Pine Barrens Tribune May 29, 2021-June 4, 2021

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May 29 - June 4, 2021

LOSING ITS COMPETITIVE EDGE

Southampton Public Works ‘Struggles’ to Haul Garbage with One Working Truck as Privatization Is Weighed

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

Photos Provided

Now-former Rowan College at Burlington County basketball players, Ayanna Lewis, of Willingboro, and Jeffrey Sterling, of the Dominican Republic, both of whom picked up Division II Region XIX and Division II Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) honors in 2017.

Rowan College at Burlington County’s Official Explanation for Eliminating Athletics from Its Roster Is That a Survey of Students Showed Most Had No Interest in Sports — But Another Factor Might Be That the New Campus Just Has No Room for Them

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

MOU N T L AU R EL —W h i l e t h e relatively new main campus of Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) in Mount Laurel Township might be a lot sportier looking than the old one in Pemberton that is now for sale, when it comes to actual sports, the one now in

use isn’t even a contender – which may have something to do with the school’s having decided this past month to drop them from its roster of activities entirely, claiming students just didn’t care about them.

Not that the same could be said, however, of the student athletes attending the two-year college, who managed to win

some notable distinctions both before and after the move deprived them of what is usually considered a home-team advantage.

In 2019, just prior to the pandemicrelated shutdown of athletic activities, the college’s Women’s and Men’s Soccer See ATHLETICS/ Page 8

SOUTHAMPTON—Ryan Hagerthey, manager of Southampton Township’s Department of Public Works (DPW), didn’t mince words as he appeared before the Southampton Township Committee on May 18, describing that the “last few months has been, I guess, a struggle with trash” and that is “what I have been doing – trash – trying to keep it alive for the last month.”

“I am fighting for when the guys get back safely, and the trash trucks roll back in that yard and get parked, and nobody says, ‘I broke this; this needs to get done,’” Hagerthey declared. “That is a good day in my book. Everything else is a bonus.”

According to Hagerthey, the township possesses three trash trucks to effectively conduct weekly trash pick-up for township residents, or what he called the “main business” of the township DPW. But two of them are currently out of service, one that is a 2013 model and “shouldn’t have been on the road,” taken offline about eight months ago, and another that has been out of commission “for a month now due to a transmission issue” and “right on the border of needing to have the body repaired, and having some fabrication and maintenance done on it.”

The township’s DPW, as a result, is apparently now faced with such “dire” circumstances by having only one truck in operation that it has resulted in Hagerthey, as he put it, “running around asking for favors so that we can get our main business done every week” and “begging, stealing and borrowing trucks to get our main business done every day,” which he noted that he shouldn’t have to do and “is not on board with.”

See STRUGGLES/ Page 7

INDEX

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

Vincentown, NJ Permit 190

PAID Presorted Standard US Postage

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Business Directory... 12

June Events...............11

Marketplace.................14

Job Board............ 14/15

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

Worship Guide............ 7

Page 2 ♦

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Saturday, May 29, 2021

U.S. Postal Service, Woodland Officials Urged to Change ZIP Code Assigned to Lebanon Lakes Due to Confusion

Councilman Proposes Celebrating ‘Medford Lakes Day’ in Advance of May Elections to Increase Voter Turnout

Community is Assigned Mailing Address of Browns Mills Because of Current One, Despite Not Being in Pemberton

Longtime Canoe Carnival ‘Is On’ This Year After Pandemic Forced the Cancellation of 88-Year Tradition Last Summer; Municipal Budget Approved with Slight Increase in Taxes

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

WOODLA N D —A re side nt of t he Lebanon Lakes section of Woodland Township is trying to get the community’s ZIP Code, which is assigned by the U.S. Postal Service, changed from 08015 (Browns Mills) to 08019 (Chatsworth), so that the community’s mailing addresses are not that of a neighboring jurisdiction.

The resident, named Devin, wrote a Feb. 10 letter to the Woodland Township Committee asking the governing body to take up the issue with the Postal Service.

“Browns Mills” is the name assigned to the downtown district of Pemberton Township, which is about 13 minutes away from the Lebanon Lakes development, and has struggled economically over the years, with lower income reported, along with having several dilapidated structures.

Pemberton is also an Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), with just 3 ½ percent sales tax, compared to Woodland, which has a sales tax of just over 6 percent.

“As everyone is aware on the panel, the residences of Lebanon Lakes pay taxes to Woodland Township, not Pemberton Township, and children use the Chatsworth School system,” the man wrote. “When homes are purchased or sold in Lebanon Lakes, the comps are utilized using the pricing from homes in the Browns Mills, NJ 08015 area code, and this is incorrect.”

The man contended that the Browns Mills mailing address for Lebanon Lakes has created confusion both with “the shipping of products” and police response, and further maintained that it has the “potential to alter home values in the community.”

“It is as if were caught in-between the two township’s and it lacks clarity,” the man added.

Lebanon Lakes abuts the Pemberton line, and also Pemberton’s Presidential Lakes community, which is also assigned the Browns Mills mailing address.

“To look at this from another perspective, if Lebanon Lakes were under Browns Mills jurisdiction, it would actually be cheaper for our residents, having gas available for energy, trash pick-up, a new firehouse (Presidential Lakes firehouse), less home taxes, a township police force (Woodland is patrolled by the New Jersey State Police), etc.,” the man wrote. “… Woodland Township should want this corrected for their revenue as well (higher assessments).”

Woodland Township Clerk Maryalice Brown, during a February Woodland committee meeting, said that she had since spoken to the postmaster of the Vincentown U.S. Post Office (which oversees the Chatsworth U.S. Post Office and mail within the 08019-zip code), and was advised that Lebanon Lakes’ mail “comes from the Browns Mills Post Office” and that is why the community is assigned the 08015 zip code.

“She (the Vincentown postmaster) didn’t say it would be impossible to change it, but that it would have to go through the federal government to get changed, and she doesn’t see that happening,” Brown said.

During an April governing body meeting, Brown discussed another recent conversation she had with the Vincentown postmaster, contending she was “pretty blunt” that is “not going to happen,” and was awaiting a letter to that effect from her superior.

“She did say the Browns Mills delivery person is a U.S. Postal employee, whereas the delivery person in Chatsworth is a hiredout subcontractor and Chatsworth Post Office cannot deliver Browns Mills mail,”

said Brown of her conversation with the Vincentown postmaster.

Brown, in February, confirmed that residents had broached the subject of zip codes previously, when Matthew Henrich was still serving on the governing body (he left at the end of 2019).

Brown pointed out that there are currently five zip codes assigned to Woodland Township, which Mayor William “Billy” DeGroff called “crazy.”

“I know we looked into this a few years ago when this was brought up about getting one zip code for the town,” DeGroff said.

Both Brown and the resident pointed out that a Wawa, at 4 Route 72, is assigned the 08088-zip code (Vincentown), while Billy Boy’s Four Mile Tavern, at 12 Route 72, is assigned the 08064-zip code (New Lisbon [which is in Pemberton]) and Mayo’s Halfway House, at 112 Route 72, is assigned the 08019 zip code.

The New Lisbon Development Center, which is in Woodland, at 72 Route 72, is also assigned the 08064-zip code, with this newspaper finding that Google mistakenly lists it as being in Pemberton because of it.

Coyle Air Field, at 1052 Route 72 in Woodland, falls within the 08005-zip code (Barnegat), even though it is not in Barnegat Township.

“The Postal Service evaluates all delivery boundary change requests customers submit,” said Melissa T. Lomax, who is a spokeswoman for the U.S. Post Office’s South Jersey and Delaware service area, and is the South Jersey Postal Customer Council Administrator/ Communications Chair, in a statement to this newspaper. “However, through a ZIP Code Boundary Review Process, changes are approved only if the operational requirements of the Postal Service and the interests of the community are served. The Postal Service does not adjust postal delivery designations and boundaries solely to provide local identity.”

The Postal Service established ZIP Codes and delivery boundaries, she added, to “ensure good service” and “the most economical use of resources.”

“They do not always conform to official or traditional community boundaries and are not assigned solely to provide local community identity,” Lomax maintained.

Factors that play a role in the establishment of ZIP Codes and delivery boundaries, she said, include: • Size of the local population; • Size and geographic features of the area; • Condition and number of lanes of the roads that serve the area; • Traffic patterns on the roads; • Future development in ter ms of housing, industry, and businesses and the timing of those developments; • Line of carrier travel possible to serve customers efficiently; • Relationship of any existing carrier delivery routes; • Capability of post offices to serve an area in terms of personnel and space; • Other unique conditions of an area which could affect mail delivery; and • Once all circumstances are identified, the transportation system and actual carrier delivery routes to efficiently serve customers within the set delivery or ZIP Code boundaries.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a whole lot we can do about the zip code issues,” said DeGroff when the letter from Devin was entered into the record in February. “I never heard complaints about property values and all. I am not sure how that works. … I guess we could send a letter to the federal government.”

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD LAKES—In the wake of reportedly one of the lowest turnouts ever for a Medford Lakes Borough Council election, with a special election to fill the unexpired term of the late Mayor Robert D. Hanold Sr. held on May 11 resulting in just 613 of 3,722 registered voters – less than 16 percent – casting ballots, a borough councilman is proposing that the municipality celebrate “Medford Lakes Day” just before any future May municipal election days to, in part, raise awareness of such opportunities to vote.

“Maybe we could start doing something (to indicate) that May is the time we vote,” said Councilman William Fields during a May 19 Medford Lakes Borough Council meeting, in which the governing body certified that Councilman Dennis P. O’Neill prevailed May 11 over his opponent, Joseph Aromando, with 429 votes to 180 and four people writing in another name. “One thing I have always wanted do is ‘Medford Lakes Day.’ We talked about it over the past couple of years, and I thought maybe we should start implementing something like that the first week or two in May.” Medford Lakes traditionally holds its municipal elections in May, one of the few municipalities in Burlington County to do so. Most municipalities hold their municipal elections to coincide with the General Election in November.

Borough council, last March, narrowly decided to continue with holding May municipal elections in a 3-2 vote, despite 722 voters casting ballots in November 2019 in favor of moving municipal elections to November, with 445 others casting ballots opposed to doing so.

Despite there being a mandate, the referendum question was non-binding, allowing the governing body to ultimately overrule the wishes of the voters, if it chose to do so. Last year, Fields, Deputy Mayor Dr. Gary Miller, and Hanold had voted against moving the election to November, with now-Mayor Thomas Cranston and then-councilwoman Kathy Merkh voting in favor.

Aromando, while not in attendance at the latest council meeting, upon hearing about Field’s proposal from this newspaper, said that he was looking into trying to get the election moved to November, “where it belongs” and will be pursuing a “civic literacy initiative.”

“I would also remind people that we did it in 2019 and people overwhelmingly recommended it would be moved, and it was then nullified by council. This time I hope that they honor the decision made by the voters if that is what it comes down to.”

Aromando had made voter turnout a signature of his past campaigns, previously trying to raise awareness of municipal elections by launch ing initiatives to See ELECTIONS/ Page 6

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Top Area Politicos Gather at Braddock’s Tavern to Promote June 21 Restaurant Week Relaunch and Safety of Dining Out as COVID Winds Down

Town May Opt-Out of Allowing Cannabis Dispensaries At Least Until More Info Is Made Available About Rules; Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Scheduled for June 2 Staff Writer

Photo By Andrew King

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

MEDFORD—Were it not for the cameras present, the casual little get-together held at a table in front of Braddock’s Tavern, on South Main Street in Medford Township on April 24, might not have looked to be all that significant. But if what was being discussed there goes according to plan, it could well have a huge impact in jumpstarting Burlington County’s economic recovery from COVID-19.

At least, that is what the participants are hoping for.

The purpose of the gathering, attended by 3rd District Congressman Andy Kim, State Senators Dawn Marie Addiego of the 8th Legislative District and Troy Singleton of the 7th, Burlington County Board of Commissioners Director Felicia Hopson and its Deputy Director Dan O’Connell, all Democrats, and hosted by Bob Wagner, managing partner and chief operating officer of Braddock’s and Ott’s restaurants, both landmark eateries in Medford’s trendy downtown, was to promote an event that is still a month off – the return of “Restaurant Week” in the county.

When it was originally launched in 2019, with some three dozen area eateries taking part, Restaurant Week was an event intended to boost the patronage of participating establishments by calling attention to each one’s unique cuisine and atmosphere and the various specials being offered on menus for the occasion.

This year, however, the promotion, which is scheduled to coincide with the beginning of summer and run from June 21-27, will take on far greater significance, heralding both the county – and country’s – gradual (if somewhat haphazard) emergence from the pandemic and return to the “normal” life most of us once took for granted, of which going out to eat has become a kind of emblematic element, as well as a key to fueling the long-anticipated revival of the retail economy.

T hat much wa s ev ide nt from t he brief remarks made by most of those in attendance.

Hopson, speaking first, asserted, “We want everyone to know that it is safe to come out and support our businesses and eat at your favorite restaurants, so we are here at Braddock’s.”

Then, after noting how “COVID has set us back a lot,” she contended that “we now are on the other side of the pandemic,” and

that “we want our residents to know how safe it is.”

Kim, who grew up in adjacent Marlton, t h e n p ro c e e d e d t o r e m i n i s c e h ow “Braddock’s is where my family would always come to eat for special occasions” and “where my parents took me after I graduated from high school.”

“We know how hard it has been for restaurants and small businesses during the pandemic – it has been a brutal time,” said the congressman, while contending, that, “We’ve done everything that we can to try to get support” for them.

He maintained that it “was always about getting us to this moment” and “getting our restaurants through the bulk of the pandemic, through the winter, and being able to get to a place where we could have that new normal.”

“This is the moment where we need to step up, not only to have fun ourselves and be able to go out in a way that is safe, but also look out for our restaurants that give our communities so much character,” Kim declared. “I know I’ll be going out with my family, and we’re excited about getting the community back up and running.”

Amplifying that message even further, Addiego called it “an absolute joy to join everyone here at Braddock’s, one of Burlington County’s oldest operating restaurants,” asserting that “despite these unprecedented times, we have the building blocks here to assure that this is one of the best restaurant weeks Burlington County has seen yet.”

W h ile voicing optim ism about the prospects for renewed patronage that Restaurant Week will bring, however, Addiego, who is in a re-election battle this year with Republican Assemblywoman Jean Stanfield, also noted, “But for some struggling restaurants, that will not be enough.”

Those establishments, she indicated, may also wish to avail themselves of the opportunities provided by recent legislation she has co-sponsored allocating $235 million in economic recovery funds to small businesses under the state Economic Development Authority (EDA)’s Phase 4 Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant Program, which includes more than $20 million in aid to restaurants and bars.

The EDA began accepting applications on May 26 from small businesses that missed See TAVERN/ Page 6

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Vandalism Blamed for Rising Sewer Maintenance Fees; Board Deliberates Whether to Decrease Taxes by $15

By Douglas D. Melegari

State Senators Dawn Marie Addiego (right) of the 8th Legislative District and Troy Singleton of the 7th (left), along with Bob Wagner (center), managing partner and chief operating officer of Braddock’s and Ott’s restaurants, gather for an announcement that Burlington County’s Restaurant Week will resume in June.

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

BASS RIVER—Offshore Manor property owners will be paying more towards sewer maintenance for the first time in more than eight years – with apparent vandalism caused by off-road vehicles partly to blame.

An increase in the sewer maintenance fee, from $100 to $150, was approved by the Bass River Township Board of Commissioners during its May 3 meeting with no objection from the public.

The last time the fee was increased, according to Acting Township Clerk Elizabeth Godfrey, was in 2013. 105 property owners, she said, will be impacted by the increase.

“We have had a lot of expenses over there,” said Mayor Deborah Buzby-Cope. “There have been a lot of broken pipes. There has been a lot of vandalism going on over there.”

A letter, Buzby-Cope said, has been sent to the residents asking them to be on the lookout for anyone who is running over the system’s pipes. She noted that the operators of motorcycles and quads are suspected of being responsible for the damage.

“We haven’t upped the fees in many, many years,” the mayor noted.

When it came time to adopt a $1,524,678 municipal budget with a proposed decrease in taxes of about “seven tenths of a percent for 2021” (according to the municipality’s auditor) there was some deliberation amongst the commissioners and officials

as to whether the board should just instead keep the tax rate flat for the year.

The municipality’s auditor noted that the final local tax rate is dependent on the county completing its assessments, resulting “in a little bit of an unknown” currently, and that is why his firm recommended that the board pass a budget with a $0.007 decrease in the local tax rate, so that if an adjustment is necessary, the tax rate would be, at worst, flat.

The tax accessor noted that if the budget is approved with a flat tax rate, instead, he was fearful that “it could then go over and then there will be an increase.”

A motion to go with the auditor’s recommendation to maintain a 0.007 decrease in the local tax rate was approved by a 2-0 vote, with Deputy Mayor Louis “Lou” Bourguignon abstaining. A home assessed at the township average of around $200,000, by maintaining the current course, will see a decrease in local taxes of $15.

Bourguignon later told this newspaper that he abstained because initially he was told that the decrease in taxes for the owner of a property assessed at the township average would be $50, “which I was all for that,” but that “it didn’t make sense to me” to give residents only $15 back.

During the May 3 meeting, Bourguignon pointed out “there is always a need for more money,” should the tax rate have been kept flat, with Commissioner Nicholas See TAXES/ Page 8

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Residents of Lower Bank Pushing for Cellphone Tower, Adapting Lessons Learned from Chatsworth Debacle They Fear Planned Elimination of 3G Network By 2022 Will Only Worsen ‘Limited’ Network Coverage in Area

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

WASHINGTON—A group of concerned residents in the Lower Bank section of Washington Township are reportedly pushing to have a cellphone tower erected in the southern part of the municipality, with plans to both go door-to-door to educate the community about the benefits of having one and collect signatures in support of such a project.

“Essentially, Verizon provides the best coverage in our area and there is an 11-mile zone with no cellphone tower,” said Aaron Camillo, a township resident leading the movement, to the Washington Township Committee during its May 4 meeting. “We all know that cellphone coverage in our area is limited and possibly causing issues with 911 with things getting routed to the wrong county, and so on and so forth. So, we just felt it was time to get something done.”

This newspaper has published stories in the past about such communication issues and telephone service complaints (including with cellphones) in the municipality. It has been a topic of discussion at several governing body meetings in the past.

Camillo pointed out that major carriers, including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile (which now owns Sprint), have plans to discontinue their 3G networks by the end of 2022 to make way for 5G. According to the websites of the carriers, any older cellphone that is designed to only receive 3G signal will no longer function and need to be replaced.

But even if you own a newer cellphone that can receive all the service bandwidths, according to a Reddit.com blog post, 3G is broadcast at a lower frequency, and lower frequencies are better at traveling further distances and inside buildings, and therefore, could be the only one received regularly in rural areas away from a tower.

And Verizon’s network coverage map shows that 5G service is limited in much of the eastern half of Burlington County, which would leave much of this area with only 4G LTE service when 3G is phased out completely.

“In our area that means we would only be able to take up 4G LTE service,” Camillo said. “So, if you see anything else in your phone currently, between now and the end of 2022, you won’t have cellphone service, which is going to be a major issue in our area with them cutting our 3G networks.”

That is why Camillo is among a “few residents in Lower Bank who are working on a project to try and get a cellphone

tower erected, if possible, in the southernend township area.” He told the governing body that they will be conducting research, going door-to-door to “talk about cellphone coverage in our area” and educate the public about the benefits of having a tower nearby, along with “trying to get some signatures” in support of having a tower.

According to a pamphlet that Camillo handed out during the meeting, and plans to distribute in the community, the group is exploring having a cellphone tower installed either behind the Lower Bank Volunteer Fire Department headquarters, or having antennas added to a water tower near the Lower Bank Bridge.

The residents, in addressing any aesthetics concerns that may arise, are aiming to have any cellphone tower, the pamphlet notes, “disguised as a large pine tree” and that the “next best option would be a monopole (single pole tower),” with an option of last resort being a “lattice style tower (tri-pod looking tower) that would be roughly 100 to 200 feet in height.”

“I have been following what has been happening in Chatsworth, the residents who are fighting the tower since it was already approved,” Camillo said. “Our goal is to be transparent with everybody, to talk to them and get their feedback. So, expect us in the coming weeks to be in the Lower Bank area.”

In the Chatsworth section of neighboring Woodland Township, a project to install a cellphone tower behind the Woodland Volunteer Fire and EMS Company’s Chatsworth firehouse, with the entity initiating it after receiving a post September 11th federal grant for one, has been at least temporarily derailed, in part, by charges that owners of property within 200 feet of the proposed site did not receive required municipal notification of a Giles Avenue street vacation, land that is slated to be used for the tower. Some residents have claimed that they were never informed of the plan to erect a cellphone tower until after an application was already approved.

There were also apparently some conflicts with property boundary lines referenced in the area.

The Woodland Township Committee was slated to vote just after this newspaper’s deadline time on an ordinance that would essentially re-vacate Giles Avenue for purposes of the stalled project.

Additional points of contention in Woodland have included aesthetics, concern that radio frequencies emitted would pose health issues for nearby residents, and See CELLPHONE/ Page 6

Saturday, May 29, 2021

Taxes to Increase Very Slightly in Pemberton Borough with $175K in Surplus Monies Used to Offset Increase

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON BOROUGH—The local purpose tax charged to Pemberton Borough residents will rise slightly this year.

Pemberton Borough Council approved on May 17 a “penny and a half” increase in the local tax rate through adoption of the annual municipal budget.

This will result in a local purpose tax increase of $28 (on an annualized basis) on a home assessed at the borough average of $185,000, according to Chief Municipal Accountant Michael Cesaro.

“The surplus ending Dec. 31, 2020, for the current fund is $223,000,” Cesaro noted.

“We are using $175,000 to balance the budget to keep the tax increase as low as possible.”

Resident Diane Fanucci, during a public hearing on the budget, asked Cesaro where he thought the surplus should be held, to which he replied that it was a “dynamic question that is very difficult to answer” and that there “are two broad strokes.”

“Somewhere between 5 to 10 percent of an operating budget is comfortable number,” he said.

This year’s borough budget comprises three main funds – current (some $1.7 million), water and sewer ($730,000), and electric utility (some $1.5 million), Cesaro pointed out. The current fund is $200,000 less than last year, as the borough had incorporated a grant into last year’s budget, the accountant added.

The surplus for the water and sewer fund “is the lowest it’s ever been” due to decreased collections resulting from Democratic Governor Phil Murphy’s shutoff mortarium that went into effect last year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Mull pointed out that the mortarium is not set to expire until October.

“We have always looked the at surplus here in the borough as something we have to monitor very closely,” Cesaro said. “We have always been concerned with if we can we replenish it.”

Fanucci also asked about a recent Pine Barrens Tribune report that all borough

non-contracted employees recently got two percent raises, while all its contract employees got 13 percent raises, inquiring whether that latter figure was correct.

Mull, in response, confirmed it was, adding that borough police officers, the only contracted employees who work for the municipality, are due to receive 13 percent raises through 2025 “when I believe their contract is up.” Fanucci, who expressed some surprise at that revelation, then wondered if it might result in borough police officers staying with the force (instead of the turnover seen over the last several years).

“Their salaries are very viable for the area they are in and the size of the town,” contended Mull, while adding that such pay raises never guarantee that officers won’t leave the local force anymore.

A pie chart included with the meeting agenda indicated that “public safety” accounts for more than 45 percent of the borough’s general operating budget, with the next highest being insurance at just over 11 percent.

Meanwhile, council has run into a hurdle with its plan to improve sidewalks along Elizabeth Street, with Mull announcing that the New Jersey Depar tment of Transportation (NJDOT) earlier that day denied a grant funding request for the project.

Fanucci suggested the public body, should it continue to pursue grant funding for the project, reverse course and plan to install “regular” sidewalks, rather than brick ones (with Mull confirming the borough had applied for funding to install brick sidewalks), believing it could increase chances of an award.

Council not only affirmed the auction of a previously condemned duplex at 54 and 56 Hanover Street on April 22 to Frank Pallante, of F. Pallante, LLC, who placed a winning bid of $20,000 for 54 Hanover Street, and $22,000 for 56 Hanover Street, with plans to restore what is a historic structure, but following an executive session, also decided to put a home at 76 Jarvis Street up for auction that the borough has foreclosed on.

Motorcyclist, 76, Dies After Being Hit by Truck WOODLAND—A 76-year-old resident of Whiting, Ocean County, was killed early on the afternoon of May 18 when the Harley Davidson he was operating was struck by a Peterbilt dump truck on Route 72 in Woodland Township, according to Trooper Charles Marchan of the New Jersey State Police.

The victim, identified as Jeffrey E. Roller, had stopped on the shoulder of the highway

at milepost 2.8 and was in the process of reentering the westbound lane at about 1 p.m. when he pulled into the path of the truck, driven by Calvin Gamble, which overturned after colliding with the motorcycle, Marchan reported.

Roller was ejected and sustained fatal injuries, he said, adding that no further information was yet available on the crash, which remains under investigation.

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♦ Page 5

Blackhawk Helicopter Pilot Welcomed Home M A R LT O N — F r i e n d s , f a m i l y , com munity members and dig nitaries gathered at Tranquility Turn in Evesham Township on May 23 to welcome home and thank U.S. Army Captain Michael Rant as he returned from the Middle East.

Rant com missioned into the Ar my through ROTC at Penn State University, where he graduated with a BS in Economics.

He served on active duty for over 5 years, stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC, where he held positions in support of the 82nd Airborne Division and the 20th Engineer Brigade, according to Operation Yellow Ribbon.

His assignment during the deployment, the organization stated, was serving as a UH-

60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot and company commander with the 2-104th GSAB, part of the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade. The Brigade recently returned from a deployment to the middle east in support of the U.S. Central Command, Operation Inherent Resolve, serving and flying missions in 13 locations across 5 different countries.

His current unit is with the 28th ECAB, Pennsylvania National Guard, based in Ft. Indiantown, in Gap, Pa. Rant was raised in Marlton and is a graduate of Bishop Eustace Prep School. He is the oldest of nine children, and is joined by five siblings currently serving in various positions within the Army.

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ELECTIONS (Continued from Page 2)

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Area politicians sit down for a meal at Braddock’s Tavern in Medford, with hospitality provided by managing partner and chief operating officer Bob Wagner.

TAVERN

(Continued from Page 3) the previous relief program deadlines and will continue to do so for a period lasting six weeks.

Singleton talked about the importance of “staying intensely focused” on protecting area restaurants and observed how “this year tells us so much about the resiliency of this industry,” and introduced Wagner to the group, describing him as a business leader who “always put his community first.”

Wag ner t he n c om me nt e d on how “awesome” he thought it was to have the county call him with an invitation to help “kick this thing off in four weeks,” and that he had asked how they were going to get it done, only to subsequently find that staffers had “already showed up today with fliers and posters.”

“It just shows you how things have changed in the last 14 months with government,” he said, pointing out how much elected officials have been able to do to “help the businesses and help us get open.”

It costs nothing to participate in the

promotion, and an establishment proprietor can sign-up for the program by providing some basic i n for mation about thei r operations and describing any specials or discounts they plan to offer during the week.

A form to sign up is available online at the official Burlington County website (although no specials or discounts are required in order to take part).

“I know we are going to bring people back, and It is going to be a great restaurant week,” declared Wagner, while also thanking everybody “for showing up, for all the hard work and getting it done so quickly.”

Four other establishments in addition to Braddock’s had signed up by May 26 – the Jing Sushi House in Burlington City, Piccolissimo Italian Grille in Columbus, Vincentown Diner in Southampton and Moorestow n Nutr ition Health Food Restaurant.

Both the lifting of statewide indoor mask mandates and social distancing requirements for most public venues, including restaurants, by Democratic Governor Phil Murphy in time for Memorial Day have helped make the outlook for the week look particularly promising.

distribute mail-in ballot applications and strongly supporting the referendum question, hoping that by moving municipal elections to November, when higher tier candidates are on the ballot such as for U.S. President, it would have an effect down-ballot and boost participation in any local races.

The council members who voted against moving municipal elections to November previously cited, in part, concerns that doing so would invite partisanship into borough politics, as borough council elections are non-partisan races.

Borough Manager Robert Burton told council that he believed voter turnout was not only impacted by the unusual year (with the Coronavirus pandemic), but also by the fact that “the last thing people were thinking about is a get out the vote campaign” given the recent death of Hanold, describing that the community has been “very upset” with his passing.

“I don’t think anyone expected us to have a special election because of the passing of a sitting mayor,” Burton said. “Mayor Hanold’s memorial service was just this past weekend. While council has expressed to me a need to get word out to the public, and get everyone stoked about municipal elections in May, I think that (his death) threw everybody for a loop. I don’t think you ever anticipate that your mayor is going to pass away and you have to have special election.”

Burton, however, said that moving forward, Fields has “some great ideas” and “we will put our best foot forward.”

“Medford Lakes was established on May 17, 1939,” Fields pointed out. “Maybe we could tie it into Lakers Lights, or maybe something to remind people, ‘Hey, we are Medford Lakes … we are special,’ and this (could) also then be a time for an election (plug), and to put signs out. Also, it could be something more to celebrate our town.”

Aromando, also a for mer borough councilman, told this newspaper that he wondered if there will be “sword swallowers, jugglers and face painting at the polling places on election day,” based on Field’s proposal.

“Maybe we should look in to offering a $50 credit for all those who vote when the turnout is between 500 and 999 and a $100 credit to all those who vote with a turnout of 1,000 voters or more,” Aromando added.

“This applies to May Municipal elections, only.”

Miller announced during the May 19 council meeting that the revered Medford Lakes Canoe Carnival “is on” this year, following the event being canceled last year

CELLPHONE (Continued from Page 4)

whether the proposed tower meets the standards of the Pinelands Commission, with questions whether it would serve as an accessory use to the fire company and be primarily for the purpose of emergency communications.

As a result of a stop-work order being issued by the Pinelands Commission last year, a revised application for the project is now reportedly being processed, with Woodland officials, now referring to it as a “communications tower” rather than a cellphone tower. A Pinelands Commission hearing on the charges in the stop-work order has yet again been postponed, and is now scheduled for Oct. 14.

In the pamphlet Camillo distributed for the possible Washington project, he not only addresses aesthetics, but also contends that the American Cancer Society has studied

Saturday, May 29, 2021 due to the pandemic, interrupting what was an annual tradition of 88 years. Since 1931, the carnival has been held during the first week of every August on Lower Aetna Lake, and now it is routinely celebrated on the first Saturday of August.

“It is going to be very much like canoe carnivals in the past,” declared Miller while making the announcement. “Unless, things change drastically in a negative way from Trenton, but I don’t think they will.”

The deputy mayor noted that one change, however, under consideration is to potentially “lottery-out parcels of sand” on Beach #1 so that attendees maintain adequate social distancing.

Council, during its latest meeting, also approved a municipal budget just over $5 million that calls for a “slight increase” in the local purpose tax rate of “just over a penny.”

According to Borough Manager Dr. Robert Burton, the municipal tax rate is proposed to increase slightly from last year’s $0.671 to $0.685, or by $0.014, “which equates to a 1.4 cents increase.” However, Burton maintained that this year’s anticipated local tax rate is “still a net decrease” from what it was back in 2009, or is “41 percent lower” than what it was that year ($1.153).

“On the average assessed home, the municipal tax in 2009 was $3,274 and today it is $1,972,” Burton contended. “Over the last eleven years, the tax rate has been relatively flat.”

Part of the reason the borough has been able to keep municipal taxes much lower than they were in 2009, he said, is because “of really good purchasing decisions,” with the borough, for example, purchasing two automated leaf trucks eliminating the need for a six-person crew to pick up leaves. Now, only two individuals are involved with the process, he noted, driving and operating the trucks. He added that the borough now also repaves two to three of its trails, along with a major one, every year. The Department of Public Works, he pointed out, picks up leaves twice a year and “effectively four times a year,” as well performs brush and Christmas tree disposal pick-up, in addition to maintaining the buildings and grounds of borough facilities.

B u r t o n d e c l a r e d o f fi c i a l s a r e “accomplishing all these things with less money.”

“I t h i n k it is a t e st a me nt to t he council making the right decisions, good management prior to me, and I think I am kind of continuing in that vein to make sure that everyone has the equipment that they need to do the job in an efficient, cost effective way,” Burton said. “The budget went up slightly, but we are accomplishing a lot more than we have in years past with only very slight increases.” cellphone tower radio frequencies and “concludes that there are no significant health hazards if you live near a cell tower,” in addition to reporting that “RF emissions from antenna transmissions result in exposure levels on the ground that are typically thousands of times below safety limits because RF emissions are directed toward the horizon (parallel to the ground).”

The pamphlet also discusses potential “financial gain” if a cellphone tower is erected on the property belonging to the Lower Bank fire company. While exact numbers are not available, the pamphlet states, “it is common to see leases, especially if multiple carriers use the tower, to be upwards of $60,000 per year” and that such funds “would greatly help our local volunteer fire company.”

“We would just request of the committee and township that they help us with any applications, questions and so forth,” said Camillo of the efforts in Washington Township.

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STRUGGLES (Continued from Page 1)

In addition, the borrowed trash trucks from other municipalities, he declared, have had issues of their own, forcing him to “spend nights here working on those trucks that aren’t ours.”

“So, we are putting money into stuff that we don’t even own just to do our main business here,” he maintained.

The DPW manager laid blame for the situation squarely on the township decision makers at one point, contending that there was a “lull there, where you guys, and I say ‘you guys’ (meaning) the town, did not stay in that pattern” of purchasing new trash trucks.

Apparently, according to Hagerthey, from 2013 to this year, only one new trash truck was purchased, and that was in 2019.

“And to be honest with you, if the trucks were bought, bought, bought, we probably would not even be having this conversation,” Hagerthey said. “The fact of the matter is, for me, running that department and scrambling every day for the last month figuring out how we are going to get (on and) off the road, that is not how you operate.

You just can’t do that!”

The conversation is being had, however, be cause the Southampton Tow nsh ip Committee, as this newspaper has covered extensively in the past, has been split on whether to privatize its trash hauling service or continue to purchase new trash trucks.

After this newspaper’s past reporting on some committee members’ intentions, and apparent resulting public outcry, those officials backed away from privatizing the refuse collection, and ultimately reversed course, purchasing the new trash truck in 2019.

But the idea to potentially privatize the trash service was again raised earlier this year during municipal budget discussions,

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though no action had been taken at the time.

And that inaction, Hagerthey indicated, just can’t continue for the good of the township – and his department.

“I know it is a tough decision with which way you want to go, but you have to be on board if you want to keep it in house – to keep the trucks and equipment to do it,” Hagerthey declared.

“You can’t buy one truck, and buy another one five years later, and expect to stay in this trash business. It just doesn’t work that way! The newest truck we have is a 2019. The other one is a 2013, and that is on the verge of needing to have fabrication.”

But, yet again during this meeting, the committee members and officials were not in agreement with how to proceed, with Committeeman Bill Raftery declaring that the township should “go out to bid” for privatizing the trash service after Township Solicitor George Morris contended that the governing body can reject any bids if it ultimately decides not to proceed in that fashion, and Committeeman James F. Young, Sr. remarking that he “disagrees,” maintaining that once bids are sought, “you have to either award or disqualify them for some reason.”

“I hear you when it comes to bids, but George is our counsel and telling us we don’t have to award this, and this is not considered a bid like a contract bid,” replied Mayor Michael Mikulski to Young. “We have to rely upon him. This is what he does for a living.”

Morris cut short the quarreling in public by noting that “he will explain in executive session,” but upon the governing body returning from that session, the solicitor reported that “there is no action, request or decision.”

Emails sent by officials the next day, however, obtained by this newspaper through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request, revealed that both Tow nsh ip Ad m i n istrator a nd Clerk

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Kathleen D. Hoffman and Morris were proceeding with preparing a bid package for the privatization of trash.

When pressed by this newspaper if the administration had taken matters into its own hands and was using emergency powers, Hoffman responded that it was “just fact finding,” but acknowledged that there had been “no motion” made by the township committee.

“Some of the other members suggested we fact find what the costs would be,” she added.

Morris, in one of the emails obtained by this newspaper, said that he wanted to review the bid specs “before they hit the street” so “I can keep Jim happy.”

The township committee introduced a municipal budget during its May 18 meeting, but notably without mentioning any figures or particulars.

The emails later obtained through the OPRA request indicate that adding a $100,000 “solid waste contractual” line item had been a consideration, as well as approving any trash-related expenditures, after the budget is adopted, by deeming the situation an “emergency.”

However, officials, when introducing the budget, did not offer any insight as to how the trash crisis would impact this year’s budget, if it all.

Despite speculation that the budget figures weren’t provided at the meeting because they weren’t actually known at the time, Hoffman later told this newspaper it is $7,308,404, with a flat tax rate.

Most of the remarks made by Hagerthey, in a roughly ten-minute speech during the May 18 township committee meeting, cannot be heard by the public if they request audio of the proceedings from the township via an OPRA request, as a recording of the meeting is apparently started only at the tail-end of his remarks. Hoffman, on May 25, told this newspaper that, “The recorder was not on for the beginning of the meeting,”

♦ Page 7

but offered no further details.

However, th is newspaper recorded the public meeting, and captured all of Hagerthey’s speech.

Hagerthey told the governing body that hauling trash for the residents “is the one job that we have to get done every day” and “if we don’t have the equipment to do it, that is a problem.” He provided the township committee with several different options to bring about a resolution to the crisis.

“It is something that should be taken very seriously and thought out, because, I think that we provide a service to Southampton residents that most towns don’t do right now,” the DPW manager said.

The first option, Hagerthey said, is that the township committee could purchase new “rear loaders,” like the existing trash trucks in the township fleet. However, the DPW manager indicated this was not an ideal option.

Such trash trucks, he noted, present potential safety issues, with employees having to both man them in the rear (where they can be struck if the vehicles are rearended) and use their shoulders to throw trash in the hopper.

Hagerthey described a near-miss involving a vehicle about a year-and-a-half ago when “somebody came close to the truck, and thank God nobody was on it,” and that one employee was out for about seven weeks after “popping his shoulder” while lifting a 210-lb. trash can.

“People abuse them sometimes and that worries me,” Hagerthey said. “Most of them (the trash employees) are newer, and I don’t want them wasted in 10 years because they have been picking up 210- lb. trash cans.”

Hagerthey pointed out that society is also “losing that mentality” in which individuals “want to be on the back of a trash truck,” See STRUGGLES/ Page 9

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Rowan College at Burlington County alum Lexi Reidenbaker, of Shamong, who spent one year on the field for the Barons, where she played goalie, but in that short time, she earned Academic All-Region XIX Team, Academic All-GSAC XIX Team and RCBC Scholar-Athlete Award honors. She also helped lead her team to RCBC All-Academic Team honors with her 4.0 GPA.

ATHLETICS (Continued from Page 1)

Teams (which, along with its five other sports teams, are known as the Barons) had what might be considered a very good year.

Ac cordi ng to a page proudly and prominently posted on the college’s website, complete with an emblem of a knight in armor with the words RCBC Barons Athletics, the “hard work and dedication” of seven players for the two teams – four women and three men – resulted in their being named by the Region XIX Soccer and Garden State Athletic Conference Soccer Committees to coveted spots on their 2019 All-Region and All-Conference Teams. Their teams, the posting noted, both finished with a ranking of #4 in the region.

Nor were those the only such honors bestowed on participants in the college’s athletic program. Six years earlier (when it was still known as Burlington County College), as noted on its College History page, “the women’s softball team advanced to the National Championship for the first time in college history, five BCC basketball players were named to the All Region and All Garden State Athletic Conference Teams, and one Lady Baron earned the distinction as Player of the Year.”

Another BCC alumnus, Zach Braddock, a one-time member of the men’s baseball team, is listed in Major League Baseball stats as having been drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2005, and having played for the team five years later, as well as for a number of minor league franchises. Then there was “the college’s own Matt Weaver,” as noted in the College History page, who was also drafted by Major League Baseball in 2009 and subsequently played for a number of minor league teams before being sidelined with an injury but going on to become a “star performer” for Germany’s national baseball team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifying tournaments.

One might think that having accrued such honors, the athletic program, whose offerings also have included golf, would have been one of RCBC’s prime attractions for young people in the area. But that just has not been the case, according to college officials, who claim that the teams have

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM drawn such a relatively small number of active participants – most recently around 150, or just two percent of those enrolled – and that most other students are so disinterested in them that they are just no longer worth investing in.

As a result, a determination has been made by the administration to scrap all its sports as of June 30, according to a recent announcement by RCBC President Dr. Michael A. Cioce. While the college’s Board of Trustees was “briefed” on that decision, according to Greg Volpe, the college’s executive director of strategic marketing and communications, it did not take a vote on the matter.

Word of the program’s cancellation came at the conclusion of a letter to students from Cioce, bearing the salutation, “Dear Barons,” under the subheading, “Greatest Good,” which talked about what Cioce refers to as ”right-sizing,” involving the college moving forward with initiatives requiring “significant investments that are worthwhile because they are critical to our students’ success, the institutional mission and Strategic Plan, and our philosophy of deploying resources where they will have a great impact on a broad group of students.”

This approach, he noted, will result in decisions having to be made “that are not pleasant, but are ultimately in the best interests of our students,” one of which “was to permanently cease our athletics program … after a comprehensive review of costs and benefits to students, as well as the results of a student survey that revealed little engagement with this program beyond the athletes.”

Based on the “lack of participation” indicated in that survey, “It was clear that it was no longer feasible to support sports competition,” the letter stated, “without affecting the college’s ability to provide mission-critical educational programs,“ such as “student success coaching,” “career readiness,” “embedded tutoring,” and “wellness” described earlier in the letter.

Cioce concluded the letter by pledging that “the college will honor all outstanding financial commitments made to studentathletes and will assist them if they seek to transfer athletic eligibility to another college.”

When asked in a phone interview with the Pine Barrens Tribune to describe the survey and its results, Volpe replied, “We asked them what their participation was with the student athletic program.”

In a subsequent email to this newspaper, however, Volpe was somewhat more specific.

“In the survey, conducted pre-COVID, 62 percent of students indicated they were not interested in student athletics,” he wrote.

“This was double the rate of any other category that included student clubs, onor off-campus events, academic programspecific events and undergraduate research.”

Based on a 2019 enrollment estimated by Volpe at around 8,000 students (the 2020 figure having dropped to around 7,300 due to the pandemic), this would amount to nearly 5,000 of the students, all of whom are commuters, who reportedly expressed disinterest.

“If we had seen evidence that students were participating and coming out to games and all that,” the decision to end the athletic program, he indicated, might possibly have been different. But the level of participation in it and the disinterest shown by the majority of those surveyed, he asserted, persuaded the administration that the money was best spent on other activities and resources.

But, as Volpe acknowledged to this newspaper, the survey results apparently weren’t the only factor taken into account when the decision was made to cancel the athletic program, which he said accounted for $850,000 of the $4 million budget of the See ATHLETICS/ Page 10

Saturday, May 29, 2021

TAXES

(Continued from Page 3) Capriglione pointing to the COVID-19 pandem ic creati ng unc er t ai nty w ith revenues and that it “would seem wise to bank as much money as we can.”

The budget received unanimous approval via a separate board vote, but after the governing body briefly overlooked a public hearing on the budget, it had to go back, hold one and re-vote on whether or not to approve the budget, with the result the same as the first go-around.

The board expects to introduce some sort of ordinance next month, according to Buzby-Cope, regarding whether or not to allow cannabis businesses in the municipality, to meet an Aug. 21 deadline set by the state to decide.

As previously reported by this newspaper, a special meeting was held on the topic, with the overwhelming majority of attendees in favor of allowing them, hopeful that they will provide the town with a new revenue source.

Evan Manaresi, had announced during the special meeting his interest in starting a cannabis cultivation site on Ishmael Road.

Manaresi is seeking a “microbusiness cultivation license.”

“The th ing of it is, do we want a dispensary?” Buzby-Cope asked. “That was the one thing. All the other things …”

Bourguignon pointed out the township was awaiting additional information, “such as how far away from a school we could put them,” with Township Solicitor JoAnne I. O’Connor adding that the a Cannabis Regulatory Commission “has just begun meeting” and therefore, it has not given the township “any proposed regulations.”

O’Connor noted that there had also been some discussion that the township may want to limit retail sales of cannabis.

“At this point, if we were to opt-out of a dispensary, and we were to change our minds, we can opt-in at any time,” BuzbyCope said. “But if we don’t opt-out (by Aug. 21), we are in for five years. So, I think since we don’t know much and have to gather more information, if we were to do an ordinance next month, we should opt-out of (allowing) a dispensary. So, we are in a better position to opt-out of the dispensary right now, but move the ordinance, so folks can move along and know where we stand in town.”

One other note is that the township Office of Emergency Management is coordinating a COVID Vaccination Clinic, scheduled for Wednesday, June 2, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the former Mosquito Commission Building at 42 East Greenbush Road, Bass River (GPS will say Tuckerton). Walk-ins are welcome, or you can make an appointment by visiting COVID19.NJ.GOV or calling 1-855568-0545. The clinic will be administering the Pfizer vaccine to those 12 or older, with a second dose clinic on June 23.

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STRUGGLES (Continued from Page 7)

and therefore the candidate pool is “slowly diminishing.”

“With that being said, if you (do) that (buy all new rear loaders), you guys have to be on a schedule of year four to five of that truck’s life that another one needs to be in place, and ordered, to replace it,” Hagerthey warned.

“You can’t run them for 10 to 11 years. It just can’t happen. They wear out.”

Another option, he said, is that the township could purchase “One-Armed Bandit” trash tr ucks, or automated collection trucks that have the capacity of auto-loading specialized trash carts. Such trucks, he pointed out, would not require employees to get out to pick up trash or stand on the back, eliminating several safety hazards, and would also allow personnel who are currently assigned to throw trash in the hoppers to be assigned to other tasks.

It also would create the possibility, he said, of “condensing” trash pick-up into a fourday week, since automation is a time saver.

However, the DPW manager noted that in order to use the automated trash trucks, the governing body would have to purchase specialized cans and “minimize the amount of trash people are putting out and what they are putting out,” in addition to making “major revisions” to bulk trash pick-up practices.

Yet another possibility, according to Hagerthey, but a temporary one, is that he could retrofit the newest trash truck with a “rear cart tipper” all while the governing body purchases the specialized trash carts, “with the intentions of possibly going to the One-Armed Bandit trucks.” Retrofitting the newest trash truck, he said, would cost about $7,500.

The remaining alternative, he said, is to “subcontract with a private hauler.” But that would require the township committee to

GUTTER

S

amend its trash ordinance, he said, potentially placing restrictions on how much trash can be put out at the curb each week, in addition to curtailing bulk pick-up.

“Where is that going to end you up? … I don’t know,” Hagerthey declared. “You can get a great deal and then you can get it on the backend after the (initial) contract is up.

And in talking to neighboring towns that have privatized, they are getting back into the trash business as they are not happy with the services, and they are not getting the bids on people picking their trash up.”

In 2017, when the township committee had first entertained the possibility of privatization, Young, a now 27-year committeeman who served for a quarter century up until 2020 as the mayor of the municipality, stated, “When I first came onto this committee, the first thing that was said to me was, ‘Whatever you do—never, never, never touch the trash.

If anything works well in this township, it is trash pick-up.’”

“The idea is when you say privatize or something like that, you have to look at it this way: a company would come in and give you a low price now,” added Young at the time. “You would get rid of all your trucks and then after two or three years they would sock it to you.”

The Pine Barrens Tribune re c ently reported that several area towns are having difficulty in obtaining bids for new trashhauling contracts, and that the New Jersey Municipal Management Association, in an article posted on its website in 2019, acknowledged that “municipal managers have had to face the fact they receive very few bids for their garbage-hauling-proposal requests – and they all run more expensive than they have in the past.”

Additionally, neighboring Medford Township, cut ties earlier this year with Gold Medal Environmental of NJ, Inc., its solid waste collector and disposal service

provider of nine years, and instead went with Republic Services. While Medford would only say that it went with the “lowest responsible bidder,” this newspaper learned through public records that the municipality paid $499,800 for its collection and disposal services in 2012, and Gold Medal proposed a charge of $1,105,799 for this year. Republic has agreed to charge Medford $810,781.20 during its initial year of providing services.

Representatives of TrashPro, a firm that helps municipalities conduct bid preparation for trash hauling services, listened to the both in-person and virtual (hybrid) May 18 Southampton meeting from remote locations via Zoom, and then were brought into the trash hauling conversation by Hoffman (though they were not formally introduced by name).

This newspaper later learned that the representatives were Dean DiValerio (whose LinkedIn profile page lists his most recent experience as “area president at Republic Services, Inc.”) and Amber Day (whose LinkedIn profile page lists her as division vice president for TrashPro, in addition to working until February of this year for Advanced Enviro Systems).

DiValerio discussed the “three very recent bids in the last couple of months,” including ones reportedly solicited by Mount Laurel, Willingboro and Mount Holly/Westampton townships. He acknowledged that the price for each bid “nearly doubled from the previous price,” and for Mount Holly and Westampton, “it went up more than twice, up quite a bit.”

He noted, however, that both Mount Holly and Westampton don’t place limitations on the amount of trash that can be put at the curb, and Day contended that Willingboro’s price included the cost of the specialized carts, “which that township will own at the end of five years.”

Mikulski pointed out, after hearing the results, that Willingboro is “a much larger

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town than we are.” DiValerio seized that opportunity by calling it a “good question,” contending that he spent a half-day in Southampton’s LeisureTowne section and observed that the retirement community accounts for approximately 50 percent of the homes in the municipality, is “very condensed and dense” and that its trash volume, while it “could be the time of year, looked very reasonable” with “two bags, or one can” put out by most residents.

Hagerthey, however, interjected at that point, maintaining that the retirement community’s trash output “fluctuates,” and just the week before, he had to do extra runs, and sometimes there is so much, “You have to haul trash out in the loader and can’t compress it.”

“Don’t underestimate the amount of trash LeisureTowne can generate,” Hagerthey warned. “It will surprise you and it surprises me.”

DiValer io note d that some of the municipalities, when putting out bid specs, limited residential pick-up to one 96-gallon cart per week, per household, maintaining that a lot of trash can be fit into such carts and that they are easy to handle for the elderly. He added that if Southampton contracted with a private hauler, the township is “looking at five to seven route days per week.”

Hof f m a n b e g a n i n qu i r i ng ab out Westampton’s circumstances, after claiming that the municipality was putting out notices that it was switching to the One-Armed Bandit trucks, with Mikulski quickly cutting the Southampton administrator short by remarking, “Let Westampton worry about Westampton!”

“I am just making sure that is accurate,” Hoffman retorted.

A discussion amongst Southampton officials then ensued about Springfield

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Now-former Rowan College at Burlington County soccer player Mario Arroyo, of Madrid, Spain, who was Region XIX Division I Player of the Year in 2018, and at the time 31st in the nation with 12 goals.

He was named to the First Team 2018 Division I Men’s Soccer All Region XIX and the 2018 Division I Men’s Soccer AllGSAC Team.

Lauren Tomei, a now-former Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) “Lady Baron,” who earned the “Woman of the Year” award in 2018 at the New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women’s National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD).

ATHLETICS

question of where we could put our resources that would have the greatest good for the most students.”

As for the college continuing to address the students as “Barons” in its communications while disbanding the teams going by that name, he maintained that the term “stands for the whole college,” which he said, “has many identification points,” as well as “many outstanding academic programs” and a “gorgeous” campus.

Just how significant the school considered its athletic program (as well as that nickname) until recently, however, is reflected in an online “Viewbook” entitled “Make a BOLD Investment. BE A BARON,” which came out after its main campus moved to Mount Laurel and describes RCBC as “New Jersey’s top-ranked community college and one of the fastest growing in the region.”

Among the aspects of the college it boasts about are “120+ Athletic Scholarships, including NJCAA Division I soccer, Division II basketball, baseball and softball, and Division III golf” and a description of how its “athletic opportunities include seven NJCAA Region XIX intercollegiate sports teams in the Garden State Athletic Con ferenc e,” i nclud i ng al l of thos e aforementioned sports. The booklet also includes pictures of student athletes.

A l s o p o st e d on l i n e i s a 14 -p a g e handbook from RCBC’s “Barons Athletics Department” that begins with a letter bearing the salutation, “Dear StudentAthlete,” followed by “Welcome to Rowan College at Burlington County! We are excited that you have chosen to participate in athletics at RCBC.” The letter goes on to note that, “The administrators, coaches and staff want your academic and athletic experiences at RCBC to be exciting, challenging and rewarding as you prepare for your life after college.

Our goal is for every student-athlete to leave with a better understanding of teamwork, cooperation, loyalty and dedication. We hope to develop all of our athletes into leaders in the classroom and on the field, and to prepare you for your next stage in life.”

Apparently, however, that will now no longer include preparation for the “next stage” in the life of a student athlete such as MacKenzie Santucci, of Columbus, who as a college soccer player was one of those women’s team members named to AllRegion and All-Conference team positions

(Continued from Page 8)

college’s Division of Student Success.

Another consideration, he indicated, was the fact that RCBC’s sleek, contemporary 112-ac re Mou nt Lau rel c a mpus has no facilities to accommodate athletic competitions, with the result that the resources of other institutions, such as Holy Cross Academy, had to be used for home games until the athletic schedule was interrupted last year by the pandemic.

“There is no space on the campus for sports fields,” said Volpe in reply to a query from this reporter, although “there had been preliminary discussions of nearby locations” for them, which he said would have involved yet “another expense” to be considered.

By contrast, the college’s old Pemberton campus, which was put up for sale after its base of operation was moved to Mount Laurel in 2018 (and still has not been sold), not only included indoor and outdoor venues for various sports, but a sizable aquatics complex and deep-water competition pool that was also used by area high schools and residents for swimming lessons, lifeguard training, scuba training and recreational swimming.

The decision to close that pool, which Cioce said at the time was “due to our central mission of providing affordable, highquality education,“ which “the challenge of the pool and the finances surrounding it made extremely difficult to continue,” was a source of considerable disappointment for many swimming enthusiasts in the surrounding area who had no comparable facility readily available to them.

But there was certainly no hint that the relocation of the main campus from Pemberton to Mount Laurel would result in the elimination of such amenities and activities when plans for the move were announced in 2015 by the school’s thenpresident, Paul Drayton. What he promised at the time, according to a newspaper account, was that “the Mount Laurel campus experience will rival those found at four-year universities.”

Volpe, while maintaining that the review of the athletic program was conducted prior to its activities being suspended in the wake of the pandemic, said he believed the decision to shut it down “was more of a

Saturday, May 29, 2021

and has since gone on to be selected to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women’s Lacrosse Weekly Honor Roll last month for the second time as a junior at Philadelphia’s Holy Family University.

As for the employees who oversaw the program, according to Volpe, most of the full-timers, including Athletic Director Heather Conger have found other positions in the college as they have what he called “transferable skills in student success and enrollment management.” That is not so for the coaches, however, as their jobs are seasonal, he said.

Ordinarily, of course, a development as important as the athletic program’s elimination would be a major story in a college’s student newspaper, but RCBC currently doesn’t have one of those, either, according to Volpe (a former newspaperman himself), who in response to a question about it, said “I’m told before my time here that there was one,” but had ceased publication. (There are occasional feature stories published at an online site called “Behind the Baron,” but these are apparently written by the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications.)

The lack of such a traditional venue to chronicle the achievements of the school’s athletes and teams might conceivably be one reason why so many commuting students reportedly had little awareness of or interest in them.

“If students wanted a newspaper, they can create one,” said Volpe, while noting that the school does have a journalism course.

When asked if RCBC would be willing to fund the publication of a student

newspaper, he replied, “Our college will explore anything our students propose that there is a significant interest in.” But he also contended that today’s students have other ways to communicate with each other, such as social media platforms.

Another means of communicating college news, campus radio station WBZC-FM, which had been on the air for 23 years and had an estimated 7,000-10,000 listeners, was shut down back in 2018 in conjunction with the move to Mount Laurel, switching to an online format that was said to be more in keeping with the kind of technology that will help students in their future careers.

In the meantime, the office of 3rd District Democratic Rep. Andy Kim has announced that RCBC will receive $17,970,041 in financial aid as part of the American Rescue Plan. The funding is part of $36 billion that will be going out to nearly 3,500 public and private, nonprofit colleges and universities nationwide to help them recover from the economic effects of the pandemic and continue serving their students safely.

At least half of the funding each institution receives will be distributed in the form of emergency cash assistance grants to students who are facing hunger, homelessness, and other hardships, Kim’s announcement noted.

RCBC is a n i ndep endent c ol lege, one of three county colleges that work in partnership with Rowan University (formerly Glassboro State College, site of the 1967 Glassboro Summit between President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexi Kosygin) to offer two-year students a chance to pursue an undergraduate degree at a reduced cost.

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JUNE

EVENT CALENDAR Events and special promotions happening locally this month!

♦ Page 11

To promote your July event on this page contact Jayne Cabrilla at 609-801-2392 or email jcabrilla@pinebarrenstribune.com

June 1

Train Rides Through the Woods of New Gretna Location: Bass River Township Details: The Woods of New Gretna Park and the New Jersey Shore Live Steam Organization provide train rides for all each Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The small steam locomotives, and other trains, wind their way through the beautiful park. The rides are provided by a group of dedicated volunteers who have revitalized the park and laid out the railroad track, based on the historical Tuckerton Railroad. The volunteers maintain the railroad and walking trails - and are constantly expanding them. Riding the trains is free, but donations are very much appreciated. The train rides are outdoors. Face masks are required.

June 6 Gospel Concert

Location: Pemberton (Borough) Details: First Baptist Church, Pemberton, is hosting a gospel concert, featuring Niah and Allisha Merrill. The Merrills are gifted musicians who offer spiritual encouragement and musical excellence. The concert begins at 4 p.m. and will be held at the church, 59 Hanover St., Pemberton. The concert is free, but an offering will be gratefully received. All are welcome.

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BUSINESS DIRECTORY

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♦ Page 13

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Saturday, May 29, 2021

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STRUGGLES

Five Rescued from Early-Morning Fire that Destroyed Group Home in Medford MEDFORD—Emergency personnel were credited with rescuing five individuals from an early-morning fire at what was described as a group home on the 100 block of Hickory Lane in Medford Township on May 24, with the help of an employee of the site.

One of the occupants of the house was treated at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for smoke inhalation, and four others were transported to Virtua Hospital in Marlton for evaluation, according to a news release from Medford Township Police Chief Richard J. Meder.

Local police, fire and EMS units were called out to the blaze shortly before 2:30

(Continued from Page 9)

a.m., arriving to find the building engulfed in flames. They also were told there were still people inside, and managed to safely extricate them, the release said.

Lt. Arthur Waterman, a spokesman for the Medford Township Police Department, subsequently confirmed a report that the structure was a group home, and that it had been effectively destroyed in the conflagration.

Evesham and Medford Lakes Fire Departments assisted in extinguishing the blaze, and the Medford Township Police Department and Fire Marshal’s Office were reported to be actively investigating the incident.

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Township, which reportedly recently rejected a trash-hauling bid, and may go out to bid again. Morris said that Southampton could do a joint bid with Springfield, and word it in such a way that each individual town could make a decision to accept or reject any bids.

After a few minutes had passed, with the Southampton committee moving on to a report from the Hampton Lakes Volunteer Fire Company, Raftery returned to the subject of trash hauling, contending that “since George says we do not have to accept bids, let’s go out – go out to bid with Springfield – let’s find out. That way we can have a discussion and actually compare costs.”

“Other than that, we are just kicking it down the road again and again,” maintained Raftery, contending that seeking such bids is not indicative of a decision, but rather “merely an indication of what the cost is going to be.”

That is when Young said he disagreed with doing so, “because when you come up with a bid package, you have to award or disqualify it for some reason.”

Hagerthey noted that if the Southampton committee does decide to privatize its trash service, “and brought guys off the street,” they would most likely be reassigned to “work on our storm drains,” which he said require reconstruction and are “falling apart” due to age, and that he “would like to cut a lot of these roads back with tree trimming.”

He warned, however, that both the needed storm drain repairs and tree trimming is not “never-ending work,” but rather assignments that would last about two years and eventually “dry up.”

Uncertainty, he said, evolves around what the Southampton governing body has planned for the Red Lion Recreational Complex, and that as it expands, so could possibly the workload, depending on what the DPW will be responsible for. He contended it would be unlikely that a private organization, such as the local recreation

association, would perform mowing and grooming. Some retirements are expected within the next couple of years, he noted, and perhaps those positions might not need to be immediately replaced.

“The only thing that concerns me with diminishing DPW is wintertime, and snow, which was constant this year,” Hagerthey said.

“You need to have 10 guys on the road; you have to keep up with it and make it effective. I think we were very effective this year, as we ran every piece of equipment on that property.”

The DPW manager declared that he “doesn’t know” that privatization is the township’s best option.

“You have options, but you have to really take into consideration, if you want to be in this business, and you want to keep it inhouse, you have to be on a program to supply these guys with the equipment needed to do it and not rely on me running around asking for favors so that we can get our main business done every week,” Hagerthey said.

“These trucks run every day, it is bad that I have to work around oil changes on these trucks, with double pick-ups, so I can keep the truck an extra day in town just so I can service the truck.”

Hoffman later told this newspaper that the trash trucks Hagerthey had to repair belonged to Medford and Eastampton townships, but contended it was authorized work.

In another email obtained by th is newspaper through the OPRA request, Southampton Chief Financial Officer Nancy Gower. when asked by Township Auditor Kevin Frenia if there would be a savings to offset the expense of having to contract for trash hauling, replied, “I don’t think there will be a savings, since we are not terminating any employees,” except “only gas/fuel and maintenance on the trucks.”

In a further email exchange obtained through OPRA, that took place between Hoffman and the clerk of Westampton, Marion Karp, as they discuss trash hauling, the latter mentions that her last day will be May 28 as she is retiring from her position, to which Hoffman replies, in part, “I have one more year and can’t wait.”

Page 14 ♦

MARKETPLACE/JOB BOARD

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

LAWYERS

READER ADVISORY

Erwin Apell Attorney, Browns Mills. All legal matters - free hotline 24/7. Visa, Mastercard.

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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. Also beware of ads that claim to guarantee loans regardless of credit and note that if a credit repair company does business only over the phone it is illegal to request any money before delivering its service. All funds are based in U.S. dollars. Toll free numbers may or may not reach Canada.

MISCELLANEOUS Artisan brooms at Burlington County Farmer’s Market, 500 Centerton Road, Moorestown, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Soft sweep for inside; stiff for outside. The broom handles made from storm damaged trees. Will be there May 22, May 29 and June 5. Natural colors.

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Individual wanted to dig a garden and plant in LeisureTowne.

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JOB BOARD

♦ Page 15

Employment Opportunity Skilled Carpenter First Class Lead Carpenter/Remodeler wanted to work with well established and organized company operating out of the Cherry Hill area for over 45 years. Experience in all phases with strong skill emphasis on framing, trim, cornice, cabinet installation, aluminum brake work, windows, doors and can read and understand blueprints.

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Page 16 ♦

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Saturday, May 29, 2021

IS YOUR BLADDER CONTROLLING YOUR LIFE?

Understanding Overactive Bladder Wednesday, June 9, 2021 | 6 p.m.

Location: Zoom Meeting Are you (or is someone you know) living with urinary frequency or urgency, with or without urine leakage? Overactive Bladder (OAB) can happen to people at any age, so join KATHIE OLSON, an advanced practice nurse and clinical coordinator of the Capital Health Center for Incontinence and Pelvic Health, to learn about the causes of OAB, changes you can make to improve it, and the many effective treatment options that are available. Don’t let your bladder run your life—by becoming informed, you become empowered!

This event will be taking place virtually using Zoom. Register online at capitalhealth.org/events and be sure to include your email address.

Zoom meeting details will be provided via email 2-3 days before the program date. Registration ends 24 hours before the program date.

@capitalhealthnj

Welcome to Capital Health OB/GYN. We believe your health starts with more than an appointment. It starts with trust.

It starts with doctors who ask the right questions. And then really listen to your answers. Where you spend more time talking through your concerns, than you do feeling concerned that you don’t know the “right way to ask.”

It’s a different approach to women’s health. One that we’ve been taking for over a hundred years. And that’s supported by a collaborative network of doctors, and a history of innovation, technology, and expertise.

Because you’d go to the ends of the earth for the right care. And so do we.

Find a doctor near you at CapitalHealthOBGYN.org

Mercer | Bucks | Burlington

Accepting Most Insurances, Including TRICARE