Pine Barrens Tribune June 18, 2022-June 24, 2022

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June 18 - June 24, 2022

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Pinelands Commission Staff Declines to Change Position on Chatsworth Cell Tower After Reviewing ‘New’ Data

PULLING THE PLUG

Email Suggests Whether to Take Case to N.J. Office of Administrative Law May Be Up to AT&T, Not Applicant

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

WOODLAND—The staff of the New Jersey Pinelands Commission has once again declined to either sanction or schedule a formal hearing on the fate of a longstanding proposal to construct a 120-foot AT&T FirstNet cellphone tower next to the building housing the Woodland Township Volunteer Fire and EMS Company in the Village of Chatsworth after considering supposedly “new information” submitted to it by the firm that seeks to build such a “monopole” on the disputed site.

Instead, as it did earlier this year, the commission staff has informed the applicant, listed as Tower North Development, LLC, an apparent affiliate of Centerline Communications of Bridgewater, Mass., that if it wishes to have a hearing conducted, “the matter must be transferred to the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (NJ OAL),” and has offered to forward such a request to that office.

Only it is now beginning to look as though another corporate entity—AT&T itself—may have a hand in whether that course of action is pursued—at least if a communication received in the past week by the Pine Barrens Tribune is any indicator.

In a June 7 letter emailed to the applicant’s attorney, Warren Stilwell, of the Atlantic City law firm of Cooper Levenson (of which this newspaper has obtained a copy), Charles

Photo Provided

A scene from a previous tractor parade held by the Central Jersey Tractor Pullers Association.

Tractor Pullers Association Cancels Its Highly Anticipated Annual Tractor Parade That Traditionally Opens the Farm Fair After Pemberton Township Refuses to OK Planned Parade Route Along Mirror Lake Due to ‘Serious’ Traffic Safety Concerns

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—The Central Jersey Tractor Pullers Association (CNTPA) has pulled the plug on what was supposed to be its 11th Annual Tractor Parade, previously scheduled for July 17 to run through the greater Pemberton area, before looping back around to the Burlington County Fairgrounds in Springfield Township to serve as the traditional opening to the

Burlington County Farm Fair, the latter which will still go on to celebrate its 75th year from July 19 to July 23 with fun and entertainment following a two-year hiatus due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The tractor parade that thousands of area residents have looked forward to annually since its inception, which follows a different parade route throughout communities in Burlington County each year, however, is not being canceled

because of any health concerns.

Rather, it is because of what has been described as a never-before-seen circumstance that the association ran into – the purported unwillingness of the Pemberton Township police chief to sign off on a county parade permit application giving his consent to the chosen route, and Pemberton Township See PARADE/ Page 5

See TOWER/ Page 10

INDEX Business Directory...................................14

Marketplace..................................................... 13

Job Board.................................................13

Opinion.....................................................12

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

Worship Guide..........................................12

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Page 2 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Bond Ordinance of $425,000 Introduced by Woodland Committee That Would Float Cost of New Fire Truck for Woodland Fire/EMS

Saturday, June 18, 2022

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By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

WOODLAND—A some $425,000 bond ordinance has been introduced by the Woodland Township Committee to help fund the purchase of a new fire truck for use by the Woodland Volunteer Fire and EMS Company, the latter which is said to also be in the process of planning for structural repairs to one of its firehouses following an accident late last year.

The township governing body has also authorized that the municipality enter the “H-GAC Cooperative Purchasing Program” for the “provision of goods and services,” with officials explaining the reason behind the action is so that the town can procure a new firetruck.

The bond ordinance was introduced during the township committee’s May 25 meeting,

while the cooperative purchasing agreement was approved May 6.

Township Administrator and Clerk Maryalice Brown explained that a $328,937.62 estimate had been received for a new fire truck, excluding any lettering.

Woodland Fire Chief Shawn Viscardi noted that the price of the fire truck, which came directly from the manufacturer of interest, had increased by nearly $75,000 since the beginning of the year due to the current inflation and supply shortages impacting the U.S. economy.

There was a discussion about acting on the purchase to try and lock in that price before the cost could possibly increase again.

Woodland Chief Financial Officer Kathy Rosmando recommended that the governing See TRUCK/ Page 7

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Saturday, June 18, 2022

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Details of April House Fire That Displaced Four in Pemboro Released

Teenager Dies in Medford Lakes Crash, Four Others Reportedly Injured

PEMBERTON BOROUGH—Officials have released the details of an April 18 house fire that occurred at 57 Jarvis Street in Pemberton Borough.

T h e b l a z e w a s fi r s t r e p o r t e d at approximately 5:38 a.m., according to a press release from the Good Will Fire Company, which serves the Pemberton Borough area.

“Rescue Engine 1913 arrived at 5:44 a.m. and went in-service with a 1 ¾ hose line to start extinguishing the fire,” it was noted in the press release. “Additional arriving companies assisted with fire suppression and ventilation.”

MEDFORD LAKES—A 17-year-old high school student from Mullica Hill has reportedly died following a two-car, head-on collision in Medford Lakes Borough during the early morning hours of June 13.

According to various accounts on the major Philadelphia television stations, the crash happened at around 12:30 a.m. on June 13 at Stokes Road and Pawnee Trail in Medford Lakes Borough.

WPVI-TV (6 ABC) and WCAU-TV (NBC 10), both television stations in Philadelphia, reported that Gianna Mastalski, a senior at Clearview Regional High School, died in the crash, as was detailed to the stations by family members.

The Philadelphia NBC affiliate reported that Mastalski, who was set to graduate from Clearview Regional this week, appeared to be “driving a friend’s car when it was struck in the head-on collision.”

One eyewitness to the crash told NBC 10 that she initially thought a “tree fell on her home,” ultimately realizing the sound she heard was the collision, observing “two cars wrecked and several teenagers badly injured.”

In describing that she attempted to render aid to the victims, the eyewitness told the NBC affiliate that there was one person she observed in the car “who looked like I was not going to be able to render aid to,” causing her to ultimately decide to “let me deal with the other ones running around, screaming.” One of the teens was apparently laying on the ground, but the eyewitness confirmed that she was conscious.

As many as five teenagers were reported to have been in the car that Mastalski was driving at the time of the crash.

The eyewitness told the NBC station that inside the second vehicle was an “older

The fire was placed under control at 6:18 a.m., with all units clearing the scene that day at 11:33 a.m.

No injuries were reported. Four people who occupied the home, according to the press release, were displaced because of the fire.

Several of the additional responding fire companies came from Burlington and Ocean counties, with the Burlington City Fire Company “utilized to refill air cylinders.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety and the Burlington County Fire Marshal’s Office.

Marlton Man Suspected of Committing Vehicle Burglaries Arrested EV ESH A M—A n of fic e r from t he Evesham Township Police Department arrested a man on June 8 suspected of committing several recent overnight vehicle burglaries in town, including in the area of Euston Road and Erindale Drive.

Joseph Volm, 20, of Marlton, was arrested, according to a statement from police, following a “pedestrian stop of the male” around 3:16 a.m. on June 8. The stop was initiated in the area of the recent burglaries, with the “alert officer” who conducted the stop observing that the “suspicious” man was wearing all black at the time.

“Volm was positively identified as the suspect from the vehicle burglaries that

occurred on June 6, on Euston Road,” police said.

Police, in posting surveillance video of the suspect trying vehicle doors at around 5:01 a.m. on June 6 to see if they would open, noted that the man depicted not only burglarized several unlocked vehicles on Euston Road, but is also suspected of committing similar vehicle burglaries on Erindale Drive on May 14 at around 3 a.m.

Volm was arrested, charged with thirddegree burglary, processed and released on his own recognizance with a mandatory court appearance, police said, adding that an investigation will continue to determine if additional charges are warranted.

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woman who never got out,” seen talking with an “grown adult male who looked competent,” the latter who purportedly nodded his head when asked if that woman was OK. The eyewitness noted she could not go back to sleep after observing the crash scene, recounting, “all I could think about is the girl in the car – there was nothing I could do to help her.”

Lt. John G. McGinnis, Jr., a spokesman for the Medford Lakes Borough Police Department (MLPD), told this newspaper on June 16 that “we are not able to release any information at this time as it is an active investigation,” referring this newspaper to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.

A spokesman for that office could not be immediately reached for comment on this story.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, or where all the victims were from, or the extent of their injuries.

The good Samaritan, according to the ABC affiliate, apparently got the names of some of the teenagers involved and called their parents to the scene.

The Borough of Medford Lakes posted a “PSA” on its Facebook page on June 13.

“PSA: As the investigation continues into the tragic accident that occurred early this morning on Stokes Road in Medford Lake s, the com mu n ity and boroug h send prayers to the victims, friends and families affected,” the borough wrote.

“As new information becomes available from the MLPD and the Burl i ng ton County Prosecutor’s Office, it will be made available.

“Please be respectful of the families’ privacy and refrain from posting any details or rumors regarding the accident during this difficult time.”

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Saturday, June 18, 2022

Helen A. Fort Middle School Students and Science Teachers Create Rain Garden with the Pinelands Preservation Alliance

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Pinelands Preservation Alliance volunteer Deanna Amodeo, left, works with seventh grader Caleb Sams, right, to begin the planting process in the rain garden at Helen A. Fort Middle School.

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

PEMBERTON—Seventh grade students from Helen A. Fort Middle School worked with their teachers and volunteers from the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, utilizing on-site natural resources, to manufacture an on-campus rain garden.

The project was executed on May 12 and took two hours to complete.

The purpose of the designed project was to establish a serviceable system capable of capturing, filtering and infiltrating storm water runoff to protect water resources surrounding the school.

The integrated rain garden will be able to capture pollutants from the storm and runoff water and decrease flooding and damage to the property. It also serves as a habitat for birds, butterflies and beneficial insects.

“Students were very eager to ‘dig’ right in and participate in the creation of this garden,” said Deana Chiarella, Pemberton Township Schools’ supervisor of Math and Science for grades six through 12. “Teachers commented on how engaged students were in the experience; even those who may demonstrate a disengagement in the classroom. Students were requesting to miss their final class of the day to remain outside and provide further assistance with the planting.”

Participants worked in pairs and small learning groups alongside a Pinelands Alliance volunteer to organize the plants, dig the holes, and place the plants in the ground properly. The students were provided the necessary gardening tools and equipment, and an educational day by the alliance’s volunteers to review plant types and discuss the rain garden’s purpose.

The volunteer efforts were spearheaded by Jack McCausland and Jaclyn Rhoads from

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Science teacher Andrew Richardson works on the Helen A. Fort Middle School rain garden.

the organization based out of Southampton Township. Through a blend of advocacy, com munity outreach, education and stewardship, the alliance’s mission is to protect the ecosystem of the Pine Barrens.

“The Pineland Alliance volunteers were amazing,” Chiarella said. “They have provided so much support through the planning stages and continued to be there through this process. Prior to the rescheduled planting day, they provided an educational day with our students, where they reviewed the types of plants and purpose of the rain garden.”

Science teachers Andrew Richardson, Scott Mitchell, Merri Hirsh and Stephanie Harmon mirrored their lessons from within the classroom setting to help direct students throughout the outdoor project.

Richardson was said to be diligent in terms of watering the individualized plants prior to the planting procedures, and Chiarella also credited Director of Facilities Dean Adams and his crew for pumping out standing water and preparing the area for the growing process.

The Helen A. Fort Middle School learning community is excited to reap the benefits of the newly incorporated rain garden, school officials noted.

“The school community benefits from this rain garden as it creates service learning opportunities for students,” Chiarella said. “(These opportunities) build upon character education principles. It also is the perfect outdoor classroom setting to teach about water quality, habitat creation and the importance of protecting our natural resources. There are not enough words to express the gratitude I have towards the seventh-grade science teachers for supporting this opportunity to create an ‘outside’ classroom for our students.”

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PARADE

(Continued from Page 1) Council thus far also refusing to issue a municipal parade permit, citing the police chief’s “serious” concerns over traffic safety and related logistics, as well as those of the local emergency management coordinator, who is also the Pemberton Township fire chief/EMS coordinator.

Instead, Pemberton Township officials – who have stressed they have very much wanted the municipality to host the parade – proposed an alternate route, but CNTPA officials declined the offer.

At issue is a some six-mile stretch of the planned parade that was supposed to loop around Mirror Lake in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township, all part of a some 30-mile parade that was expected to start at the fairgrounds, then move into Pemberton Township, eventually passing through Pemberton Borough, before moving into Browns Mills, eventually coming back around to Springfield.

According to Parade Chairman Bob Lounsberry, “a fourth-generation county farmer” who currently lives in Florence, but whose farm is next to the county fairgrounds, he and his wife, Gina, first c ont act e d the Pe mb er ton Tow nsh ip Recreation Department about hosting the parade back in February.

Planning for the event as early as possible is important, Gina Lounsberry maintained, because of not only the information that needs to be gathered for inclusion on a county parade permit application (including the number of intersections, number of stop signs, parade route length in feet, etc.), but also due to the length of time the county needs to review a county parade permit application (some 60 days).

AD HOTLINE: (609) 801-2392 or SALES@PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM Bob Lounsberry, who noted that he and his wife organize the parade as volunteers, told this newspaper that he had reached out to Pemberton Township Mayor David Patriarca in March about using Mirror Lake Park as a “halfway point” in the parade for tractor parking, but that the Pemberton Township mayor responded that the association “could not use it” because it is “too busy” of a location in the summer.

Bob Lounsberry maintained that after Patriarca stated his unwillingness to let the association use Mirror Lake Park, he told the Pemberton Township mayor, “I don’t want to come to Pemberton then.”

But Patriarca, according to Lounsberry, insisted that the parade chairman “wait a minute” and “come to Pemberton,” and offered the organization (which has had its parade traverse through a part of Pemberton Township three previous times) use of the “old Acme” parking lot at the Browns Mills Shopping Center, as well as the parking lot for the vacated “old Sun Bank” as alternatives.

It was at that time that Bob Lounsberry said he put a question to Patriarca, asking him if the tractor parade could loop around Mirror Lake, to which he contended the mayor said that would be great thing and could do so.

After the Lounsberrys said they completed all of the necessary scoping out of the parade route, including gathering information about the number of intersections involved and the measuring of the length of the parade route in “feet” (a requirement of the county that Gina Lounsberry described as a “bit over the top” and labor intensive), they set out one day in April, as they always do, to collect the necessary signatures of the local police chiefs that are affected by the planned event.

“All we have ever done is ‘notify’ the police,” said Bob Lounsberry of collecting the signatures.

The police chiefs, he said, in Springfield

and Pemberton Borough quickly signed-off on the organization’s county parade permit application for this year, as did the station commander of the local New Jersey State Police Barracks (since the route crosses state highway Route 206), but when the couple arrived at the Pemberton Township police station, he claimed they got a less than rousing reception.

According to Bob Lounsberry, the couple was asked upon their arrival why they didn’t make an appointment to see Watters, with the farmer noting his first reaction to the question was, “‘An appointment for what?”

Then, according to the farmer who expressed he was put off by the experience, he and his wife had to wait nearly an hour in a confined and somewhat uncomfortable vestibule at Pemberton Township Police headquarters (something he was especially not fond of because of his wife’s health) before the chief would see them, only to come out of his office to say that he was “not signing off” on the county parade permit application because he needed to “get his ducks in a row.” “‘What ‘ducks?’” said Bob Lounsberry of his response to Watters. “‘I don’t need your help other than I need a barricade at the old bank parking lot (the halfway point that he maintained Patriarca and the association mutually settled on for a parade break). It is the only help I am going to ask you for.

Other than that, I have fire police who love doing it and are looking forward to it.”

The Lounsberrys would explain at a June 1 Pemberton Township Council meeting that the association secured the Burlington County Fire Police to provide traffic control during the parade, with fire policeman “from all over the state” assisting them, claiming they had a total of some 75-fire policeman lined up for the event. The county fire police, they maintained, has assisted them “successfully” for the past decade with the parade and it has become a tradition the

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

♦ Page 5

volunteer fire policemen now look forward to every year as well.

Wayne Adams, also representing the association, noted that the organization also secures its own tow trucks in case a tractor breakdown on the route, with Bob Lounsberry pointing out that the association also has an ambulance follow behind the tractors.

“Instead of saying ‘no,’ he (Watters) should have said, ‘How can I help you, Bob?’, and then maybe right then and there he should have explained to me why it is not safe, and I would have understood,” Bob Lounsberry told this newspaper.

Wat t e r s u lt i m at e l y p ro p o s e d a n “alternative” route, according to the Lounsberrys, but one that would have “changed our route” and “taken a third of our parade off.”

In addition to that, given Patriarca “originally told us we could go around the lake” several months back, the association already had its t-shirts ordered for “our 2022 Tractor Ride, ‘The Mirror Lake Loop,’” and advertised it as such.

Pemberton Township, as the couple would soon learn, also requires a township parade permit for such events, which are issued by Pemberton Township Council. Essentially, as Patriarca explained, “it’s council’s decision” and it could theoretically override the recommendations of the police chief, as well as the township fire chief and emergency management coordinator, Craig Augustoni, by issuing one.

Adams and the Lounsber r ys, who attended a June 1 “public hearing” on the parade permit application apparently learned from Councilman Jason Allen that both Watters and Augustoni wrote letters that “outlined grave concerns about the route,” which were then forwarded to council for consideration.

“You got me at a little bit of a disadvantage See PARADE/ Page 8

Page 6 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Saturday, June 18, 2022

New Flood Alert System Installed on County Road in Washington Twp. For the Pine Barrens Tribune

WA SH I NGTON —T h e Bu rl i ng t on County Board of Com missioners say they have made driving safer in rural Washington Township by deploying a new flood notification system to alert motorists about possible flood conditions on a stretch of county highway near the Mullica River.

The proje ct’s completion fol lowed concerns that were expressed by township officials about the county’s tidal flooding response in the fall of last year, with the local officials calling for improvements the next time there is anticipated coastal flooding.

The “state -of-the -ar t system” was installed earlier this spring on County Route 542, near Crowley’s Landing in Wharton State Forest. The two-lane highway, which is also known as Pleasant Mills Road and Batsto-Bridgeport Road, runs near the Mullica River and is prone to tidal flooding during severe storms.

More than 1,200 vehicles travel the road daily, according to an August 2019 traffic count.

The alert system uses a flood gauge installed on the riverbank. When water levels start to rise close to flood level, the sensor activates flashing amber lights attached to nearby “Road May Flood” signs to alert approaching motorists on the road of the possible flood danger.

“Public safety is our No. 1 responsibility, and this new flood notification system adds an extra layer of it to County Route 542,” said Burlington County Commissioner

Deputy Director Tom Pullion, liaison to the Department of Public Works. “Flooding in this area and other parts of the county is not something we can control or prevent, but we’ve looked for ways to improve our response plans for when it does occur. This alert system is a good example of the steps we’ve taken.”

Pullion said the County Route 542 alert system activated and worked effectively during a recent severe storm and that the technology is being considered for other county roads prone to flooding.

The county, officials said, maintains more than 511 centerline miles of roads, plus a total of 364 bridges and 700 culverts.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists floods as the second deadliest of all weather-related hazards in the U.S., noting they account for approximately 98 deaths per year, mostly due to drowning. Flash floods associated with tropical storms result in the highest number of deaths, according to the CDC. “The message ‘turn around, don’t drown’ is something we emphasize when talking to people about flood dangers,” Pullion said.

“As little as six inches of moving water is considered dangerous because it can cause a vehicle to lose control or stall. A foot of water will float many vehicles and can carry them away. The alert system is there to notify motorists of the potential danger ahead, and we encourage motorists to heed that warning and avoid driving through any floodwaters.”

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Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Tom Pullion was shown the new flood alert system installed on County Route 542 during a visit to Washington Township last week.

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The new flood alert system on County Route 542 uses a flood gauge installed on the riverbank.

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TRUCK

(Continued from Page 2) body, in deciding a final figure for the bond, also consider borrowing as much as $15,000 for potential professional expenses, as well as some money for any lettering costs, with one estimate given that the lettering could cost somewhere around an additional $5,500 (Burns later told this newspaper that the township did not spend any funds to letter the truck).

She noted that just because the township would be borrowing a certain amount of money “does not mean it has to spend that amount.”

A required five percent down payment of $21,250, Rosmando noted, “we have to fund ourselves.”

The bond, if approved during a scheduled June 22 township committee meeting, would have an “average period of usefulness” of 10 years, with Rosmando maintaining she didn’t think it would be a good idea to go any further in time for the useful life.

The chief financial officer, who noted that bonding for goods and services is “new territory for me,” was due to meet with a financial planner from Phoenix Advisors, as well as bank representatives, for further guidance.

She anticipated that the professionals would provide further communication “to know how much we are raising each year to pay back.”

Viscardi was to contact the vendor to see how long the price he received will be good.

The Chatsworth firehouse belonging to the Woodland Fire and EMS Company, as previously reported by this newspaper, sustained structural damage in a Dec. 22, 2021, accident after a motorist, allegedly using a wireless device while operating a Chevy Equinox, failed to stop at the intersection of Savoy Boulevard and County Routes 563 and 532, crashing into the building.

AD HOTLINE: (609) 801-2392 or SALES@PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM On May 6, Viscardi reported to the township committee that he had since met with a contractor for the firehouse and reviewed with him the “scope of work” required to repair the building. That work, he explained, includes “building a temporary wall to secure the building, as well as installing new windows, flagpoles, and bricks.”

“The building inspector told me the structural engineer’s report that was received is not sufficient for the contractor to follow the drawings, so the contractor has to get their own structural engineer or architect, which could take two to four more weeks,” Viscardi said.

The fire chief then noted that while he met with the contractor, there was also a discussion about him performing “extra work on the building,” to raise its bay doors and associated motors and tracks to account for “future apparatus to get the trucks in there,” contending such apparatus is “getting bigger as time goes on.”

But the cost of that extra work, he noted, would be an additional $14,000 that the “insurance company is not going to cover.”

“So, I don’t know what to do with that,” said Viscardi in indicating that he would like the township committee to help foot the bill for the additional work. “I don’t want to be pushy, but he wants to get the work done, and it is May already – almost six months since accident.”

The final drawings “can’t get done,” Viscardi maintained, “until it is decided what to do with the doors.”

“To replace doors, it takes 14 to 16 weeks to get new doors due to supply demand,” the fire chief added.

Viscardi offered his professional opinion that it would “make no sense” to “get the building done and get a custom truck,” but then have to go back to get the doors done.

“It would really save us money in the long run with fire apparatus,” he contended.

Township Solicitor William Burns, however, cautioned the governing body to

not “weigh in one way or another on the design, build, or anything else,” because the Chatsworth firehouse, as well as the Lebanon Lakes firehouse are “buildings and property” belonging to the fire company, “not townshipowned buildings and property.”

He noted that the fire company already receives quarterly payments from the township and “can earmark that for whatever they want.” But Burns warned against the township committee agreeing to make a specific payment(s) for an improvement(s) to a building it does not own.

“The property is not township property and the township did not have anything to do with the construction, or design, nor do they have anything to do with how those contracts are awarded,” Burns maintained. “If it is in budget, the fire department has that money, and can use that money however it sees fit, in my opinion.”

Woodland Mayor William “Billy” DeGroff called that a “good point” that the Chatsworth firehouse is “not our building, though we do own the equipment.” Rosmando noted she “does not know if we can just write a check” to the fire company for the doors, with Burns maintaining “it is not a good idea.”

Burns suggested that township officials talk with Viscardi “offline,” and that the township committee allow professionals such as the township auditor to review the circumstances.

Viscardi, however, reiterated “the contractor is waiting, and the longer it goes … the doors take 14 to 16 weeks once ordered.”

“Again, we keep going back and forth – this is not a township building project and not a township capital improvement project, and the committee had nothing to do with professional service contract, nor did it have anything to do with how the building was … ,” Burns said. “This is a fire department thing, and it is why we have to be careful with how the township is going to subsidize a non-township capital project.

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

♦ Page 7

“If it is just a supplement of the general budget, they can do whatever they want, but it is another thing for the township to write direct payment checks to a contractor or professional.”

The officials left the meeting by maintaining that they “will look at it next week.” During the township committee’s May 26 meeting, however, Viscardi announced that the “garage doors have already been ordered” with no additional context on how they were being funded or what officials had discussed offline.

Bur ns, also the tow nsh ip’s public information officer, when asked about how the financing for the doors was resolved on June 6, wrote, “If my memory serves me correctly, the township committee did not state they were going to use township money to pay for the garage doors.”

“I believe the committee discussed that they were not comfortable paying the contractor as it is a private entity – not a municipal department, and the contract was not via public contracting, and the township doesn’t own the building,” he added.

In addition to this newspaper’s previous reporting that the fire company was in need of a new fire truck (its water tender was reportedly no longer usable and ultimately sold at auction), there was the issue of the fire and EMS company also requiring a new ambulance.

According to DeGroff on May 26, “we will have to discuss the next step with an ambulance since nobody came back with a bid.” Viscardi noted he also “reached out to four vendors” expressing interest in purchasing a new ambulance “but did not hear back.”

“I don’t know what is going on, we have money to buy an ambulance and nobody wants it,” DeGroff declared.

Township Engineer Thomas Leisse said he would try to “reach out” and see what he can do to help procure a new ambulance for the town.

Page 8 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Photos Provided

Scenes from past tractor parades.

PARADE

(Continued from Page 5) here,” Bob Lounsberry replied. “I didn’t know there were any letters.”

Allen, in reply, explained that both Watters and Augustoni “mention concerns about the route, primarily because of tractors going through a residential area.”

“This is the 11th year for the parade,” Bob Lounsberry retorted. “With respect to the concerns you have for the parade, we have been through all the river towns. We have been through Burlington City twice. We have through Bordentown City twice. We have been through all the villages. We have been through Pemberton, and our third trip was through Pemberton last year on Birmingham Road.”

Bob Lounsberry explained that the tractors involved in the parade are not the large ones you may see harvesting crops, but rather “most of them are antiques,” or skinnier ones that are able to maneuver even the narrowest of spots around the lake.

“We’ve been doing it for 10 years, and never had an issue,” Bob Lounsberry declared.

Adams, in explaining that “we never had a problem” during the last decade, noted the parade “is targeting having 100 tractors” and that it “takes maybe 10 minutes for us to clear through” a given point.

“But it is quite a scene to have that many tractors coming through, and an enjoyable thing,” Adams declared.

Councilman Paul Detrick expressed some surprise that it would take only 10 minutes for 100 tractors to pass through a given point, to which Adams explained that “we try to maintain a 12 to 13 mph speed.”

Bob Lounsberry noted that in the area of Mirror Lake, the tractors would slow down to around 6 mph, with Adams emphasizing that “we do work alongside the fire police” in which “they work ahead of us, blocking an intersection so that we can safely progress through and keep everything moving.”

Allen replied that while he “would look forward” to such an event and “gets it” (the points being made about having fire police coverage), but that “with these concerns coming from the chief of police and fire chief, I would just like additional information.”

“What additional information do you need?” Bob Lounsberry asked.

Ultimately, Daniel Hornickel, Pemberton Township’s business administrator and police director, while recognizing “this group is literally the heart and soul of the farm fair since moving to Springfield, undoubtedly,” explained that “part of the difficulty with going around the lake” is that there are approximately 85 streets that would need to be blocked off and that the municipality cannot garner enough fire policemen to do so, adding that what fire police the municipality does have will be spending time working a planned Mirror Lake Canoe Carnival (a township sponsored event unaffiliated with CNTPA) in the town a week prior.

Hornickel estimated that even if the route preferred by the CNTPA is somehow divided into two parts, some 40 township policemen would be needed to provide adequate coverage, who would then still have to at some point “get in their cars and drive around to other side of the lake.”

“And it is not only the fact that we have 85 streets that come out (to the parade route), it is the fact that we don’t have any other way of getting to those streets (in the event of an

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emergency),” Hornickel said. “And many of those streets don’t even have labels on them for the fire police from out of town to find.

Some of them are dirt roads, and you would only know those particular streets, or even if somebody lives on those streets, by being a fire policeman in town.”

Another concern, according to the director of Pemberton Township Police, is that with there being “no parallel roads” in the area of Mirror Lake, there would be no way for individuals to access or exit their streets by vehicle. “‘River towns’ are a great example because most of the river towns – and I live in Bordentown, so I know it – have parallel streets, where if police car or firetruck needs to do something, they can take a parallel road,” Hornickel said.

One of the streets that apparently would have been included along the parade route was N. Lakeshore Drive, while another was S. Lakeshore Drive. Hornickel, in pointing to these streets, said there are “no direct parallel streets” to N. Lakeshore Drive, while there are no parallel roads to S. Lakeshore Drive “for a couple of miles” with the latter road containing a “bunch of dead-end streets.”

The bottom-line, he said, is that the parade route through Mirror Lake would provide for a “logistics difficulty, staffing difficulty – and most of all it is the fact that if God forbid something happens, we can’t reach them.”

He added that “also having 100 tractors means that there is going to be a lot of people who don’t want to go to the parade, who will be trying to get out,” and in doing so, they will “not necessarily be paying attention and wanting to cut into the parade.”

“That is kind of what the police chief’s concern is,” Hornickel said. “He doesn’t want residents to butt in, disrupt the parade,

or worse yet, try to pass.”

Bob Lou nsb er r y poi nte d out that last year’s parade route went through LeisureTowne retirement community in Southampton Township (which he described as having roads set up in a somewhat similar fashion to Mirror Lake with some dead-end streets), but Hornickel pointed to one key difference with the streets around Mirror Lake not having any sidewalks.

“So, people would be on the edge of the roads that don’t have a shoulder in most locations, all with slow moving tractors,” Hornickel said. “So, their (the chiefs’) recommendation is to welcome the tractor association in town, but to have them stop at the bank and then proceed down Junction Road. There would still be about 15 to 20 streets along Junction Road that are going to need coverage with fire police, but we think we can get sufficient volunteers.”

Bob Lounsberry, in reply, noted that any tractors going around the lake would “only take up one lane.”

“If someone whistles, we can get off the road because we are using tractors,” asserted Bob Lounsberry, who pointed out that the residences where people can easily watch the parade are located along Mirror Lake.

Allen ultimately asked if the “alternate route” had been presented to the association.

“Again, I welcome the parade, but if our emergency leadership has concerns, I personally have a concern,” Allen declared.

“I would love for you all to evaluate the alternate route the township is suggesting, and while I know it knocks off one-third, at least you can still have a parade.”

But Gina Lounsberry indicated to council that is easier said then done, with that new route having to be measured and the signage along it having to be documented on the county parade permit application. And according to Bob Lounsberry, given Mirror Lake is the “name of the parade, and it is on our shirts, I guess the answer is ‘no’ and I guess we have to cancel.”

Councilwoman Elisabeth McCartney, in recognizing the Central Jersey Tractor Pullers Association is the “heart and soul,” said she “would like to try to embrace this” while also “keeping our residents safe,” even though she “understands the concerns.” She threw out some street names she thought did have parallel streets, while Council President Gaye Burton inquired how the event was being advertised, believing it was an important element if it was to move forward so that residents would know how to plan around it.

“I mean I would like to see if there can be any discussion,” McCartney added. “I think we should embrace them to come to our town.”

Councilman Donovan Gardner said he too would like to have a parade and “would love to see this go through,” but also See PARADE/ Page 9

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PARADE

(Continued from Page 8) “wants to consider the safety factor,” before putting a question to Patriarca, asking if “there is something we could do to make it safe,” including perhaps disseminating advertisements for residents to pick up at local businesses informing them of the route.

But Patriarca retorted advertising the parade is not the issue, but rather it’s the safety aspect, acknowledging that “in my initial conversation with them I said it was ‘great you are coming to Pemberton again; it’s been a while,’ but that when concerns came with the safety aspect of it from chief of police and head of emergency management, I couldn’t ignore that.”

Hor n ickel explained that “par t of the obligations” of the police chief and emergency management coordinator “under township code” is to “provide to township council their recommendations” on local parade requests.

“The risk involved – it may never happen,” Patriarca said. “But for the folks in these positions – the chief of police and emergency manager, their job is to not only to take care of things when they do happen, but they are also responsible to mitigate things before they do happen.

“And part of the requirement when making application is to send it to the police chief and emergency manager for evaluation, and they are giving you their professional opinion as to why they feel this is not a safe route for this event in the community.

They are the experts in this. Yeah, I did this for 26 years (serving as a township police officer), but it is not my role (as mayor) to play the expert and give my opinion. I have two professionals who do that, and they are giving their professional opinion that this

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Burton in asking the association members on hand for the public hearing, “Have you had any issues in surrounding areas?”, solicited a response from Gina Lounsberry that, “We’ve never had an accident, fenderbender – nothing.”

Patriarca, however, contended that something “may never have happened before, but as we know, nothing has happened before, and there is a first time (for everything).”

“And we don’t need a ‘first time’ in an event that we were advised against,” the Pemberton Township mayor declared.

After extensive back-and-forth, with Gina Lounsberry maintaining it would not be possible for her and her husband to redo the work on the county parade permit application given July 17 is fast approaching and the county solicitor requires a 30-day review period, with the county engineer requiring another 30-day review period, Detrick summarized that “you have five council members who would love to have this parade go through the community, but the two people leading emergency management and the police are both saying that at least around the lake, it is a bad idea.”

“I think they have legitimate concerns and I think it is important for council to listen to those guys, but at the same time, we would like to have the parade and we are being told, ‘It has to be this route to have the parade,’” Detrick observed. “There doesn’t seem to be any flexibility there.”

Burton and Allen, however, who face re-election in the fall along with Patriarca, encouraged the association to still pursue the proposed alternate route. Allen asked Township Solicitor Andrew “Andy” Bayer if council could “table” a decision on the parade permit (rather than deny it) in hopes the association would consider the alternate

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route.

Gina Lounsberry again pointed to the 60-day review period of any application by the county.

“If you table it, the parade will not take place, because we don’t have 60 days, and we are barely working on the time we have,” she asserted.

Bayer called Gina Lounsberry’s push for a yes-or-no decision a “hard ball tactic,” and contended that Patriarca could use his “grand powers to help get approval at the county level” despite a late application submission, maintaining “it happens all the time.”

“I think the worry is more of a unique situation of this particular lake with all the dead ends, and people can get crazy in cars, trying to cut out, and come through,” Detrick said. “That is the concern I think they (the chiefs) have. It sounds like it boils down to do we go against their advice and go ahead, approve this route, or have this parade. It seems like a hard choice.”

Gardner, in response to his colleague, called it a “very hard choice.”

“I am having a tug of war, of ‘yes’ or ‘no,’” Gardner said. “It all boils down to the police chief, and emergency manager. That is what they do. They can see things all of us probably can’t see. I really don’t want to go against them, because they are the experts, but if an alternate route is doable, I’d love to see that.”

The council voted 5-0 to “table,” the decision in hopes the alternate route could be worked out. But on June 6, the CNTPA canceled the event via a Facebook announcement.

“All members who either registered for this event, and/or purchased Tractor Ride T-shirts will be receiving refunds through the mail shortly,” the association wrote. “We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.”

♦ Page 9

In an email obtained by this newspaper, the association wrote “all vendors and interested parties have been notified of the cancellation at this time.”

In light of Bayer maintaining that Patriarca could probably use his mayoral authority to convince the county to extend the application deadline, this newspaper asked Bob Lounsberry why the organization ultimately decided to cancel the parade.

The farmer again pointed to the t-shirts having already been ordered and the name having been decided long ago, along with the investment of time the couple had already put into organizing the affair as volunteers.

But he also explained to this newspaper that the route must be approximately 30 miles because old tractors need to maintain a certain level of speed due to required shifting from high gear to fourth gear.

“We have rules too, you know,” Bob Lounsberry declared. “… One year we had the parade squashed down to 20 miles, and it caused more havoc than it was worth.”

Hornickel, following the pronouncement that the parade was canceled and some associated online blowback, thanked this newspaper via email for allowing him the opportunity to comment on this topic.

He emphasized “all five council members expressed a strong desire to have the tractor parade route come to downtown Browns Mills” during the June 1 public hearing.

“As I explained to township council at the public meeting, and as explained in the chiefs’ respective memos, the topography of convening a tractor parade around Mirror Lake is risky for multiple reasons,” Hornickel wrote. “First, the roadway itself is very narrow – most of it is two lanes with no shoulders. There are also no sidewalks at all along North Lakeshore or South Lakeshore drives, so where would the public stand? On residents’ lawns? Where would they park?

See PARADE/ Page 15

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

TOWER

(Continued from Page 1) M. Horner, the Pinelands Commission’s director of regulatory programs, noted that in addition to reviewing the emails and accompanying information it had received from the applicant on April 7 and, May 19, it had also “further discussed this application at a June 2, 2022, staff meeting.”

“I would first like to reiterate that the commission does not question the importance of AT&T FirstNet in providing emergency communications services,” Horner stated in the letter. “We also do not dispute the need for improved wireless communications coverage in Woodland Township.”

However, as mentioned in a previous communication, he explained, “we suspect the volume of commercial (“general public”) communication calls using the proposed com mu n ications tower and anten na array will far exceed (its) volume of calls for emergency services,” raising the issue of whether the proposed tower really constitutes an accessory use to the existing EMS building, as the applicant has claimed, or a principal use.

Whereas an accessory use to the fire and EMS company would be allowable, he pointed out (by virtue of being a “permitted land use in a Pinelands village”), a principal use would not.

The proposed site for the monopole, which has been unanimously approved by the Woodland Township Land Use Board, has run into opposition from some neighboring residents who have expressed conc er ns about the health ef fe cts of constant exposure to the electromagnetic energy that would be given off by such a tower in the form of radio frequency

Protectors Of Public Health & Property

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM (RF) waves, as well as its effects on their property values. Since the levels of RF radiation involved are considered acceptable under the more-than-quartercentury old Telecommunications Act of 1996, however, the attor ney hired by resident Andrew Windisch, Princetonbased environmental lawyer Stuart J. Lieberman, has been pretty much limited to contesting the “accessory” claim.

“Based upon our review of the submitted information, the application continues to raise a ‘substantial issue’ with the minimum standards of the commission-certified (approved) Woodland Township land use ordinance and the Pinelands Comprehensive Ma n ag e m e nt Pla n (CM P),” Hor ne r maintained.

But he added that “it is important to note that this letter only provides our staff’s guidance regarding the ‘substantial issue’ raised by the application and does not constitute a final determination of the Pinelands Commission.

He then reiterated what he asserted in a previous letter—the contention that “all commission staff members who could be designated as a Pinelands Commission hearing officer for this application are unable to do so because of a conflict of interest.”

That recusal is one he has attributed to the extensive meetings and discussions of the issue by the remaining two staff members who are authorized to conduct such a hearing following the death last June of Executive Director Nancy Wittenberg, for whom a permanent replacement has yet to be named.

Horner went on to say that “as a principal use, the proposed communications tower and antenna array can only be authorized on the parcel through the commission’s approval of an amendment to a comprehensive plan for communications towers.”

While both that plan and a series of

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amendments already approved provide for principal use communication towers in the Pinelands area, including an amendment for the placement of AT&T communication towers, none of this calls for a new tower in the immediate vicinity of the site at issue in the application, he noted.

He also advised in the letter that any questions should be directed to him and that Brad Lanute of the commission staff be contacted should the applicant “wish to discuss the prospects and process for amending the previously approved comprehensive plan” to include the proposed tower.

That last line, Horner told the Pine Barrens Tribune in a June 15 phone interview, refers to the possibility that the applicant could in fact request that the CMP be amended to accommodate a tower at the site now in dispute, which he said it had not done.

W h a t e v e r w a s “n e w ” a b o u t t h e information that was previously submitted to the agency was never made entirely clear, a request to see it made by this newspaper to Stilwell back in April having only elicited a general description of FirstNet service that appeared to contain nothing more than information already available, which was attributed to AT&T New Jersey President Joseph Divis.

Asked if AT&T now wished to respond to the commission’s latest letter (a copy of which was forwarded to its corporate communications director, Jim Kimberly, the contact person at the company’s Global Media Relations headquarters in Dallas to whom this newspaper was previously referred), the telecommunications behemoth responded with a June 15 email that appeared to indicate that it, rather than the much smaller company submitting the application, may actually be calling the shots on how to proceed.

The statement, which the email said

could be attributed to either AT&T itself or a spokesperson for the company, reads as follows: “This proposed site is part of our ongoing investment to improve service and coverage for first responders in the Chatsworth area and would provide dedicated connectivity for first responders when they need it. We are disappointed in the staff’s conclusions and are considering our options.”

Exactly what those “options” are or what role AT&T might play in the next step in this long-running imbroglio were not specified.

When asked about it, Horner replied that “the extent to which other parties start participating in an application, that’s not under our control, and doesn’t change who the applicant is.”

Repeated attempts by this newspaper to get a response to the letter from either Stilwell or anyone at Centerline Communications (in which a Boston-based private equity fund, the Audax Group, announced last January it had acquired a controlling interest) were unsuccessful. According to Horner, however, Stilwell had previously indicated in an April 7 cover letter to the commission that if the latter should prove unwilling to reconsider its prior opinion based on the “new information,” it was his understanding that the agency would go ahead and “refer this to the administrative law judge.”

Horner also told this newspaper that the applicant was still free to submit any further information to the commission staff that it believed might support its position that the proposed tower would be an accessory use for the fire/EMS company, which he said hasn’t yet been demonstrated to the staff’s satisfaction. Were it to be successful in changing the view of the commission staffers, he said, they could simply give a thumbs up to the approval already rendered by the land use board and no further action See TOWER/ Page 15

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♦ Page 11

Page 12 ♦

OPINION/WORSHIP GUIDE

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Current Plastic Bag Ban is Merely ‘Gimmick’ and We’re Being Fooled I support a true, comprehensive plastic bag ban to help reduce our use of plastic and to reduce the plastic waste that does not biodegrade and simply ends up in our landfills.

This recent law does not qualify as a true “plastic bag” ban.

It is a gimmick to make the public think it is a useful effort, but we are being fooled by some clever marketing by, I suspect, the plastic industry in cahoots with weak, misguided politicians.

Look at the evidence.

First, those reusable grocery bags are made out of plastic. Yes, they are made out of polypropylene. Have you ever heard of a polypropylene tree? So, we have replaced thin, one-time use plastic bags with thicker, longer-lasting plastic bags that will end up eventually in our landfills and are not biodegradable. This is awful!

Second, grocery stores are forbidden from using paper bags. (I remind everyone that paper comes from trees and are biodegradable.) But wait. Paper bags are still allowed to be used in all other stores, just not grocery stores. Why? If paper is good, then allow it at all stores. If it is somehow bad (which it is not!), then ban it from all stores. follow us on Why discriminate with paper bags? I facebook.com/MedfordUMC have been given paper bags at drugstores, hardware stores and clothing stores since the ban took effect. Why are they allowed at these stores and not at grocery stores?

Will some lawmaker explain to me how this law will help reduce plastic waste in our landfills?

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READER ADVISORY Reader Advisory: The National Trade Association we belong to has purchased the above classifieds with an asterisk. Determining the value of their service or product is advised by this publication. In order to avoid misunderstandings, some advertisers do not offer employment but rather supply the readers with manuals, directories and other materials designed to help their clients establish mail order selling and other businesses at home.

Under NO circumstance should you send any money in advance or give the client your checking, license ID, or credit card numbers.

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PARADE

(Continued from Page 9) Along the narrow 18 feet wide side roads?”

The Pemberton Township police director pointed out that the roadways in the area of Mirror Lake “are somewhat meandering with limited sight distance.”

Hor n ickel also dispute d CNTPA’s account to council that the parade would only take some 10 minutes to pass through any given point, contending “the time distance between the first and last tractors as reported to us by the CNTPA would be about 30 minutes.”

Some 80 intersections, he emphasized, would be along the parade route, and maintained, “at 6 mph, the traveling tractors would certainly arouse the anger of motorists along the route waiting to travel either of those roads.”

Hor n ickel, who also emai le d th is newspaper a statement from Patriarca, noted that the Pemberton Township mayor did not have the “proposed route in hand nor had he had an opportunity to discuss the proposed route with the police chief and EMS coordinator/fire chief” when he “expressed support for the event.”

“My support of the parade and even assisting in identifying a resting area on township property does not mean that the parade organizers and participants are not subject to the safety concerns of the OEM coordinator and chief of police who both have indicated that the parade route proposed by the association would not be safe with available resources,” said

TOWER

(Continued from Page 10) would be required, although there is always the possibility such an about face could be challenged in a court of law.

“There’s nothing in our rules that preclude someone from trying to resolve an issue by

N.J. Lic. #NJTC768133

Keith Abrams Lic# 1283

Patriarca in the statement. “For this reason, an alternative route was proposed by the police chief, but the parade organizers were not interested in entertaining it.”

Hornickel also included the letters sent by Watters and Augustoni, with the police chief, in his correspondence, contending that Gina Lounsberry told him there would only be 50 fire policemen available, and after speaking with the head of the Fire Police Association, learned there would only be 12 fire policemen “to cover the streets” both before and after the planned break. The police chief also describes an “extreme safety risk” he believed would be posed to spectators due to the lack of sidewalks and possibly that vehicles might try to pass the tractors, warning of potentially “devastating results.”

Allen, just before the vote, asserted that he “doesn’t want it to get lost in translation that Pemberton Township does not want this great parade for the township,” but that “our emergency management coordinator has concerns.” He emphasized council is “not saying ‘no’” by tabling a decision, but is “suggesting an alternate route over safety concerns,” pointing to the chief’s use of words such as “serious” in his letter.

Burton added that she “hopes we can work with them in the future.” But Bob Lounsberry was emphatic in telling this newspaper that after this experience, so long as he is in charge, “I don’t think I ever will” consider Pemberton Township again for the parade, “at least as not as long as Chief Watters is there.”

“I don’t think he wants us there to tell you the truth,” he declared. “I am pretty sure he made up his mind when I first met him.”

The farmer further criticized the Pemberton Township police chief, maintaining that the “one thing he didn’t take into account is that his residents have common sense.”

Hornickel, at the June 1 council meeting, in regard to the concerns expressed about Watters, called the latter a “prudent chief.”

“And as a ‘prudent chief,’ he is not going to sign something that he doesn’t get a chance to read and vet,” Hornickel declared. “So that is what he did – he took a copy of the map and then went down to the OEM/fire chief and they both talked it over. And both of them had the same concerns. It’s not like one said this is going to be a problem, and the other said it isn’t.”

The police chief, in his letter, wrote that his “intention is not to interrupt what seems like an event that our community would enjoy,” but that he has “serious concerns about the safety of the participants, the spectators and the general public.”

Bob Lounsberry also maintained to this newspaper that he never met Augustoni, or heard from him, and pointed to a section of Augustoni’s letter in which he wrote “‘being familiar with this event, the one obvious item that must be taken into account is that this parade in all the other townships does not move through a residential area, but mostly through wide roadways.’”

“He didn’t do his homework,” Bob Lounsberry declared. “That guy is so wrong.

All he had to do is call me, talk to me.”

Among those who called this newspaper in the last week to describe their “devastation” was a heartbroken man who described that Mirror Lake kids don’t have much to look forward to, but 100 tractors going by their

homes “would get them off their computer for an hour” and “wouldn’t cost them a penny.”

Adams, in his initial remarks to council, noted that the tractor parade “has gotten to be quite a community event” and that when “the word has gotten out, residents along those roadways (that are part of the selected route) will develop a picnic for that day and camp out in the front yard and the kids and everybody just enjoy us coming through.”

“We’ve even had freeholders (now referred to as county commissioners) that have driven in the parade, so apparently, they must think it is good thing,” Bob Lounsberry later told this newspaper.

Patriarca, prior to the item being tabled, declared “don’t get me wrong,” pointing out that “I’ve seen the parade” when it came down on Arneys Mount Road (where his residence is located) about 10 years ago, and it was “an awesome display of machinery.”

“I love the parade, and my grandkids love the parade,” he added.

McCartney acknowledged “in hindsight” the police chief and emergency manager should have conversed with the association in February “which would have prevented all this,” but that “unfortunately, that didn’t happen this year.”

“I am little disappointed we may not have a tractor parade,” Detrick declared. I am still trying to be hopeful. Being a tractor driver myself (some time ago), I really would have liked to have seen it. I know I have a grandson who goes nuts over one tractor, so a parade of 100 tractors would have been fantastic.”

submitting additional information,” he explained. “But at some point, an applicant is going to recognize they’re not resolving or able to address the issue (by continuing to do so).”

Should the applicant in this case request that the matter be referred to the NJ OAL, however, that wouldn’t be the end of it, Horner noted, since the administrative

law judge’s decision would only be a recommendation subject to a vote by the 15 members of the Pinelands Commission. In contrast to a regular commission hearing that would be conducted by a commission staff member, however, the hearing that would follow the ruling by the OAL judge would be presided over by that same judge, which would eliminate the concern about

the commission staff having a conflict of interest by virtue of being too involved in the case.

The vote taken in such a case, Horner added, would not be in the context of a public hearing in which outsiders could take part, but rather a judicial proceeding that members of the public would simply be free to attend and observe.

Page 16 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Saturday, June 18, 2022

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