesore with all the rusted cars and machinery.”

“And I don’t understand why the EPA hasn’t been there to check the soil with all the rust seeping into the ground,” asserted Sickles, pointing out that former borough councilman Tim Quinlan has raised the condition of the property at the previous two council meetings, calling for action. “Since he has voiced his

Fanucci also reported to council that she actually met with Thompson in his welding shop there at the property in question and “talked with Dave myself to find out what is going on with his business.”

“I mentioned it to him also that he is ‘on the radar,’ which I am sure he already knows, but it can’t hurt to egg someone on,” Fanucci declared. “I did talk to him.”

Sickles then turned her attention to the house on the corner of Antis and Hanover streets, asking, “Is something being done with it?”

Griffin described that it is “being worked on in the same way.”

“Unfortunately, it is being done a little at a time,” Griffin added. “I talked to the code enforcement officer about that last week, and he has had him in.”

Local officials, however, according to the mayor, “are not really sure how to attack this” or the “people we are talking about” because, for example, in the case of the 115 Hanover Street property owner, the man is reportedly “brought into court, pays a fine, and then doesn’t do anything” in-between and then is brought back to court again, only to be given another 90 days to comply with a court order. By then, he contended, a “half a year” goes by without much progress.

“But it is being worked on,” Griffin declared.

Another woman attending the borough council meeting inquired why the borough didn’t have an ordinance in place to both give the municipality more teeth to deal with “continuous” violators and that would allow for greater actions to be taken “after so many fines.”

Griffin, in response, vowed to have Phillips attend the next council meeting to answer citizen questions, with recent governing body meetings here drawing larger crowds, with a majority of attendees from the Hearthstone retirement community.

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opinion, who on council has actually done something about it?”

Sickles inquired whether Dave “Butch” Thompson, the owner of the lawn and garden center, could be required by the municipality to at least put a fence around the property.

Mayor Harold Griffin responded that “code enforcement has been out there,” causing Sickles to ask, “And what has happened?”

“He has been taken to court several times,” maintained Griffin in response.

When Sickles pressed officials to reveal whether Thompson has yet been fined, Griffin responded, “yes he has – yes he has,” maintaining there has been an order “to work on some of the problems you just mentioned.”

Councilwoman Diane Fanucci noted that

“I am shocked that here we are two to three years later, and we are still talking about 115 Hanover, which is in the heart of Pemberton Borough, and the best we can say after those two to three years is well, ‘They are being fined,’ and ‘Now they are going to board up the windows,’” declared resident Fred Gower.

“I am going to tell you that I think this council and our solicitor can come up with a better solution.

“If the fines are high enough, my guess is the developer will begin work. If the code is so weak that we allow a building like that in the Borough of Pemberton to exist for this long, then something is wrong with our codes. So, I would suggest that our council make that a priority, instead of telling us year-after-year,

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

A dilapidated house at 115 Hanover Street in Pemberton Borough.

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

A view of Thompson’s Lawn and Garden Center.

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

A broken window on the residence at the corner of Antis and Hanover streets.

Southampton Township Boy Scout’s Quest to Earn ‘Eagle’ Status Results in New On-Site Training Facility for Local Firefighters Inquiry by William Dozier Ends Up Providing Vincent Fire Company with Shed for Practicing Exercises Like Climbing Through Windows

ShopRite of Medford Associates Honored for Their ‘Fight Against Hunger,’ Food Bank CEO Says Supermarket’s Support Has Been ‘Music to My Ears’ Medford Grocery Store Raised $17K in Latest Challenge for Hunger Relief, Earning Two Local Associates Positions on Special Edition Cheerios Boxes

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—Up until now, whenever Vincent Fire Company No. 1 wanted to conduct certain kinds of training exercises for its members, it had to arrange to do so at a remote location – usually the Burlington County Emergency Services Training Center in Westampton – since its station at 16 Race St. in the Vincentown section of Southampton Township had no onsite facilities to accommodate them.

One drawback of that arrangement, however, has been that the station’s volunteer firefighters, while undergoing such training, couldn’t be readily available in the event they were suddenly needed for the very type of emergency that they were being groomed to address. Another is the extra cost involved in getting to and utilizing the center.

But those problems are now being largely resolved, thanks to a local teen, William Dozier, having approached the fire company last year to find out if he could do something that would “benefit the firehouse,” according to Fire Chief Scott Mitchell, and, in turn, serve as his qualifying project to become an Eagle Scout – a distinction he was accorded at an “Eagle Court of Honor” ceremony held there on March 19, which was attended by Southampton Mayor Michael Mikulski and representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Marine Corps League.

Dozier’s request, Mitchell told the Pine Barrens Tribune in a phone interview, resulted in a meeting of the fire company’s leadership that led to the construction of a brand-new two-story shed adjacent to the firehouse – one containing facilities that enable its members to practice various rescue techniques, including using ladders to climb in and out of windows and navigating “confidence mazes,” as well as providing additional storage space for firefighting equipment (including those mazes) in its loft.

“It’s cheaper and it allows us to do some of our training here in town, rather than in Westampton, so we can respond immediately to calls,” noted Mitchell, who was also once a member of Troop 31 and an Eagle Scout himself.

All-told, he estimated, the company, which has some 20 active firefighters and another 15 contributory members, will now be in a position to do about 75 percent of its training in-house, which he estimated will save it about $1,000 a year in costs for both fees at the training center and fuel to get the trucks there.

The construction of the shed, which measures around 10 x 20 feet, has been a collaborative effort by the members of the fire company and the scouts of Troop 31, to which Dozier belongs and whose scoutmaster, Jim Heffernan, happens to be a volunteer firefighter with the company as well.

See FIREFIGHTERS/ Page 5

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD—Local dignitaries, leaders of area non-profits, including those from local food banks, and various ShopRite store administrators and associates gathered at noontime on March 21 at the ShopRite of Medford to “sing the praises,” as Steven Hildner, community relations administrator for Wakefern Food Corp. (the parent company of ShopRite) put it, of the Medford supermarket “for their efforts last year in the ShopRite Cheerios Challenge presented by our friends at General Mills.”

This past September, Hildner explained, as is tradition, all 285 ShopRite stores participated in a hunger challenge in which store associates were instrumental in asking customers to donate at least $1 to $5 towards helping to end hunger through ShopRite’s Partners in Caring program.

ShopRite of Medford, it was revealed, raised $17,694.38 through the latest challenge.

“This year’s challenge, as it has always been, has been a staple of ShopRite of Medford,” Hildner declared. “There are three guarantees every year on the first day of spring: you start to see things bloom; you open your taxes soon; and ShopRite of Medford is going to end up on the Cheerios box.”

While “all of our associates have contributed to our success,” according to Hildner, two longtime Medford store associates, Rosa Tuzzolo and Jeffrey Price, were honored March 21 for particularly playing an instrumental role

in the “fight against hunger” not only this past year, but in the years before it as well.

Tuzzolo and Price, as part of that honor, according to Hildner, are one of 109 ShopRite associates this year, representing 52 different stores, to be featured on a special edition of General Mills’ Cheerios boxes.

“This is the Grammy of our industry,” declared Hildner, also the program administrator for ShopRite’s Partners in Caring program. “… Medford, I think, has appeared on every single one of these boxes ever to be made. Medford believes in this organization, its commitment and everything in-between.”

In fact, Hildner pointed out that ShopRite of Medford has “raised hundreds of thousands of dollars” for local charities and food banks to help combat hunger.

Tuzzolo, according to Medford Store Director Jim Gallagher, has been with the store since 2018. She has lived in Shamong for the past 17 years, but was born in Sicily, Italy, and journeyed to the U.S. when she was only four years old, arriving in Brooklyn.

“Every year, since 2010, Rosa has been helping us,” Gallagher said. “She done things as small as selling hot pretzels to raise money to help fight hunger. She has done bake sales. She is a big contributor and always there with us.”

Price, who has been with ShopRite since early 2016 and has been a 23-year resident of Marlton, was described as a “big asset” to the Medford store and the community at large, not

See SHOPRITE/ Page 15

Photo By Andrew King

Participants in the Eagle Court of Honor held to honor William Dozier, stand in front of the shed they helped build for Vincent Fire Company No. 1 in Southampton. Front row: Firefighters Thomas Wittmer, Anthony Femminineo and Deputy Chief Raymond Shields; William Dozier, and fellow Troop 31 Boy Scouts Andrew Dozier, Tyler Cornelius and Tanner Pew. Back row: Troop 31 Scoutmaster Jim Heffernan (also a Vincent Company #1 firefighter) and adult members Tony See, Colby Pew, Arthur Dozier and Lee Dozier.

Photos By Douglas D. Melegari

ShopRite of Medford store associates Jeffrey Price and Rosa Tuzzolo, who were honored March 21 for their “fight against honor” by being chosen to represent the store on a special edition Cheerios box.

Vandals Cause Minor Damage to Imagination Kingdom in Pemberton

including the posts.

“They literally sliced in half the other slats,” Hornickel maintained.

It is believed the vandalism, which he noted “has been reported,” occurred sometime in the last week of January.

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

D.

PEMBERTON—Vandals recently targeted what is considered one of the state’s top ten playgrounds in New Jersey, or Imagination Kingdom in Pemberton Township, the Pine Barrens Tribune has learned.

“Regrettably, we experienced a small quantity of vandalism at Imagination Kingdom,” said Business Administrator Daniel Hornickel at a recent Pemberton Township Council meeting.

According to the business administrator, the vandals damaged a vinyl split rail fence,

FIREFIGHTERS

(Continued from Page 4)

There was also the cost of such a project to consider. According to William’s mother, Joy Dozier, he originally estimated that the shed would cost $4,200 to build, so he canvassed neighborhoods, used social media, and called businesses in the area to solicit donations, specifically for building materials and supplies, as well as creating a GoFundMe page.

Because of the generous donations of building materials he received, she said, he only needed to raise an additional $1,335 through GoFundMe. Business establishments that contributed

“It is kind of discouraging that at a beautiful park like Imagination Kingdom, we had a few knuckleheads, probably who live in town, that did the damage,” Hornickel declared.

Fun New Jersey Magazine previously selected Imagination Kingdom as the “Number One Awesome Playground Throughout NJ” in its Top Ten list. SJ Magazine also listed it as number one in its list of “10 South Jersey Playgrounds the Kids Will Love.”

Hornickel told this newspaper that “the damage has been repaired” by Buildings and Grounds staff, but it cost the township “a few hundred dollars in materials.”

“No one has been identified as having caused the vandalism,” he reported, noting that the township will try to point some of its cameras on the playground.

to the effort, Joy Dozier noted, included ABC Lumber in Hainesport, which provided siding at a discount, Spotts Hardware in Medford which contributed a gift card for paint, A.Z. Lawncare & Tree Service in Tabernacle which donated rocks, and UFP Industries, Inc., in Berlin, which she credited with having saved the group “a tremendous amount of money,” by donating “all the walls and trusses,” which she said had to be hauled back to the firehouse using a flatbed truck that belonged to one of the fire company’s members.

Work on the shed, which commenced at the beginning of last summer, is now about to be completed, Mitchell told this newspaper, with only the installation of a roll-up door, which

Trash Pickup Schedule to Change in Pemberton’s Mirror Lake Area

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—The schedule for trash pickup in a section of Browns Mills in Pemberton Township is going to be changed “beginning with the week of April 17” as the township is reportedly working with its trash hauler, Seaside Waste, also known as South Jersey Sanitation, to “control costs” amid what has been described as a “really difficult time” for the waste industry.

Residents of nearly 200 streets will be impacted by the change in the “Mirror Lake area” of Browns Mills, according to a posting on the municipality’s website, which included both a street listing and map for the area affected.

“At the last meeting, I mentioned we are trying to work with our trash contractor on some ideas to try and control costs,” said Business Administrator Daniel Hornickel

during a March 15 Pemberton Township Council meeting. “They have advised us they would like us to change one section of Browns Mills from a Wednesday and Saturday pickup, to a Wednesday and Friday pickup.”

Since the township’s contract with its hauler “doesn’t indicate that they are required to collect trash six days a week,” the business administrator reported to the council that, “We don’t really have a way to resist this.”

Pemberton’s current contract with Seaside commenced in April 2019 and ends in March 2024, according to the business administrator, with the company currently charging the municipality $10.69 per dwelling, or what he said, “comes out to around $88,000 per month.”

“This is probably in our benefit to do this (implement the scheduling change) because this is a really difficult time for the waste hauling industry,” Hornickel declared.

was an impromptu addition and is expected to be delivered shortly, needed to make it fully operational. The facility’s window, however, is already being used for what Deputy Chief Raymond Shields, in a phone interview, called “Denver drills”— that is, maneuvers demonstrating how best for firemen to get in and out of windows and small areas.

“It’s going to be used for all our training props and stuff we were planning on building but had no room for,” said Shields, who served as the fire company’s official liaison with Dozier for his Eagle Scout project.

“He (Dozier) put in a lot of hard work, the shed came out great, and it was definitely needed by the fire company for our training purposes.”

Joy Dozier said her son, who is currently a junior at two different schools – The King’s Christian School in Cherry Hill and Dwight Global On-Line High School in New York City, may decide to keep volunteering with his troop, or may transition to the Sea Scouts (a BSA program for young men and women ages 14-20), since he is already a member of a crew and is now looking to attend a maritime academy. In the meantime, however, Heffernan, his current scoutmaster, expressed pride in that he achieved in the process of striving for the organization’s highest rank.

“William did well demonstrating leadership during his challenging Eagle project,” Heffernan said, “And we were pleased he held his Eagle Court of Honor at the firehouse.”

Photo By Douglas

Melegari Imagination Kingdom.

Officials Reportedly Negotiating 25-mph School Zone on Stokes Road

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

MEDFORDLAKES—A stretch of Stokes Road that runs through Medford Lakes Borough will be designated a “school zone” shortly, according to borough officials.

Both the borough and Burlington County, the latter who has primary jurisdiction over the road because it is a county-maintained highway, are said to be in the process of finalizing an agreement, according to Borough Solicitor Doug Heinold during a March 22 Medford Lakes Borough Council meeting.

Borough Clerk Mark J. McIntosh said that the affected corridor is from about “Trading Post Way roughly through Beach Drive.”

Local officials have been reportedly having “some communications” with the county in hoping to have the speed limit reduced to 25 mph at all times, but as Heinold recognized, “the county is pretty protective of their speed limits.”

By designating the currently 35-mph corridor a school zone, it won’t be a “straight 25-mph speed limit reduction,” but rather the speed limit will be reduced to 25 mph when “children are present.”

“They are satisfied that the 35-mph speed limit that exists is being adhered to sufficiently and appropriately for that area, but also understand certain crossings there are used by students,” said Heinold of the borough’s discussions with the county.

However, the borough solicitor recognized that by just having a speed limit when children are present “doesn’t give great understanding to motorists when to slow down.”

In crafting a possible measure to codify the new speed limit, Heinold said officials are “probably going to do a timeframe when students come and go, especially with afterschool activities, and see if that works.”

In the borough, hundreds of students walk or bike to area beaches and stores in the business district, especially in the warmer weather months.

Complaints about speeding on Stokes Road have been heard at various Medford Lakes Borough Council meetings, particularly since a summer 2022 crash at Stokes Road and Pawnee Trail in the borough reportedly left a Mullica Hill teenager dead and four others injured.

That head-on collision, however, happened in the early morning hours of June 13, 2022.

A Shamong Township woman has since been charged with driving while impaired and causing the death of the teenage motorist.

Former borough councilman Joseph Aromando III described during a preceding

March 8 Medford Lakes council meeting that the speeding is so bad on Stokes Road that it is “begging for some immediate action.”

McIntosh, in response, revealed that Medford Lakes Police Chief Robert Dugan, Jr., along with Borough Manager Dr. Robert Burton, have been meeting with the county’s engineers and had successfully gotten the county to agree to a 25-mph speed limit (school zone), declaring,

“it was amazing to me when I heard” that the “county is on board to lower the speed.”

Aromando responded that the “other thing that has got to be done” is that the county needs to create a no-passing zone on Stokes Road through the borough to “prohibit any type of passing,” contending that he “almost got clipped” recently when attempting a left turn with “some idiot wanting to beat me and go around me before I made the left-hand turn.”

“People are just cruising to get through here,” declared Aromando, pointing out that there is a far more rural section of county road in neighboring Shamong that has “double yellow lines.”

Medford Lakes Mayor Dr. Gary Miller called Aromando’s observations about the no passing zone in a more rural area, but yet passing being allowed in a section of Stokes Road in the borough “good points” that he will “bring up.”

Also occurring during the latest Medford Lakes council meeting was unanimous approval given to take $35,000 from the borough’s Capital Improvement Fund and put that towards a payment for repairing the Lower Aetna Dam, which is on Stokes Road, across from P.J. Whelihan’s restaurant. As he had previously told this newspaper, Burton explained to borough council that the dam requires “restoration from a washout a few years back” when “water came up and crested to the road and washed off sand.”

“We are required to repair that and bring it back up to where used to be,” the Medford Lakes manager maintained, noting the sand will be replaced and some vegetation that has grown in the area will be removed. “We already funded the money because it is in capital already, but we need to have this ordinance to spend money on the project.”

Council, according to McIntosh, will officially award a contract for the project at its next meeting, with Burton noting the borough had received a bid for around $35,000. It is also during borough council’s next meeting that Heinold said he expects to have a measure on the agenda for the governing body’s consideration that will approve of a “25-mph school zone,” noting the “county has to adopt a corresponding resolution.”

Having Created a New Role for a Rehabilitated Old School, Friends of Cyrus to Spiffy Up Setting of an Even Older One Support Group for Adults with Disabilities Getting Ready to Assume Grounds Maintenance, Beautification for One-Room 1890 ‘Museum’

with a special emphasis on horticultural and gardening skills.

This next phase of the work, according to Sam Abdallah, the group’s chief operating officer and executive director, should prove to be a mutually beneficial one that will both help to preserve a piece of the area’s history while providing the individuals it serves with a chance to cultivate the seeds of their own potentials in ways that can enable them to become contributing members of society.

“Our biggest hope is to become more integrated into the community that surrounds us,” Abdallah told this newspaper.

To this end, he noted, Friends of Cyrus initiated a partnership with the local Historical Society and its president, Rick Franzen, from the opening of its day program at the facility.

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

TABERNACLE—The term “old school” is one that is usually used to describe a traditional way of doing things or old-fashioned values, such as hard work and showing respect for others.

But on the Tabernacle Township grounds of Friends of Cyrus, an organization dedicated to providing a haven of support and providing opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to become productive members of society, “old school” quite literally has a double meaning.

Not only did the organization choose to set up its second training facility in an actual “old school” – the vintage brick one at 180 Carranza Road – that was in need of rehabilitation and a new mission after being struck by a car four years ago, but it is now about to become involved in the beautification of an even older school – a traditional 19th Century one-room schoolhouse that sits right next door to it, known as the “Friendship School.”

That structure, one dating back to about 1890 that was moved to the property in 1986 after having been moved 11 years before from its original location in Washington Township back in 1975, has since been renovated by the Tabernacle Historical Society, which turned it into a “little museum” of sorts, and this year has had its exterior cleaned up and restored as well by a Moorestown Boy Scout troop.

The next phase of that work, which will involve both beautification and regular maintenance of the grounds, is the one in which the Friends of Cyrus will be picking up the mantle.

It’s the kind of project, in fact, that coordinates perfectly with one of the chief goals the organization’s CEO and co-founder Kamelia Kameli, would like to realize for many of its participants (as she relayed to the Pine Barrens Tribune a year ago) – preparing them for employment in the wider community,

“Rick and his team have been very helpful in providing us with background and historical information about the town in general and specifically the schoolhouse,” he maintained.

Abdallah added that having the Boy Scouts come out and help in this effort has not only served to further develop the potentials of those in the Friends of Cyrus program, but to educate young people in the area about individuals with disabilities.

Franzen, in a phone interview with the Pine Barrens Tribune, described the relationship between Friends of Cyrus and the Tabernacle Historical Society as being a “win-win for both of us.”

“When they purchased the building,” Franzen recounted, “(Vice President) Mary Ann Silvers and I reached out to them right away.”

“We wanted to keep the schoolhouse there and we wanted to integrate their program with that of the schoolhouse,” he added. “We signed a lease agreement for the site, and that has worked out beautifully.”

Franzen said he has since talked to the group about having a garden club comprised of their participants look after the flowers and the grounds. As it was, he said, Friends of Cyrus was planning to start a garden club of its own for them, so “this fit in perfectly with their plans.”

The group will begin tending to its planting and maintenance duties just as soon as the weather turns a bit warmer, he added.

At present, according to Alixandra van Sciver, communications relations coordinator for Friends of Cyrus (which is named after Kameli’s own son with autism, Cyrus Esmi, whose unmet needs were the impetus for its founding), the Tabernacle facility, one of three currently maintained by the organization, has some 20 participants in its regular day program and another 16 in an enhanced behavioral program for more challenged individuals,

See FRIENDS/ Page 9

Photo Provided

James Yang stands in front of the one-room Friendship School building, whose grounds he and other members of Moorestown Boy Scout Troop 44 cleaned up and beautified, and which will now be maintained by the Friends of Cyrus.

Agricultural Advisory Committee Proposed for Pemberton Township to Give Local Farmers a Say on Land Use Issues, Councilman Declares

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—Just minutes after hearing from several farmers who protested a planned cannabis cultivation facility for North Pemberton Road, Pemberton Township Council proposed creating an Agricultural Advisory Committee, which would follow through on a recommendation said to have been issued back in 2009 that would reportedly help further implement the state’s Right-toFarm Act in the township as well as give local farmers a say in land use issues.

Although a proposed ordinance that would codify the creation of the committee appeared on an agenda for the March 15 meeting, there were some indications that the proposed measure was being hastily introduced, with Township Solicitor Andrew “Andy” Bayer initially questioning whether the item was going to be added to the agenda, apparently not realizing it was already on it for council’s consideration, and then later revealing he had only been given a copy of it the day prior to the meeting.

Farmers attending a Pemberton council meeting enmasse is something that had not previously happened for at least several years here prior to March 15. They can be an important voting bloc in the community come election time.

As previously reported by this newspaper, Republican Councilman Joshua Ward, in stating March 15 that he would be voting “no” in giving support to Eastern Tiger, LLC, to open up a cultivation facility on a 17-acre soybean farm at 195 North Pemberton Road comprising a 40,000 square-foot red barn for the cannabis growing operation, recognized the crowd of farmers in the room.

Ward also raised questions about the use of soil and water consumption, while several of the farmers became outspoken against the proposal, by calling the operation “fake farming” and the prospective end result a “fake farm.”

Ward said that it was him and fellow Republican Councilman Dan Dewey who “introduced this ordinance,” or one that would create an Agricultural Advisory Committee, for listing on council’s meeting agenda.

He further maintained that he has “been doing a lot of research” and “digging through”

Pemberton Township’s Master Plan and found that creating the committee had been “recommended by the state.” He noted the Master Plan containing that recommendation was from 2009 and last amended in 2014.

“And I think it is a good thing to protect the farmers and farmland in the community and potentially help give them a voice and adopt New Jersey’s Right-to-Farm Act down the road.”

According to a brochure from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the Right-to-Farm Act “is designed to help address conflicts among farmers, neighbors, municipalities and counties regarding a farm’s practices.”

If a conflict cannot be resolved informally, such as through agricultural mediation or other discussion by the parties, the act “provides for a formal review process” and “anyone aggrieved by the operation of a commercial farm is required to file a complaint with the County Agriculture Development Board (CADB) prior to filing an action in court.”

The Right-to-Farm Act is said be “coordinated locally” and under the act, “responsible commercial farms that meet the act’s eligibility criteria can receive significant protections from nuisance lawsuits and overly restrictive local regulations.”

“Burlington County already has a council of such, and so does the state,” Ward pointed out. “I have been living in the township my entire life, and I also think farmers need to have a voice and this is a way to give it to them in a very positive manner.”

Essentially, according to Republican Mayor Jack Tompkins, the way the proposed ordinance reads as of now is that it would create an “ad hoc committee to the Planning Board” in the municipality and that his preference would be to make it a “standalone committee.”

Bayer, in response, said that “he doesn’t know if those words matter” and that he “guesses the idea is that the committee somehow advises the board on farming issues and applications.”

But Ward countered that the “formula” for the proposed ordinance is one “derived from the recommended sheets from state AG committee, which in turn concerns the CADB.”

“The reason why it is supposed to be performed as an ad hoc to the planning board is because of Right-to-Farm Act created in 1964, giving farmers the ability to identify nuisances to farmlands and also speak to protected farmland and unprotected farmland at this point and time,” Ward maintained.

Ward noted that he “didn’t change the ordinance” from the boilerplate text provided by the state and had forwarded it to Bayer for his review, with the township attorney responding, “I got it yesterday” and “read it,” but that he would need some time to do a greater review.

Tompkins expressed his belief that in Pemberton’s form of government he is a “chairperson or member of all committees,” but Bayer expressed his belief that was “not as a matter of law,” but he “will look at that.”

The mayor also pointed out that the proposed ordinance as written would allow for the appointment of three members to an Agricultural Advisory Committee, but that it says they would be appointed by the governing body.

“Normally all appointments approved by mayor,” declared Tompkins, with there having been a recent debate over the appointment powers of the mayor in Pemberton’s form of government (see separate story).

Bayer responded to the mayor that “you are correct” and that the “formula didn’t account for our form of government here.”

The proposed ordinance that would create an Agricultural Advisory Committee as an ad hoc committee to the Planning Board received a 5-0, bipartisan introduction with the councilmembers agreeing to “one change” to allow for the appointments to it to be made “by the mayor in lieu of the governing body.”

The measure is scheduled to receive a second reading before final adoption sometime in April.

“Had this had been introduced in 2009, the township would have benefited from $1 million in grants,” maintained Dewey with him and Ward the first Republicans to be seated on council earlier this year since 2016. “It is just something to look at.”

Medford Township Man Charged with Murder in Death of Wife

MEDFORD— A Medford Township man has been charged with killing his wife in their Regent Court home last week, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.

Babu Natarajan, 40, was charged with firstdegree murder. He was taken into custody on March 29 at his residence and lodged

•

in Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly pending a detention hearing in Superior Court.

According to the prosecutor’s office, officers from the Medford Township Police Department were called to the residence on March 21 for a

See MURDER/ Page 13

•

Come in and experience alittle slice of Lancaster County,Pa. right hereinMedford, NJ.Among our stands, you’ll find everything from wooden furniturehand craftedbyAmish ar tisans, to delicious handrolled softpretzels, made fresh beforeyour very eyes. We also feature fresh homemade salads, jams and jellies, mouthwatering baked goods, farm-fresh eggs, bulk candies, afresh deli and meats, hand-dipped ice cream, homemade mustards, pretzels and chips, the best barbecue chickenand ribs, Corner Café, good food and friendlyservice

come in and treat yourself to a“goodie,” bring the kids and let ‘em play on the wooden swing sets and takea break from the ordinary. See you at the Market!

Saturday, April 1, 2023

A Special Section of

Fun Worship Guide&

Chocolate Activities

PG. S2

Here’s some choclate inspired activities to spruce up your Easter.

Give the Perfect Gift

PG. S2

Invited to an Easter gathering? Here’s some inspiring gift ideas.

Easter Menu Ideas

PG. S3

Wow your Easter guests with these dinner ideas.

Chocolate Egg Rescue

PG. S8

The residents of Cocoaville have an adventure preparing for their Easter picnic.

Chocolate Activities for Every Taste

Give the Perfect Hostess Gift This Easter

Have you been invited to an Easter gathering and are searching for a unique way to express your thanks? These ideas may give you inspiration.

SPRING-THEMED GIFTS

Along with chicks, bunnies and chocolate, Easter is about nature returning to life. A bouquet of flowers, a potted plant or a springtime-scented candle makes a timely gift. Spring’s warmer weather welcomes activities like gardening, camping and cycling. Accessories related to your host’s favourite springtime activities are a good bet.

Are you among many people for whom Easter is synonymous with chocolate? Here’s a roundup of activities that are sure to please.

• Tasting. Treat yourself to a well-deserved break with a cozy mug of hot chocolate, indulge in a decadent fondue with friends or take a tour of the chocolatiers in your area. There are so many ways to enjoy chocolate’s sweet — or bitter — taste. Your tastebuds will be delighted, and your craving will be sated.

• Games. There’s a host of choco-themed board games promising fun for all ages, like Chocolate Factory and Chocolate Fix. You can also test your knowledge of all things chocolate by taking one of many online quizzes.

• Cooking. Join a chocolate-making workshop near you or find a simple recipe online and pick up the ingredients to make homemade chocolate. You could also experiment with new chocolate dessert recipes, like cake, mousse or eclairs. Caution: extreme pleasure ahead!

• Treatments. Want to make the most of your Easter holiday to relax? Why not try a chocolate body wrap to destress in a most delicious way. What do you say to a cocooning evening at home with a rejuvenating chocolate mask?

From books about chocolate to museums and an Easter egg hunt, there’s no shortage of ways to indulge. The question is where to start!

GOURMET TREATS

Chocolate is an Easter classic, but you have other options, too. Local spirits, assorted teas, specialty sweets like maple candies, barbecue spices and flavored popcorn are sure to delight your host. Look for themed gourmet baskets or build your own with your favorite local products.

PERSONALIZED SURPRISES

If the host is near and dear to you, don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Consider a piece of jewelry, for example, tickets to the theatre or a fun workshop experience. You might also personalize a practical object like a cup, apron or reusable bag with the host’s signature saying.

Outings to Make the Most of Your Long Weekend

3 Easter Menu Ideas

Looking for ways to spend your Easter long weekend? Consider one or two of these fun outings with your family or friends. You might even enjoy a solo adventure.

1. Take in some of the old churches in your area

2. Attend a concert or play

3. Indulge in a new read at the library or your local bookstore

4. Explore your artistic side at a ceramics cafe or pottery studio

5. Take a road trip to explore another town

6. Go bowling

7. Go on a shopping spree to update your decor or wardrobe

8. Kick back at a chalet deep in the heart of nature

9. Participate in an Easter egg hunt

10. Enjoy the last snowy days — if you still have some — by playing a winter sport

11. Take a hike in the mountains or a wooded area

12. Indulge your eyes and tastebuds at a chocolate factory

13. Discover (or rediscover) a museum or historic site

14. Enjoy a relaxing spa day

15. Make friends with the animals at a nearby farm or visit an Easter petting zoo

16. Take in the seasonal delights at a local restaurant

17. Rest and recharge by spending a few days at a hotel or inn

18. Put your problem-solving skills to the test at an escape room or games cafe

19. Watch a movie at the cinema

20. Get your adrenaline pumping by riding go-karts or playing laser tag

Have a great Easter weekend!

Having guests in for Easter and not sure what to serve? Here are three enticing ideas.

1. Sugar shack feast. Enjoy a French-Canadian tradition with ham, hashbrowns, sausages, baked beans, omelettes, pancakes and fried pork rinds called oreilles de crisse, all generously drizzled with maple syrup.

2. Traditional Easter dinner. Delight everyone’s tastebuds with a leg or rack of lamb served with a fresh salad like arugula with berries and a

vegetable dish like scalloped potatoes or cauliflower au gratin

3. Vegetarian brunch. Open-faced sandwiches with avocado and egg, a leek quiche, puff pastry with spinach or mushrooms, pan-fried vegetables, spring salad, pasta and chickpea soup — with various veggie options, you’re sure to keep everyone delighted.

Visit your local shops to find the ingredients you’ll need. And don’t forget the ideal beverage pairings to accompany your dishes!

Maundy Thursday, April 6 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday, April 7

7:00 p m *Good Friday Ser vice will be held at the First Baptist Church

Easter Sunday, April 9 Sunrise

Street

Vincentown, New Jersey (609-859-2299)

Eas ter WORSHIP SCHEDULE

Palm Sunday: April 2nd 10 a.m.

Holy Thursday: April 6th 7p.m.

Good Friday: April 7th 12 NOON

Easter Sunday: April 9th 10 a.m.

IAmThatIAmMinistries

Regular Sunday WorshipService at 11:30 a.m.

Palm Sunday Service on Sunday,April 2at11:30 a.m.

Good Friday Service on Friday,April 7at1:30 p.m.

The seven last words of Jesus on the Cross. Refreshments will be served afterward.

Sunrise Easter Service on Sunday,April 9at6:30a.m.

ResurrectionSunday Service April 9at11:30 a.m.

Pastors Florence and Russell Webber

50 Burrs Mill Rd., Southampton, NJ 08088 609-847-4848

www.iamthatiamministriesinc.com

LUMBERTON

5Municipal Drive, Lumberton, NJ 08048 609-267-5536 • www.lumbertonumc.com

Holy Thursday, April 6th, 7p.m. with Communion

Good Friday, April 7th Service at 7p.m

Easter Sunday, April 9th, 11 a.m.

We

First Baptist Church of Vincentown

R ev. Vernl E. Mattson, Interim Pastor 39 Main Street, Vincentown, NJ 08088 609-859-8967

www.fbcvnj.org

EASTER WORSHIP SERVICES

Friday,April 7, 7P.M., Good Friday Community Tenebrae Service

Sunday, April9,6:30 A.M., Community Sunris eSer vice,VincentownLake

Sunday, April 9, 11:00 A.M., In-Pers on andVirtual Service

For Virtual: Navigateto, “Joina Meeting”

“MeetingID”:6098598967, “Password” forthis service is 20230409

We look forward to you joining us for our Easter Services

The Days of Holy Week About Stations of the Cross

Easter Sunday is often described as the holiest day on the Christian calendar. A day when Christians across the globe commemorate and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Easter Sunday is the culmination of the Lenten season of sacrifice. Easter Sunday comes on the heels of Holy Week, which is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity.

Holy Week consists of various days that have their own special significance in the minds and hearts of Christians.

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. Trinity College at the University of Melbourne notes that Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem, where he was greeted with crowds that enthusiastically waved palm branches. In commemoration of that entry and greeting, Christians receive palm branches or palm crosses during Palm Sunday Mass.

Holy Wednesday

Once known as “Spy Wednesday,” Holy Wednesday focuses on the darkness of Holy Week and is meant to symbolize the abandonment of Jesus by his disciples. The religious service of Tenebrae, which is a Latin word meaning “darkness” or “shadows,” is typically observed during Holy Wednesday services.

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday commemorates the Washing of the Feet (Maundy) and the Last Supper. The Last Supper is the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles prior to his crucifixion. Christian scriptures indicate that, during the Last Supper, Jesus predicted his betrayal by one of the apostles present at

the meal. It was also during the Last Supper when Jesus foretells that Peter will deny knowing him three times before the next morning. Trinity College notes that Maundy Thursday reminds Christians of the new commandment that Jesus gave his disciples. That commandment was to love others as Jesus has loved them.

Good Friday

Good Friday commemorates the trial of Jesus, his subsequent sentence of death, his torture, his crucifixion, and burial. Non-Christians may wonder why a day commemorating such events would be characterized as “good,” but Trinity College notes that, in this sense, the word “good” is meant to connote something “holy” or “pious.”

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday marks the conclusion of Holy Week. Celebrations of Holy Saturday typically include a late-night Easter Vigil service that involves a liturgy and ultimately the celebration of the Eucharist. The two-part celebration is designed to commemorate the emergence from darkness into the light that is the Eucharist.

Easter EggHunt Easter Egg Hunt

Tradition features prominently in Holy Week celebrations. The week leading up to Easter Sunday, Holy Week is a sacred time for faithful Christians. The Stations of the Cross are one of the traditions that many Christians feel bolsters their faith and brings them closer to God.

What are the Stations of the Cross?

According to Catholic Onlin e, the Stations of the Cross are a 14-step devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ’s last day on Earth as a man. Each of the 14 stations focus on a specific event of Jesus’s last day as a man.

Where can the Stations of the Cross be found?

Stations of the Cross are typically found in churches. Many times the Stations adorn the interior wall of a church, and Catholic Online notes they’re often depicted using small icons or images. Some churches with sizable exterior grounds may arrange larger Stations along footpaths in yards or gardens on the premises.

When do people most commonly pray the Stations of the Cross?

Lent is the most common time to pray the Stations of the Cross, and some churches hold weekly prayer sessions on Wednesdays and Fridays during this time of year.

What are the 14 Stations?

Catholic Online notes the 14 Stations of the Cross are:

1. Jesus is condemned to death

2. Jesus carries the cross

3. Jesus falls for the first time

4. Jesus meets with His Mother

5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross

6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

7. Jesus falls a second time

8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

9. Jesus falls a third time

10. Jesus’s clothes are taken away

11. Jesus is nailed to the cross

12. Jesus dies on the cross

13. The body of Jesus is taken down from the cross

14. Jesus is laid in the tomb

The Stations of the Cross are an important Easter tradition that shed light on Jesus’s resurrection. Individuals interested in praying the Stations of the Cross are urged to contact a local church so they can engage in this moving Christian tradition.

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Honey Glazed Ham $17.99

Tender Thick Cut Ham Steak, Topped with Two Roasted Pineapple Rings Served with Two Vegetables

The Great Chocolate Egg Rescue

By Sarah Beauregard and Johannie Dufour

Translated by Lynette Adams

The residents of Cocoaville were busy one morning preparing for the big Easter picnic. The whole town looked forward to this event, held yearly in a magnificent field of tulips. As was the tradition, each villager brought a dish to share.

Jen the Hen had just put the finishing touches on her succulent vegetable salad when she heard a knock on the door. Opening it, she saw her neighbor, Sonny the Bunny, holding a box of chocolate eggs and looking entirely despondent.

“What’s happening?” asked Jen with a worried voice.

“It’s my eggs,” he moaned, showing her his ruined chocolate eggs. “I left them by the window, and the sun melted them.”

“Oh, I see,” his friend replied. “But they’re not completely melted. I’m sure we can rescue them.”

“Do you really think so?” replied Sonny hopefully.

“Sure! Hurry home and get all your candies and come right back,” directed Jen, already rummaging through her cupboards.

A few minutes later, the rabbit returned with an assortment of sweets, including caramels, licorice and all sorts of allsorts! In her own kitchen, Jen found jujubes, yogurt-coated raisins and pralines.

The two neighbors set out immediately, decorating the chocolate eggs. Their minds turned to the villagers.

“Look!” exclaimed Jen. “With all these colorful bits, this egg looks like Brock the Peacock!”

“And with the yogurt-covered raisins, this one will look like Sam the Lamb!”

After they’d given each egg a personal touch, they put them carefully into a cooler. Proud of their work, the hen and rabbit made their way to the tulip field, where they made a grand entrance. The locals were so impressed with Sonny’s unique chocolate eggs that they offered heartfelt congratulations.

“All the credit goes to my charming neighbor,” he replied, gesturing to Jen. “Her brilliant idea made my eggs turn out so beautifully.”

Ever since that day, Cocoaville has had a new tradition. A friendly chocolate egg competition takes place each year during the Easter picnic.

THE END

How Did Easter Get Its Name?

Christians and even many nonChristians likely know that Easter is the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Less widely known may be the origins of the name of this significant holiday. Historians are not certain about the precise origins of the name “Easter.” Some believe the name can be traced to the English monk Bede, often referred to as “St. Bede the Venerable” or “The Venerable Bede.” According to History.com, in his most famous work, Ecclesiastical History of the English People , Bede asserts that the English word “Easter” can be traced

to “Eostre” or “Eostrae,” which is the pagan Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. Many historians past and present echo this sentiment and believe Eostre is the namesake of Easter. However, others believe “Easter” comes from the Latin phrase “in albis,” which is plural for “alba” (dawn). That phrase became “eostarum” in Old High German, a language that historians have connected to Old English. Though which camp is correct may never be resolved, there’s no denying that the word “Easter” represents the same spirit of rebirth that Christians celebrate each spring.

Beech Avenue Water Tank to Undergo Rehabilitation in Pemberton Twp. with Plan Temporarily Requiring Powering Down of Cellular Antennas

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—An elevated water tower located on Beech Avenue, also known as the “Beech Street Tank,” which provides service to residents of both the Country Lakes and Browns Mills sections of Pemberton Township, will undergo what has been described as “significant routine maintenance and upgrades” and be put “offline” for at least seven, if not as long as 11 weeks, township officials announced.

The work is expected to commence starting on April 17. To make way for the rehabilitation work, Business Administrator Daniel Hornickel described at recent Pemberton Township Council meetings that cellular antennas on the tower will be “partially powered off.”

“Cellular service will be impaired during working hours only as cellular antennas will be partially powered down during the exterior repairs and repainting,” it was later stated in a township press release.

During the repair work, while township

FRIENDS

(Continued from Page 6)

supervised by about 10 staff members all of whom are trained in ABA, Crisis management, first aid, CPR and medication administration. Members of both groups will likely take part in the grounds maintenance and beautification program at the Friendship schoolhouse, she said. The schoolhouse itself, which was last used for the 1917-18 school year for pupils in grades one through eight, was moved to its present location from the Tabernacle Public Works lot, Franzen recalled, at the behest of a one-time teacher there—the mother of the late former Burlington County GOP Chairman Garfield DeMarco. It has since been revamped by the historical society, he said, and although visitors now need an appointment to see it, was at one time part of a countywide tour of historic sites offered on Sundays to the general public, as well as of a tour given to Tabernacle 3rd graders that included other local landmarks like the Carranza monument.

But the idea for cleaning and spiffing up the grounds surrounding it was Kamelia Kameli’s after 16-year-old James Yang, a member of Boy Scout Troop 44 in Moorestown, whose mother was a former business partner of Kameli, reached out to her asking a for a community project. So as a project to qualify him to become an Eagle Scout and “give back to the community,” concluded, Yang got his fellow scouts to join him in clearing debris and old mulch from the site, replacing old lumber, stones and gravel on the walkway, spreading wood chips on the grounds and planting flower beds, including tulips provided by Franzen.

officials vowed “there will be no interruptions in water service,” they asked residents to “conserve their exterior water usage,” such as watering lawns and washing cars.

Officials also asked that residents particularly be mindful about conserving water when conducting routine yard and garden activities.

Questions are being directed to the township’s Water Division at 609-894-3373.

Hornickel noted that in order to maintain “sufficient water pressure in the lines” for purposes of any “fire suppression activities,” the township would be “renting a pressure tank.”

Crews are also expected to make repairs and upgrades to Trenton Road and Oak Pines water tanks “at the same time.”

The expectation, according to the business administrator, is that the “project can get completed in three months.”

“This won’t create an issue with the drinking water,” said Council President Donovan Gardner in an inquisitive way, to which Hornickel replied, “Correct.”

That, however, wasn’t all he thought about doing.

In completing the cleanup, it occurred to Yang that yet “another thing that would make this special” would be to assign the task of caring for the exterior of the Friendship School to the Friends of Cyrus, especially given that his parents have been working with the disabled population for over 25 years and spent the last five working with autistic individuals. That, he told this newspaper, was what led to the plan to coordinate with the group” to do maintenance of the plants, the greenery and the flower beds,” which he thought “would be a great addition to their program.”

“This ended up being something that not only will benefit the Friends of Cyrus, but will be a place where local students can come and learn about the history of this place,” said Yang, adding that he wanted to thank his troop, his parents, the historical society, and AZ Landscaping, which donated some of the materials used in the project, for their roles in bringing it about, as well as the Friends of Cyrus for making the connection and its anticipated one.

In referring to that organization, Franzen, a former Tabernacle mayor and deputy mayor, emphasized that “We welcome them to the community, and we’re glad we’re able to partner with them and their program in the use of the schoolhouse.”

“I’d like to stress that it’s a good relationship and we get along fine together,” he added. “It’s a pleasure to work with them.”

Kameli reciprocated that sentiment, pointing out that “the Township of Tabernacle has welcomed us from day one, and Friends of Cyrus remains committed to strengthening our culture of inclusion, diversity, belonging and giving back to the community.”

TRAIL

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Hornickel during the March 1 Pemberton council meeting. “We are very happy and appreciate the Pinelands Commission working with us to relax some of their standards.”

Grogan, during the March 10 commission meeting, however, described that “all kinds of things could happen along the way that could change that” tentative “goal” of the commission, with her pointing that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), which is the lead agency that oversees the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, is “not here today” but is “going to be a partner and signatory of this agreement,” one she announced would be drafted by the commission’s longtime attorney, Stacey Roth, who will be working with both the township and NJDEP.

As for the commission’s own MOA issuance process it was moving ahead with, Roth described it as one that will be a “very robust public process” with Maton noting that it would allow for multiple opportunities for public comment.

While the plan for improving the trail at Pemberton Lake inches forward, concern has recently been expressed by two township residents, Laura Borschel and Rita Yelda, about a “trash problem at Pemberton Lake,” with the “biggest issue” at the “back entrance,” or the portion of the tract the state is responsible for maintaining, while the township portion of the tract, she maintained, “is well maintained” with trash there being picked up regularly.

Borschel – who described to Pemberton council trying to work with the PPA to address the matter as best as possible even though the ”excellent” organization is “underfunded,” described to Pemberton council on Feb. 15 that since this past September, she and her spouse have been “hauling out trash” from there, estimating that, to date, they have “hauled out over 200 pounds of trash.”

Most of the trash they have collected, she contended, has been “dumped by people casually using the trail,” and is the result of the state’s “carry-in/carry-out policy.”

“I have been in touch with Fish and Wildlife, and they won’t do anything about it because of their policy,” Borschel declared.

Yelda, who called the “Pemberton Lake Wildlife Management Area” a “really popular location for fishing, kayaking, hiking, hunting and really taking in nature,” including birds and turtles, maintained that not only did representatives from the state Division of Fish and Wildlife point to the carry-in/carry-out policy, but also maintained it was a matter of staffing.

“It is an important place to safeguard the wildlife,” she declared. “The fauna and flora

are really incomparable, and that is why it is such a popular spot. I enjoy visiting the lake and that is why I want to see it protected. It is estimated that thousands of people visit each year, including out-of-state tourists, but it does have a significant trash problem because it is so popular.”

After having “picked up pounds and pounds of trash,” Yelda attested to it being “concentrated on a trail behind Pemberton Lake and at the Coleman’s Bridge parking lot.”

“It is just shameful Pemberton is letting such a treasure become filled with trash,” Yelda declared. “It is clear there hasn’t been a trash pick-up there in years given we found 40 to 50-year-old cans. People are taking municipal trash and throwing that behind the woods as well. It is such a popular location, yet it only has two trash cans.”

And those two trash cans, according to Yelda, are positioned on the township portion of the reportedly some 45-acre tract, which is closest to the Magnolia Road entrance to the wildlife management area.

Borschel and Yelda both expressed that they see the “solution” as placing added “no littering” signage as well as “more trash can facilities,” in addition to the town entering into an agreement with the state to “maintain that backspace.”

Hornickel, in pointing to working with the PPA and state on the trail project, noted that the PPA “actually offered to fence off portions of the parking lot, at their expense,” to curb the illegal littering and dumping problems at the site, but called the non-profit organization having to do that “ridiculous,” noting that the offer ended up being something he “protested” because “the state needs to come up with the funds to discourage illegal dumping.”

“We will take a look at whether we can put a couple of trash cans in there to make them available,” said the business administrator, noting that permission would have to come from the NJDEP. “But my problem is how much more is the state going to take advantage of us? They either own or control 24.4 percent of the land in this town and give us $27,000 a year, and now they want us to clean up their portion of the park! We will see what we can do, but it is very angering to me that we have to bear this added burden because the state is like ‘carry-in/carry-out.’ Good luck with that! If your dog poops on the ground, do you want to bring that in your car?”

Following the council meeting, Hornickel, also a lawyer, told this newspaper that “the superintendent over Lake Pemberton informed us that as a Wildlife Management Area, the NJDEP has a strict carry-in/carryout policy for garbage,” but “notwithstanding, he authorized the township to install two trash receptacles on the state’s side, which the township is now servicing (for trash pickup only).”

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While Detrick didn’t offer any public explanation for his decision to break ranks, it could perhaps be best explained by Detrick having been an attorney himself for several decades and having respect for the profession, as well as hearing from Business Administrator Daniel Hornickel, who is also a lawyer, that he “verified” that the attorneys at issue “performed services” and had produced “deliverables,” and that he therefore “approved” the bills to be submitted for council’s consideration. Also prior to Detrick’s vote was a confirmation that the attorneys could file suit against the township if the bills aren’t paid within 30 days of them being posted.

Gardner, who started the March 15 argument and carried it on for almost ten minutes, was told by someone at the dais that he “doesn’t want to get into this,” but the council president shot back, “I do want to get into this!”

It began when the council president pointed out that posted to the March 9 bill’s list were two invoices that had been submitted by the law firm of Dasti, McGuckin, Ulaky, Koutsouris (with Mayor Jack Tompkins having previously appointed the law firm, and later, specifically naming attorney Jerry Dasti), one for $2,372 and the other for $2,315.

“My question is, ‘What services did the Dasti firm provide for the township and when?” asked Gardner, who previously told Dasti, when he went to provide counsel at a council meeting, that he didn’t know who the man was and that the council had no items in its packets approving him.

Gardner had made these statements despite Tompkins having previously made a pronouncement that he was appointing Dasti as temporary township solicitor and having maintained that the appointment authority in Pemberton’s form of government rests with the mayor under the Faulkner Act.

Gardner had countered that longtime Township Attorney Andrew “Andy” Bayer, a longtime ally of the previous Democratic administration, was still the municipal attorney due to a “holdover” provision in his contract that he maintained allows him to serve in the event council didn’t decide on an appointment (with the body having voted 3-2 on two previous occasions this year to turn down Tompkin’s choice).

Since that time, in a Feb. 15 compromise, however, the mayor reversed course and issued another recommendation for Bayer to occupy the municipal solicitor’s post for 2023, while Dasti is to serve as special counsel, including for “litigation matters and other legal work, as assigned.”

The council-approved actions memorializing the compromise apparently “backdated” the terms of agreements for both

Bayer and Dasti to Jan. 1.

“I reviewed the invoices from the attorneys listed on there,” said Hornickel in an initial reply to Gardner’s March 15 question. “I verified that the attorneys performed services. I did have deliverables from the attorneys, and therefore, I approved for those items to be on the agenda for the bill’s list.”

That response led Gardner to ask, “What are the ‘deliverables?’” and, “What ‘services’ did they provide?”

Initially, the business administrator replied that Dasti has been working on “some economic development projects” as well has been aiding his office with a redevelopment plan and purchase agreement.

But when Gardner pointed out there were “two separate bills” from Dasti’s law firm appearing on the bill’s list and asked why that is the case, Hornickel revealed that they covered work performed in both January and February, leading the council president to press for the details of the scope of work performed in January.

“He worked in January on the issue of the township solicitor,” Hornickel responded.

Gardner, already pointed with his questioning towards the business administrator, retorted, “OK – to the best of my knowledge Mr. Dasti was not appointed to this township in January!”

“He just got recently appointed, I believe,” pointing to the Feb. 15 appointment, initially not recognizing an earlier point made by Hornickel that when council made that decision, “council approved the contract for the entire year,” or backdated Dasti’s term of service.

As Gardner forged ahead with a challenge, the business administrator contended that Dasti “was appointed at the first council meeting” of 2023 and “was confirmed at the Feb. 15 meeting.”

“How was he appointed?” Gardner demanded to know, with Hornickel replying, “The mayor appointed him!”

“I mean – the mayor appointed him,” said Hornickel in appearing to become somewhat frustrated by the council president’s continued line of questioning. “I mean – I am not in the middle of this problem – you are.”

After telling the business administrator he was “sorry,” Gardner recounted that “to the best of my knowledge the mayor temporarily appointed him,” asking for verification of that, to which the mayor, a veteran of the Armed Services, replied, “Yes, sir.”

Tompkins having responded to Gardner for the first time, however, caused the council president to turn to him for continued pointed questioning, including by asking the mayor, “Under what ‘authority?’”

“Under my appointing authority under the Faulkner Act!” declared Tompkins, with the council president further inquiring about what specific township code he has cited for the basis of the appointment, with the mayor ultimately responding that he appointed

Dasti “under the Faulkner Act.”

Gardner, however, demanded to know “what section” of the act was used and how the appointment was accomplished, which solicited a declaration from the mayor that Dasti’s appointment was made “under my appointment authority as mayor of the township!”

Tompkins further contended that Pemberton has a “strong mayor form of government,” and when Gardner persisted in asking for a specific provision under the township code for the basis of that decision, responded that the “Faulkner Act is over the township code.”

“OK – you stated in that (reorganization) meeting you ‘temporarily appointed’ him, but under what provision in the code did you use … to appoint him?” Gardner asked once again, to which Tompkins replied, “Councilman, I have already answered this question.”

It was at that moment when Gardner pulled out an ordinance he maintained actually regulated and defined the temporary appointment authority powers in the township government, and in reading it aloud “just for the record,” said it dictates, “Temporary appointments to positions require advice and consent of the council pursuant to applicable state law and shall not be made without express authorization of township council, except that the mayor may designate a current township employee to perform the duties of a vacant position unless applicable laws preclude such a designation.”

“So, my question to you Mr. Mayor is, first of all, ‘Where is the appointment council approved to appoint Mr. Dasti back in January?’” Gardner asked. “Also, since Mr. Dasti was not a township employee, and could not be appointed under these guidelines, and secondly, there was no vacant position as far as in January, how did you appoint Mr. Dasti and his firm? You state you used the Faulkner Act, but the ordinance says what needs to be done! How did you do that?”

Tompkins replied the appointment “was a verbal” and “at the time I thought – and still think – there is no ‘holdover.’”

“So that created a vacancy for solicitor, and as you know, we are required to have a solicitor,” Tompkins added. “So, I appointed Mr. Dasti under my appointment authority.”

But Gardner retorted, “You said you ‘thought’” and asserted “the ordinance does not say ‘how you think’ or ‘how you feel’” about an appointment, but rather “it tells you what you are supposed to do.”

“I would have to research this,” the mayor responded, to which the council president declared, “I have it right in front of me!,” prompting Tompkins in the exchange to assert, “It is not in front of me, councilman!”

Gardner ultimately maintained that Tompkins can “research” the matter.

“But I am not going to approve any payment to any agency or group that was

not employed by the township or approved by the council,” Gardner declared. “What you did, in my opinion, is overstepping your boundaries, hiring someone without our approval!”

Tompkins, in response, asked a question of Gardner, “I do believe I have a spending authorization up to $6,000, is that correct?” Gardner maintained, however, “it still has to be approved,” while the mayor maintained he has a spending authorization up to $6,000 without needing to seek council’s consent (it was raised in 2020 from $3,000 at the request of administration when the department was still under the control of longtime Democratic Mayor David Patriarca, who lost to Tompkins last November, with it being described as a way to streamline the approval of small purchases and because the municipality had retained a Qualified Purchasing Agent (QPA) who already reviews any purchases).

“I make a motion on the bill’s list, dated 3-9-2023, to pay all items on the bill’s list, except page 5, Dasti …,” asserted Gardner. He was interrupted by McCartney, however, who requested a “quantity” for items be placed on future bill’s list, pointing to a purchase of a 4 ounce bottle of sunscreen for $79, maintaining she had been paying closer attention to the items listed on them since Dewey raised questions about some of the recent expenditures at a prior session and expressed his belief there is ongoing “waste.”

“I don’t know how many bottles that is,” she said. “I don’t think it is just one. I don’t know ...”

But Tompkins, appearing to pay closer attention to Gardner’s motion that would have at the very least delayed payment to Dasti’s firm, with 9th District Republican Senator Chris Connors one of its esquires, asked if council wants to “put them on hold.”

“I don’t want to get sued for not paying our bills,” the mayor declared.

Bayer initially responded that he would “not think ‘your’ lawyer would sue you right away,” but when Tompkins reminded Bayer that he was the “township solicitor” now and he was simply asking a question of him as the township’s legal counsel, Bayer replied, “Sure, no problem Mr. Mayor.”

That’s when Hornickel re-entered the fray.

“We have a contract for 2023,” said the business administrator of the agreement with the law firm of Dasti, McGuckin, Ulaky, Koutsouris to serve as the town’s special counsel. “It’s for the whole year – and whether or not they were appointed later in the year, the contract is for 2023.”

Gardner recognized it was “backdated to 2023,” but maintained the bills covered a period “when he (Dasti) “wasn’t appointed to work in the township.”

“Council president – with all due respect, both attorney contracts were backdated to Jan. 1, the one for Mr. Bayer and the one for

See PAYMENT/ Page 13

England revealed a floor plan for a possible new town hall that would have the building at “just under 12,000 square feet” in total size.

The prospective structure is proposed to have a “multi-use facility,” he explained, that “can be used simultaneously or separately without affecting the other parts,” with there being a total of three main spaces, including a “community-use type space,” an “admin section” and “court and committee function.”

All three spaces, he emphasized, as currently planned, would have their own separate entrances, so that, for example, if the community portion of the building is being used at night, the rest of the facility “would be locked out.”

In pointing to the preliminary just under 12,000 square-foot size of the proposed town hall, England declared it is a “sweet number for us to be under.”

A facility greater in size, he maintained, would necessitate the installation of a fire suppression or fire sprinkler system and in the “absence of public water supply” in the area, “you don’t want to go there.” Such systems, he noted, are also “very expensive.”

The “schematic design floor plan” he was presenting, England maintained, has architecture that is “very cyclical” and is “not linear,” emphasizing that it is “very early on in the process” still and “this is the time to make changes.”

He revealed the presented floor plan is “probably the fourth iteration” so far, or one “where we think it satisfies the program.” The floor plan development is part of the second phase of the planning process for the project, he noted, with developing a “program” part of the first phase, or one where it is determined “what goes into the building,” including what functions and storage functions are needed.

In highlighting some of the details of the three main uses for the proposed municipal building, England said the admin section would have a traditional center entrance in which the public would enter “kind of a little vestibule.” From

there, the public would be directed to one of three “access windows,” one for construction, one for the tax office and another for general administration.

He pointed out the current plan would have doors on either side of those access windows and that if you needed to go into the office spaces, it would work where “you would be let in by the proper admin personnel.”

The court and committee function area, England explained, would have “all the security needs for the courts,” as well as a dais, judge’s chambers, private meeting rooms, an area for the prosecutor and a small meeting room for an attorney. There would also be a couple meeting areas, he said, “that can be used for the committee.”

As for the community-use type space, he described it as being an “open space for community meetings,” that would include a kitchen.

All of this, he summarized, is “today’s very early concept plan for the town hall concept.”

Once the floor plan “meets the committee’s approval,” he added, the professionals will begin the next phase, or the design development phase, in which the “systems, finishes, and mechanical systems” are worked out.

“That is when the cost estimates come in, or determining what the project could cost,” England contended. “Until you know the systems, or what it looks like, it (detailing costs) is a moot point.”

Following the next planning phase, England explained that there would be a construction document phase, which he described as being “10 percent inspiration, 90 percent perspiration,” with it featuring “a lot of hard work” such as “getting drawings together” and “getting the project out to public bid.” The final planning phase is the bidding negotiation phase, when the project would be put out to bid and advertised, the architect noted.

“It is a long, long process,” he noted, pointing out a school project he is working to design currently involves 226 pages worth of design plans.

The floor plans, as well as an overall concept plan for the complex presented March 27 by Township Engineer Tom Leisse, of Pennoni Associates, also featured two other prospective buildings proposed to be built at 144 Carranza Road, including “a building for Public Works,” that includes an admin function, and a barn to store the department’s vehicles.

The prospective main Public Works facility would be about 8,000 square-feet, according to England, with a woman who did not identify herself noting that about 3,500 square-feet of that space would comprise the admin function for Public Works.

England pointed out that the barn is planned to feature five bays, including one that is a wash bay. The intention behind erecting the barn, he explained, is that “most” of the department’s vehicles are “very new” and they are currently sitting outside, subjected to the elements.

“So, every one of these pieces’ of equipment

could be put inside, whereas most are sitting outside right now,” the architect said.

Additionally, according to Leisse – who emphasized the township is in the “beginning stages of the site plan design” and that there is some “flexibility for revisions and changes” –there would be a “salt storage area” as well as a recycling center for residents.

Among the couple of things he pointed to in presenting the site plan is that there is an encroachment “restriction” posed by 300foot wetlands transition buffer, and that the professionals “took the overall site plan and moved it as close to the line as possible to provide for the most visibility we could,” as there had been some previous concern that the parcel in question was a flag lot, or not visible from the road, though Township Solicitor William Burns said at a previous meeting that particular concern had been eliminated by the township committee moving to now purchase both lots that comprise 144 Carranza Road.

The plan, maintained Leisse on March 27, would provide “maximum buffering” and is “positioned to provide the most buffering for noise,” with that being another concern previously expressed by residents whose homes surround 144 Carranza Road.

Leisse acknowledged that “not included” on the preliminary site plan is anticipated landscape buffering, which he vowed “will be put on the side and front of the buildings to give some protections.”

As for the layout of the three buildings featured in the proposed layout, Leisse, in pointing to the drawing, said the “municipal building would go in the center” and the “DPW building would go here and here,” or in the rear of the municipal building.

Planned parking, he maintained, “meets the minimum for the ordinance” and “satisfies the requirements.” Additionally, it is outlined that there would be handicapped-accessible parking and the proposed lot would also feature electric vehicle charging stations as per state law.

“What about elevations?” asked Committeeman William Sprague. “What does the building look like on the outside?”

England responded that developing elevations is “part of the next phase” and that the professionals are “not there yet.” They will be developed, he contended, “once we get a floor plan that meets your approval.”

Moore opened the floor plans presentation by stating he would like to “hold public comment” on it until the township committee’s upcoming April 17 workshop meeting to “give everyone chance to digest the plans,” including the township committee, and so that those who don’t like to speak at the microphone can have a chance to email their questions to the township.

He declared of likely public comment on the unveiled plans, “we want to hear you,” and would not “stick to a time limit” on April 17.

After that remark was made – but before the presentation – during a public comment section for the March 27 meeting that occurred early on, resident Jason Litowitz, a former local

board of education member, took the mayor to task.

“Mayor Moore, just a moment ago, you said you ‘want to hear us,’” Litowitz said. “In December, you had a meeting for the potential town hall, and every single member of the public that spoke – say one, was thoroughly against moving forward with the Carranza Road project. And the only one who said they were not against it, and I am not going to speak for her, but her words were not so much an endorsement of the project, but a thankyou for getting her and her colleagues out of a building that is dangerous.”

Litowitz then pointed out “what has happened” since that time, asserting, “banks started to fail” and “interest rates were raised at least nine times in a row.”

“Yet, you are clearly going ahead,” he said. “You have gone ahead to approve the concept and purchase. Now you got floor plans for this project. It is going to be multiple millions of dollars. Thanks to the Feds who just increased interest rates, purchasing power through bonds is not going to give just as much as they would have two weeks ago. This is not the right time for this project!”

Litowitz, in pointing to four other solutions proposed by some the town’s former leaders, including making an offer to the owner of an old schoolhouse on Carranza Road, asking Holy Eucharist Roman Catholic Church for use of some of its land, and tying into the local school district’s septic system, quipped, if there “was progress on any of the four suggestions made, I’ve not heard a word of it.”

Moore, as often has been the case since the project was first proposed, simply thanked the resident for his public comments.

Resident and transparency advocate Stuart Brooks then spoke and asserted that the township committee should “be more transparent.”

“I have never seen a pubic agency so obsessed with giving as little public information as possible,” Brooks declared. “You answer almost no questions. … I am still waiting for answers to questions that you, Mr. Moore, said will be answered 100 percent (back during a December town hall forum on the possible municipal complex). Then Mr. Burns asked

See PLAN/ Page 14

Photo By Tom Valentino

An overall draft site plan for 144 Carranza Road.

Photo By Tom Valentino

A drawing for a proposed Public Works facility at 144 Carranza Road.

Animal Control Officer Reappointment for Pemberton Borough ‘Tabled’ After Official Cites ‘Zeroes’ in Reports, But Attests to Ongoing Issues

By Douglas D. Melegari

Staff Writer

PEMBERTON BOROUGH—A resolution

reappointing Animal Control, LLC, as Pemberton Borough’s animal control officer has been “tabled” after a borough councilwoman maintained issues have been reported to the company, but reports continually show “zero” calls made to the municipality.

“Since I have been on council, seated in January, the animal control report is showing zeroes,” maintained Councilwoman Diana Fanucci. “I am just wondering why we keep using this company when they can’t come out and set the traps we have been requesting for months.”

Fanucci, who described an ongoing feral cat issue occurring on her street, maintained that she “always gets told ‘You’re on the list,’” asking, “Where is the list?” and “What kind of list is this?”

“There can’t be a million people calling for traps at the same time!” she declared. “We have this cat that is bothering us on our street! It wakes us up at all hours of the night, making this horrible noise that only cats can make. I just don’t understand why we keep rehiring this company that is not doing

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“hold off” on paying Dasti’s bills of “$4,000 plus” until he “gets an actual invoice for those services” so that “we can see how they are broken down.”

anything for us. Is there another option out there for animal control?”

Mayor Harold Griffin replied that, “I don’t think there is,” but that the borough “can look into that,” to which Fanucci responded, “That is all I ask because it is getting really frustrating.”

Councilman Steven Fenster, who ran with the GOP councilman despite being a Democrat, and who lives on the same street as Fanucci, declared, “I agree with Diane” and that he is “not in favor of this company” because he has “had issues with them for years.”

However, Council President Terry Jerome asked if the measure that would have appointed Animal Control, LLC for the year as borough animal control officer could simply be tabled for now, to which council unanimously agreed to do.

While a telephone call made to the firm March 29 did not generate an immediate response by this newspaper’s deadline time, a message on the company’s answering machine notes that it has been “proudly” providing animal control services “for over 10 years.” The message also asked for anyone with requests for service to go through their local police department.

Mr. Dasti,” Hornickel responded.

Bayer then answered the question posed earlier by Tompkins that “like any bill on the list,” if it is “not paid in a timely fashion, the vendor could sue for services because his services have been provided.” Bayer revealed that there had previously been a prior dispute over some services he performed for the township, believing it was before Tompkins time on council (he served as a councilman in 2015 and 2016), with a bill of his “taken off the list” and “pushed back a month or two,” though “it worked out” and he “never sued.”

“Yeah, a vendor could sue if they go unpaid for more than 30 days,” Bayer acknowledged.

Going at least a month or two longer with this particular payment dispute appeared to be the direction council was heading with Gardner reiterating his earlier motion to

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report of an “unconscious and unresponsive female adult.”

Upon arrival, they found the body of Angammal Babu, 41, on the bed in the upstairs master bedroom.

The 911 call was placed by the defendant,

It was denied by a 3-2 vote, however, with Detrick, after a pause, firmly voting “no.” A motion was then made by one of the Republican councilmen to approve the bill’s list, with Detrick, after another pause, firmly stating, “Yes,” and with the subsequent motion having received three votes in the affirmative, the bill’s list was narrowly approved with Dasti’s bills approved for payment.

Detrick, while not revealing why he ultimately decided to break ranks with his Democratic colleagues, has had a legal career that spanned nearly 40 years before retiring from a local law practice in 2018.

“I am not opposed to paying anything,” said Gardner of his position. “I just want to make sure services are performed in the right order, and we are doing what is required.”

who indicated to responding officers that his wife had taken a nap because she was tired.

An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood, however, reportedly concluded that the manner of death was homicide, and the cause of death was due to compression of the victim’s neck.

The case against Natarajan will be prepared for presentation to a grand jury for possible indictment, the prosecutor’s office noted.

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PLAN

(Continued from Page 11)

for them in writing, said he will answer them, and I still haven’t heard.”

Moore also only thanked Brooks for his public comments. Following the presentation by the township architect and engineer, the mayor reiterated that “we want to hear your input at the workshop meeting” and that he will “not put a time limit on it.”

“We want to hear what you see with it, and get some of your feedback on it,” maintained Moore, adding that if one emails their questions to the township, he will “have our professionals answer the questions.”

England, during the presentation, declared “this is not a two-week process, but a months’ process,” while Leisse noted any final site plan application would not only have to be heard by the local Land Development Board, but by the Pinelands Commission and Burlington County Planning Board. Additionally, it will require review by the county’s Soil Conservation officials. And the filing to the Pinelands Commission, according to Leisse, is expected to be a “significant filing,” with him noting that the process will likely be lengthened by the commission’s review of the plan.

As the first regular in-person session in three years concluded at the Tabernacle firehouse (given the town hall is closed, as well as there having been a pandemic) on March 27, Moore, in jest, apparently referring to the issues with virtual meetings, asked, “Can you hear me? Can you hear me,” with Sprague declaring he was “so happy to be here tonight and put faces to the names.”

“The big thing is please give us the feedback on what you saw tonight,” Moore declared. “…Please try to be at the next meeting. Give anyone that has questions … anyone who wants to hear more … have them get in touch with our professionals. We want to hear it.”

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only helping the Lenape Regional High School District’s television program, Lenape District Television (LDTV), with its sports broadcasts and end-of-year award shows, but serving as a cameraman for the local ShopRite’s Stamp Out Hunger 5k and 1 Mile run/walk, usually held on Labor Day.

Price has also participated in the race, according to the store director, who noted Price “has always got his camera.”

“Of the hundreds of thousands of ShopRite associates who walked through these doors since 1999, only 1,500 of them have appeared on one of these commemorative boxes,” Hildner said. “Their recognition shows their commitment to ending hunger in the communities they serve and their efforts in going above and beyond their normal job duties.”

Gallagher, in noting that Price “has been pushing carts here since 2016,” emphasized how just important that position is to a grocery store, pointing out that “you cannot shop without a cart.”

“He is the guy keeping up carts for our customers since 2016,” Gallagher declared.

Renee Zallie, one of the co-owners of ShopRite of Medford, pointed out that the local supermarket has held its Stamp Out Hunger race now for eight years, and in its eighth year, “raised the most from it,” or $51,000.

$8,000 of that money was given to the Partners in Caring fund, while the store gave almost $29,000 directly to the Food Bank of South Jersey. She said the remaining $15,000 has “gone into local communities for hunger relief,” with $7,500 provided to the Christian Caring Center to provide for “hunger relief for the homeless” and another $7,500 “going to a pop-up food pantry.”

EYESORES

(Continued from Page 3)

‘We can’t do anything.’ It is not enough!”

Gower noted that several previously dilapidated structures, including historic homes, have recently been rehabilitated in town with new families moving in, and that he “salutes” those responsible for the rehabilitations, further declaring, “We made significant progress with our streetscape; we are feeling proud,” but now action is needed by council to bring the rest of the town into compliance.

“We are serving a need in Burlington County,” she declared. “All the money we raise goes directly back to providing hunger relief.”

As an honor for finishing among the top 50 stores in the latest challenge, ShopRite of Medford got to “select a local beneficiary to receive a $500 contribution to help them to continue to fight hunger in the community and food insecurity,” with it announced that the store would be donating the $500 to St. Mary of the Lakes Society of St Vincent de Paul. Jim Quigley, of St. Vincent de Paul, was on hand to receive the check in a special check presentation ceremony.

Fred Wasiak, the president and CEO of the Food Bank of South Jersey, also representing the Feed America Network, noted that such aid couldn’t come at a more important time, as “food stamp benefits have substantially gone away as of March 1.” While it could result in less traffic at the grocery store, he noted, Wasiak said it “will mean more traffic at food banks.”

ShopRite’s Partners in Caring program, Hildner explained, has joined forces with General Mills for more than 20 years, going back to 1999, “with the eventual goal of raising a modest $1 million to combat the scourge of local hunger in our communities.” But since that time, the program has “grown into a revered charitable fund” that now supports 2,500 different food pantries within the Feed America Network “from New England all the way down to Washington D.C. to the tune of over $3.2 million a year.”

This year’s theme, according to Hildner, is “Ending Hunger is Music to Our Ears –ShopRite Bands Together Against Hunger.”

Wasiak pointed out that for “every dollar the Food Bank of South jersey receives, for us, it means three meals,” and declared that “when you talk about $1 million or $3 million, in our terms, that is over 6 million meals provided to our communities over the years.”

“Now that is music to my ears,” Wasiak declared.

“Since we are making so much progress, let’s put our heads together, use our solicitor, and if he needs funds to research this further, give it to him and come up with better solutions,” Gower asserted. “I think all of us are begging you to please take action. The action is not enough to say, ‘windows are boarded up,’ the action is come up with fines heavy enough to hurt this developer.”

Gower added that he hopes the council “can tell us two months from now” the action that it will have taken “to change the fines and enforcement process” so that “we can see progress, after all these years, on this eyesore in the middle of our town,” comments of which solicited loud clapping from the audience.

Photos By Douglas D. Melegari

Views from the ShopRite of Medford Partners in Caring celebration.

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Register by calling 609.394.4153 or register online at capitalhealth.org/events and be sure to include your email address. Class size is limited for in-person events. Please register early. Zoom meeting details will be provided via email 2 – 3 days before the program date. Registration ends 24 hours before the program date.

Introduction to Tai Chi

Wednesday, April 26, 2023 | 6 p.m.

Location: Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell NJ PURE Conference Center, One Capital Way, Pennington, NJ 08534

Tai chi is a form of exercise that helps you to relax your body to reduce stress, release tension, and improve breathing, balance, and coordination. With these benefits, you are able to sleep better and heighten your body awareness, which gives you more energy and allows your body to stay connected. Robert Langley, a tai chi instructor from the Capital Health Wellness Center, will lead this program and help you experience tai chi for the first time! Please wear comfortable clothing.

NOTE: As this event is held in-person at a health care facility, all attendees are required to wear facemasks indoors except when actively eating or drinking. This is in compliance with guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the New Jersey Department of Health and is subject to change.

Brain Aneurysm FAQs

Thursday, April 27, 2023 | 6 p.m.

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Join us for a live Q&A with DR. PRATIT PATEL of Capital Institute for Neurosciences as he answers questions about what a brain aneurysm is, symptoms and signs to look for, and what are some of the causes that could lead to an aneurysm. Bring your questions and Dr. Patel or Capital Health staff will answer them.