Pine Barrens Tribune October 1, 2022-October 7, 2022

‘SAVE THE MOOSE!’

Some of the 25 Mature Trees Threatened by Southampton Ballfield Project to be Saved in ‘Picnic Grove’ Compromise

Location of Convertible Baseball/Softball Field to Also Be Changed in Plan to ‘Save the Trees’, But Controversy Leads to New One Over Dog Park

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—A compromise has been reached to save at least some of the roughly 25 mature trees at the Red Lion Recreation Complex that were controversially slated to be removed to make way for a convertible baseball/softball field, but a local resident has declared that she will now be contacting “Trenton” (or the State of New Jersey) to see if any tree removal is actually permitted at the site, and the original controversy has led to a brand-new one about a promised dog park apparently not being part of the initial stages of the project.

According to Southampton Committeeman Ronald Heston, in remarks during a Sept. 20 Southampton Township Committee meeting, after paying a Sept. 16 visit to the site, he ultimately agreed with Committeeman Bill Raftery’s original, Sept. 9 assessment that the proposed removal of the “tree grove” (as Heston called it) is a “terrible” idea.

“Bill is absolutely correct in his assessment,” Heston declared.

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD—In what has amounted to a public relations disaster for Medford Township government, the municipality for the third time this year has flexed its muscle against a small enterprise over a seemingly “ridiculous” matter, this time

threatening the owner of a new bakery in town with a costly fine for having its logo part of a mural painted on the business’s exterior wall, maintaining it is in violation of a local sign ordinance, generating a tsunami of both support for the entrepreneur and ill will towards the Medford Township Council and the Mayor

Charles “Chuck” Watson administration.

And for the second time this year, after a Philadelphia television station aired an “embarrassing” report on Medford’s efforts, council has been publicly accused of “corruption,” with the latest township zoning matter even causing an influential

See MURAL/ Page 9

After “talking to” to the special project engineer, Rakesh R. Darji, of Environmental Resolutions, Inc., as well as Southampton Township Administrator and Clerk Kathleen D. Hoffman, Heston said he made a recommendation that “the tree grove be converted into a picnic grove.”

“And our administrator is in favor of it,” Heston maintained. “The engineer looked See TREES/ Page 8

Letter From Medford Twp. to New Bakery in Town That Maintains the Enterprise’s Mural Is in Violation of a Local Sign Ordinance Because It Comprises the Business’s Moose Logo Generates Tsunami of Support for Entrepreneur, Ill Will Towards Council, Administration

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

The mural for Maggie Moose Bakery & Gourmet Gift Boutique.

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON BOROUGH—As residents of Pemberton Borough continue their push for “dangerous” and “horrendous” sidewalks in town to be fixed, officials here spent the Sept. 19 Pemberton Borough Council meeting trying to clarify the municipality’s position presented the previous month – and in doing so, appeared to only generate more confusion.

Borough Administrator and Clerk Donna Mull had told residents last month that with the borough having the Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) as their insurance carrier and a sidewalk inventory in place, “if someone tries to sue us, we cannot be sued.” Borough Solicitor David Serlin at the time agreed, maintaining that the borough could only be “liable” for a sidewalk if it is on an inventory it maintains, a “second person trips” and there was an “actual Notice of Dangerous Condition.”

“Sidewalk law is confusing as hell,” the borough solicitor declared in August. “To impose responsibility on the homeowner, that is logical, but the state is not going to let us do that.”

But now, following both coverage in this newspaper and residents expressing shock with the borough’s August position, according to Serlin on Sept. 19, “council has asked me to look into a sidewalk ordinance, which I will do.”

“Right now, our sidewalk ordinance is really not that well versed about what to do,” the borough solicitor acknowledged.

During an August borough council meeting, Pemberton Borough Mayor Harold Griffin recounted how the borough, on three different occasions, applied for a New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) grant to redo the sidewalks for Elizabeth Street (a county road), but had been turned down each time.

Additionally, he described that the borough has since gotten a “call from the county” stating that the “top man wants a couple of trees taken down” that the borough apparently planted alongside Elizabeth Street.

The mayor contended that since that time “they are not going to take them down,” but that after the rights over the landscape was recently contested by the county, “I am not sure the sidewalks on Hanover or Elizabeth are the responsibility of the borough.”

But during the Sept. 19 borough council meeting, on a couple of occasions, Griffin was far more emphatic that Hanover and Elizabeth streets “are county roads” and a “county problem.”

Elizabeth Raney, who is one of several Hearthstone retirement community members calling on borough council to see to it that the sidewalks in town are fixed, including several that are in the raised position and currently presenting a tripping hazard, initially wanted to know on Sept. 19, “Is there anyone who goes around, (looking at) these sidewalks?”

“I started taking pictures and writing down addresses,” she noted.

Griffin initially replied, “uh huh.”

“And I want to know who is going to send letters to those owners to get them fixed,” Raney added.

That is when Serlin revealed he has been tasked with looking into creating a local sidewalk ordinance, and when Raney asked if it was either because “nobody is really responsible for repairing” them or because borough code is “not specific enough,” the solicitor maintained it was because of the latter.

Griffin then asked Raney for the locations of where “your problem is,” to which she replied that “it is in my pictures” and she has to “write it out.” The mayor requested that she give the locations to Mull. Ultimately, Raney revealed that one sidewalk of concern is on Hanover Street.

“I thought you were talking about Hearthstone,” the mayor quipped. “Your sidewalks are fine, aren’t they?”

Raney retorted that “our sidewalks are fine because we try to keep them up to date,” to which Griffin again uttered, “uh huh.”

“That is what we are asking for – for the rest of the town,” Raney declared.

The mayor, in response, asserted “let me explain something to you,” before detailing that “Hanover Street and Elizabeth Street are county roads.”

“They (the county) paved Hanover Street, but they don’t do curbs and sidewalks,” Griffin said.

“Every street that this body has jurisdiction over, when we pave the street, we put in new sidewalks and new curbs,” Griffin declared.

“At the end of next year, which will be the end of my term, we will have resurfaced and put in new curbs and sidewalks in almost every street in Pemberton Borough, except for Hanover and Elizabeth, which is a county problem.”

But that statement only appeared to generate more confusion, including for Raney.

“Then that means there should be no sidewalks messed up,” said Raney of how she interpreted the mayor’s remark.

While Councilman Robert Brock responded, “that’s not true,” Griffin also replied at around the same time, “That is right,” to which Raney declared she was “confused.”

The mayor, in trying to provide for clarification, pointed out that among some of the last remaining streets to be repaved in the borough are “this street in front of the municipal building” (Egbert Street) as well as Jane Street, reiterating that the sidewalk and curbing for a borough-maintained street is replaced when it is repaved.

“Every street this council and mayor does, we put new curbs and sidewalks in everywhere,” Griffin said. “Except for Hanover and Elizabeth streets – they are the county roads … they are responsible for curbing and sidewalks there – not us.”

In recognizing the mayor’s use of the word “we,” Raney asked, “Does that mean our taxes pay for it?”

“Because I think the homeowner should pay for that,” said Raney, maintaining the responsibility of repairing and replacing a sidewalk should fall on the property owner whose land is adjacent to it. “… That is the way it is in any community.”

Serlin, however, contended “that is not correct,” to which Raney maintained it was true of “any community that I have ever lived in.”

“I don’t know what community you are talking about,” she asserted, to which the borough solicitor said he is talking about the “other towns I represent.”

Griffin explained that the borough seeks

Medford Township’s Embattled Zoning Officer, After a ‘Position Change,’

Now ‘Executive Assistant to Manager’ with Unexplained Circumstances

By Enforcing Local Sign Ordinance That Predecessor Also Took Heat for Upholding

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD—Embattled Medford Township Zoning Officer Beth Portocalis is no longer serving in the post, but following a “position change,” has now been named “executive assistant to the manager,” the Pine Barrens Tribune has learned through both records it obtained through the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and posted on the municipality’s website.

Replacing Portocalis is Ann Bell, previously a some 15-year planner and zoning officer for Robbinsville Township, who in her first month on the job in Medford has already been the subject of fierce backlash by writing a letter to the proprietor of Maggie Moose Bakery & Gourmet Gift Boutique, alleging a mural maintained on the exterior wall of the Medfordbased business is in violation of a local sign ordinance because it contains the bakery’s moose logo (see separate story).

Portocalis, like Bell, initially became the subject of criticism after pursuing a violation of the local sign ordinance, the former going after a toy store in downtown Medford when the business had placed an LED open sign in its storefront window.

Just like in the bakery manner, many thought the enforcement of such an arbitrary provision was both “ridiculous” and “petty,” as well as interpreted it as a governmental attack on small business.

After the toy store matter generated negative publicity statewide, Medford Township Council attempted to appease businesses downtown, including by offering Food Truck Nights.

But controversy continued to swirl around

Portocalis, with allegations that she was too heavy-handed in her approach to zoning affairs, peaking earlier this year, when the nowformer zoning official, who also oversaw the municipality’s Code Enforcement Office, had involvement in several actions taken against the Carns family, many relatives of which are open critics of the current Mayor Charles “Chuck” Watson administration.

Among the allegations made at council meetings this past spring is that Portocalis trespassed on private property, spoke to residents in a curt matter and invaded a resident’s privacy.

As zoning violations were pursued against the 81-year-old Carns family matriarch, who is handicapped, including a summons for “failing to obtain a zoning permit prior to any use change” as well as another for “having more than one commercial vehicle” stored on her property, which is located within what the township has designated a “residential zone,” public records obtained by the Carns also revealed that the township had somehow obtained video recordings from the neighbor of the Carns’ tree farm who reportedly has initiated some of the zoning complaints against the family, including one clip that showed the neighbor apparently trespassing onto the Carns property and filming the various equipment and buildings on the property.

That led to charges that the apparently illegally obtained video was at least partially behind the township bringing the actions that it did against the Carns. And after those allegations were made, the Carns

See OFFICER/ Page 6

Three Men Killed by Car in Freak Woodland Township Accident Were Reportedly Attempting to Push Stalled Vehicle off Rt. 532

By Bill B onvie Staff Writer

WOODLAND—A freak accident that resulted in the deaths of three men in Woodland Township on the night of Sept. 24 was reportedly the result of an ill-fated attempt to push a stalled car off a rural road.

“They were helping somebody out,” a friend of two of the victims, who said he wished not to have his name used, told the Pine Barrens Tribune in regard to how the trio happened to be in the westbound lane of County Route 532 (Chatsworth-Barnegat Road), near milepost 16.75, at approximately 11:25 p.m. when a New Jersey State Police spokesman said they were struck by a Nissan Maxima that was traveling west.

The three, all of whom Facebook postings indicated shared a passion for cars, were identified as Dion Cardell, 50, of the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township, Michael Stull, 46, of Hamilton Township, Mercer County, and Brian Blaszka, 36, of the Forked River section of Lacey Township, Ocean County, were fatally injured while standing behind a Ford Mustang that had reportedly stopped in the road.

The Nissan then impacted the rear of the Ford before entering the eastbound lane and striking a fourth, unidentified pedestrian who sustained minor injuries, according to a preliminary accident report released by Sgt. Philip Curry of the state police’s Public Information Unit. The force of the impact, he said, was sufficient to push the Ford into the trees on the side of the road, with the drivers of both vehicles, who were also not identified, sustaining minor injuries as well.

The cause of the crash was still officially under investigation as of the evening of Sept. 28.

As the individual interviewed by this

newspaper explained the circumstances leading up to it, however, one of the victims maintained a shop in Woodland where all three of those killed had gathered on this particular Saturday night together with the driver of the Ford. The latter, along with another member of the group, eventually left the shop in that vehicle, only to suffer a breakdown just a mile away, prompting them to call their friends for help in getting it out of the roadway.

That is what the three victims, including the passenger, were endeavoring to do, he maintained, when they were struck by the Nissan.

In one of several Facebook tributes, a friend of Stull and Blaszka described them as “two respected down-to-earth men that were always smiling and would do anything to help others” as well as “family guys that loved cars.”

Other postings include a GoFundMe page for Cardell’s family, maintaining that he “would do anything for you” and “lived for his kids,” and a fundraiser to provide for their future care featuring a hoodie with his likeness and a DRT racing logo, 72 of which had already been sold by the this newspaper’s Sept. 28 deadline.

Photo Provided

A memorial for two of the three victims of the Woodland Township accident.

Replacement Zoning Officer, in Her First Month on the Job, Generates Controversy

Presidential Lakes Leaders, Residents Meet with Pemberton School Officials

to ‘Find Things We Can Do Right Now to Get Better’ with School Bus Safety

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—Four administrators of the Pemberton Township School District, in response to recent safety concerns expressed about consolidated school busing in Presidential Lakes, met with both community leaders and parents on Sept. 21 in hopes “we can find things we can do right now to get better,” though the district leaders advised attendees they could not make any firm commitments just yet.

And while a few adjustments to the existing school bus routes are possible in the near-term, more substantial action, Superintendent of Schools Jeff Havers indicated, is mostly reliant upon the district being able to hire more school bus drivers amid a national driver shortage and greater school funding, as well as any buy-in in regard to improving infrastructure from the municipality.

Linda Vadon, president of the Presidential Lakes Civic Association, previously described to this newspaper that during the previous school year, Pre-K and elementary children in the community were picked up for school at the “corner closest to their home.” The Mom’s Deli and Presidential Lakes Recreation Center parking lots, she said, were also “safe zones” for children to “get on and off the bus.”

“Door-to-door pickup” in the community, she further explained, “only applies to children with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).”

But now the “use of these parking lots (at Mom’s Deli and the Presidential Lakes Recreation Center) have been removed from the current bus routes” for the new school year, Vadon contended, in favor of what she maintained are “unsafe, centralized stops designated for the Pre-K and elementary students.”

“What’s happening is the central stops are being spread out even farther and put on main roads in the communities, which are hazardous,” Vadon described this

See SAFETY/ Page 5

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—A little more than a month after Dennis Lepold was named interim principal of Pemberton Township High School (PTHS), Jermaine Blount has been chosen as a permanent replacement for departing, veteran principal Eder Joseph.

Shortly after the highly respected and beloved Joseph said his final goodbye to a standing ovation during a Sept. 22 Pemberton Township Board of Education meeting, Blount was officially appointed to the high school principal post at a salary of $164,900.

Blount’s appointment becomes effective Dec. 1.

“I am very excited to join the Pemberton Township community as the new high school principal,” declared Blount following his appointment. “I heard a lot of great things about ‘our’ school. I have studied all the programs, all the career pathways, and all the college career readiness opportunities that the students have. So, with my experience and background, I am clearly glad to be the new principal of the high school. I will be dedicated and make decisions to benefit the students.”

Blount described to this newspaper in a later interview that he was a teacher of Math and English for five years in the Trenton public school system before he transitioned into the role of a school administrator.

He has been a school administrator now for the past 21 years, he noted, and for the past 16 years, he has worked for the East

Windsor Regional School District, currently serving as an assistant principal.

Blount told this newspaper he has “worked at both the elementary, middle and high school levels” as a school administrator.

One of his top goals, he said, upon moving into the Pemberton post is “working with parents, students and administrators to provide the best education possible for our

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Experienced School Administrator of 21 Years, Who Also Served as a Teacher for Trenton Public Schools, Is Named PTHS Principal Outgoing Principal of Pemberton High, Eder Joseph, in Saying Goodbye, Fervently Declares He “Believes the Majority of Our Students Do Right’; Pemberton School Board Also Bids Farewell to Business Administrator

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari Jermaine Blount, who has been chosen as a permanent replacement for departing, veteran Pemberton Township High School principal Eder Joseph.

Superintendent to Have Discussion with Mayor About Improving Infrastructure; School Business Administrator, Transportation Director Will Look at Routes, But Have Held Off on Any Commitments Due to Driver Shortages, Funding Cuts

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari Pemberton Schools Superintendent Jeff Havers explains to Presidential Lakes residents and community leaders that “our goal is always to try to get better.”

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(Continued from Page 4)

newspaper.

Vadon, during the Sept. 21 community meeting, described that school children (as well as their parents and guardians), as a result, are now having to walk on the “main roads” of Presidential Lakes, including New York Avenue, Connecticut Avenue and Washington Boulevard, to get to their bus stops. Yet, she pointed out, “we don’t have any infrastructure here – we don’t have signage, don’t have crosswalks, don’t have crossing guards, and can barely can get the police here.”

“That is my concern, there is nothing here to help protect these young families that have to walk to these stops on these main roads,” Vadon said.

School Business Administrator Dan Smith, accompanied at the community meeting by Marie Goodwin, who will be taking over for him as he moves to another school district, as well as Havers and Transportation Director Edmund Treadaway, explained that “with the driver shortage, we are being forced to become more efficient in what we do.”

“Six or seven years ago,” he added, the district “had a surplus of drivers,” allowing for “adjustments, added stops, and the moving around of stops” all while timing “wasn’t really a concern,” but “over the last four years, each year things have gotten tighter and tighter.”

“And it just becomes a struggle trying to meet the needs of all the families, providing services we provided for so many years,” Smith said.

The “luxuries,” as Smith put it, that the Pemberton district had long been able to provide to its school families have been “shrunk down,” and “not just by S2 (a revised school funding formula causing the Pemberton district to lose significant state aid), but by the lack of drivers.”

Vadon, a school bus driver herself, agreed that the “landscape is changing as far as student transportation,” but maintained it is all the more reason that various entities in town need to “partner up” to develop the infrastructure, the latter she contended is clearly becoming a “necessity.”

“Moving forward, if we all know about the driver shortages – and drivers jumping ship, and maybe if this is the way we are going – spreading stops out, we need to talk to the people in charge of the township to put this stuff in place,” Vadon said.

Havers responded that he will certainly “relay the concerns” to Pemberton Township Mayor David Patriarca, but that he can’t say

for sure that the municipality will “put speed bumps in, or signs to help with safety.”

“Pemberton is challenged in many locations with sidewalks,” added Havers in response to Vadon making the observation that Presidential Lakes does not have sidewalks. “That is the case in many areas. I grew up in Browns Mills, and the sidewalks were not there.”

Jack Tompkins, a Republican candidate challenging Patriarca in a November election, attending the community meeting, however, contended that “people move out here because they don’t want sidewalks.”

“A lot of places in Pemberton Township don’t want sidewalks,” he declared.

Havers said he “wasn’t going to talk to the mayor about sidewalks,” with Vadon recognizing they are not ideal for the community because of the cost to taxpayers and that they take away from the “charm,” but pointed to the area where she drives her school bus in nearby Medford Township having “crosswalks, flashing lights, crossing guards, and police presence – big time.”

“We can relay that for sure,” Havers responded.

The superintendent noted that “our goal is always to try to get better” and that he is “hoping we can find things we can do right now to get better,” and if not, put them on a list to be done.

“Part of it is, we need more drivers,” Havers said. “If we had more drivers, then we can start dividing up the routes, and not just here, but in other locations. There are other areas (of town) that experience the same challenges. So, at the very least, if we get better feedback, we can at least help put a plan in place so if we get more drivers, we can attack it. The goal is always to try to do better and always do what we can for our kids.”

The superintendent told attendees that he is already “working closely” with local Congressman Andy Kim in trying to have a federal regulation modified that currently requires a prospective school bus driver to “take the same test as someone driving an 18-wheeler cross country.”

While a temporary “waiver is good,” the federal government “needs to rethink the test long term,” according to the superintendent.

“The system the federal government has in place right now is not helping us,” added Havers, pointing out that school districts are now in competition with trucking companies for drivers. “The federal government – I’ll keep hounding them.”

Smith said that the Pemberton district has employed a “driver trainer,” in response to the issues, who he said is “constantly

Jack TOMPKINS

Dan DEWEY

Josh WARD

Jack Tompkins, Dan Dewey &JoshWard

in theUnited States Coast Guard Reserve and as Commanding Officer of the United States Naval Sea Cadet YouthProgram. Josh also volunteered for the New Jersey Reclaim the BayInitiative. He holds an Associates Degree in Specialized Business from the Restaurant School of Philadelphia.

Jackand hiswife Penroong have been married 36 years and have lived in Pemberton Townshipfor over 25 years. Jack is aretired Air Force member with Air Force vocational training. He also served on Pemberton’s Council andinmanycivic associations. Jackstays active in the military community as a member of the American Legion and the Disabled American Veterans.

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

Thomas Hurley, of Presidential Lakes, discusses problematic bus stops with Pemberton School Business Administrator Dan Smith (right).

from Page 3

learned through additional public records that Portocalis had been allegedly “hiding in the woods” around the morning rush hour, photographing their commercial activities on the tree farm, including monitoring the tree trucks, pictures of which were archived in an email by the official taking them.

There was also an email exchange that one of the Carns siblings had obtained and brought to light that called into question an apparent relationship between the neighbor and Portocalis.

“You guys should be worried about this …,” declared David Carns during a council meeting earlier this year following the discovery.

That warning from David Carns followed a resident, Terri Palmer, telling council that Portocalis is “off the hook – she is rude and on a power grab constantly,” with the resident going as far to allege “she is socially inept as far as I am concerned.”

“She does not know how to socialize, how to discuss and she gets nasty,” Palmer maintained. “She is always right – no matter if the facts are in front of her. She is still right. My neighbor just

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(Continued from Page 5)

meeting with interested parties,” and that the district “already has a handful of people that the trainer is working with now,” but that the process “takes time – up to three months before one can take a test.”

Vadon agreed it is a much more intensive process than was the case previously, pointing out that the more stringent CDL

had an incident with her because Beth Googled and saw something in his yard. So, Beth wanted to know what it was. That is overstepping. That is a little outrageous. You just don’t decide to Google somebody’s property and show up there and say, ‘Well, did you get a permit for this?’ That is wrong; it is a power grab, and it has got to stop.”

Another set of revealed emails showed that Portocalis also cooperated with a request from Republican Medford Township Deputy Mayor Frank Czekay for a zoning investigation into another resident the day after that person had spoken critically of council over a proposed commercial truck ban.

The position of Medford Township “zoning officer” was posted on the municipality’s job opening webpage around June 3.

Portocalis’ name was ultimately stripped off the township’s zoning webpage as the municipal zoning officer around Aug. 17, and replaced with that of Bell. Around the same time, the township manager’s webpage was updated to reflect that Portocalis is the “executive assistant to the manager,” as well as the “open space coordinator,” the latter a position she reportedly already held.

Portocalis did not return this newspaper’s requests for comment on the zoning officer

testing requirements for prospective school bus drivers also require one to lift the hood of a school bus and identify various engine components, and that the state recently enacted a law requiring school bus drivers over 70 to take physicals every so often.

Treadaway explained a school bus driver must undergo a physical once every other year if over the age of 70, and that school bus drivers over the age of 75 are required to undergo physicals “every six months.”

Yet again, Vadon reiterated the need to

position being advertised, and Medford Township Manager Kathy Burger, who is charged with handling media relations for the township, did not respond to requests for comment on the circumstances surrounding Portocalis’ employment as of press time.

However, the public records obtained by this newspaper on Sept. 2, including paperwork from Portocalis’ employee file, reveals that Portocalis, on Aug. 15, had a “position change” from zoning officer to “executive assistant to the manager,” and in that change being made, was transferred from the municipal Zoning Department to the Manager’s Office.

Her salary remained the same with the position change, $87,304.

However, when Medford Township Council last held a public budget discussion earlier this year pertaining to the possible hiring of an assistant for Burger, Watson explained there was background conversation to hire a “lower cost employee,” and council ultimately arrived at a consensus to create an “entry-level” position at around $14.50 an hour, plus benefits.

The governing body ultimately agreed to budget $40,000 for the assistant role, maintaining it was “sufficient for this year.”

With Portocalis the head zoning official at the time, as well as having some involvement with

respond to the changing transportation landscape with infrastructure improvements should the need continue to have “more spread-out consolidated stops.”

However, the Presidential Lakes Civic Association president called for changes in the near-term, maintaining that “the issue is New York Avenue is dangerous, and so is Connecticut Avenue.”

“No one with an elementary school child should be walking along this road, and you do have this scenario right now,” she

social media for the township, in addition to her open space coordination responsibilities, the entry-level person was supposed to be designed to “take a lot off Beth’s plate.”

It’s unclear what exactly transpired since that time, but there was apparently some sort of discussion behind closed doors, with recentlyreleased July 19 council executive session meeting minutes indicating, “Mrs. Burger informed council of the hiring of Ann Bell as the new zoning officer. Discussion ensued.”

That discussion, however, is not detailed in the released minutes.

Under the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA), all formal action is required to occur in the open, with the minutes having to be “reasonably comprehensible.”

Portocalis, however, still attended the September court session involving the zoning summonses issued to Carolyn Carns. On May 24, Township Solicitor Timothy Prime, wrote to the Carns that “Beth Portocalis would no longer be involved with the investigation of any alleged zoning violations or other municipal ordinance violations involving Cornerstone Tree Service or the Carns family.”

A couple of township sources, in reacting to the “position change,” maintained Portocalis’ new title feels more like a “promotion.”

explained to the district officials.

Another issue, she maintained, is that three people have contacted her to advise that the district has their siblings in three different busing tiers at the same time, with as many as three different bus stops, and the parents and guardians “can’t be in three different places at once,” with at least one mother having only one vehicle.

In one instance, she explained, it resulted in an “elementary school child” getting

TREES

at it and said, ‘My gosh, I never gave that a thought.’”

Hoffman, attending the latest township committee meeting, did not challenge Heston’s statement that she was in favor of the picnic grove.

Southampton Mayor Michael Mikulski explained that in order to “save the trees,” the proposed convertible baseball/softball field “is being moved over another 35 feet” from its originally planned location and that a planned fence to complement the field “is being shortened” from what was originally proposed.

“Mr. Raftery, I owe you an apology,” said Phyllis Fisher, a resident of the Vincentown Village section of Southampton, who suggested in the past she was critical of the committeeman. “I want to thank you on behalf of so many people, and speaking up, and not going ahead to remove those trees.”

This newspaper previously reported that Raftery, during a special Sept. 9 township committee meeting, essentially halted a vote that was in progress on a funding mechanism for the project (an ordinance allowing the township to remove $250,000 from the municipal Open Space Fund to put toward construction of the new ballfield), objecting to the removal of some 25 “mature trees” at the Red Lion complex, maintaining they are essentially the only ones there that complement an otherwise “barren” landmass. He also indicated his displeasure that the governing body was moving swiftly to vote on the project, noting he was not even sure what he was voting on.

His objection to the tree removal, which even saw him having a public disagreement

with his longtime committee ally, Mikulski, led to the ultimate Sept. 9 tabling of a resolution that would have approved the installation of the convertible baseball/softball field – which had been the whole reason the governing body met at a special time, on a Friday afternoon, in the first place.

Heston maintained on Sept. 20 he “wanted to be sure the public” knows that when Raftery “called to our attention” the trees, the five township committeepersons took it seriously, explaining that the reason it had been missed by the other committeepersons is that there had been “16 pages of blueprints” and it was easy for one to “not be looking at the tree line” when reviewing them.

“I didn’t notice it – plain and simple,” declared Heston, who had initially entered a vote on the funding mechanism before Raftery’s objection stopped it cold turkey. “Once it was called to my attention, and I went out and looked at it, I said, ‘no.’”

Mikulski noted “that is why there are five us on the committee,” so that there is a greater chance that one of the members might see something that the others may not, or to portray an opposing view.

According to the mayor, of the approximately 25 trees of concern, “the deciduous trees are remaining and are not being taken down.”

However, “depending on the ultimate size of the field, there may be some white pine trees that have to come down.”

“Our professionals recommend taking those (white pine) trees down anyway, because once they reach a certain height, limbs tend to fall, and you are going to have kids and adults around those fields,” Mikulski contended.

As of right now, however, this newspaper observed that the current area of trees in question is well away from the three existing soccer fields at the complex, and is surrounded by a wide area of tall weeds, including ragweed.

It is only the addition of the convertible baseball/softball field that would make way for public traffic near them.

Heston, in expanding upon the plan for the trees, noted that there would also be “some trimming” and that “maybe one big tree has to come down” because “there looks like there is a lot of damage higher up,” but that it needs to be “investigated” further.

“So, of the trees that are left, the underbrush would be eventually removed, but not during the initial construction, of course,” Heston explained. “But it will be removed. The township is going to be looking into some picnic tables and we’ll have shade in that area. So, if parents come out to see their kids play, and they are not interested in coming out to watch a ballgame, they can go to the picnic grove, sit in the shade and capitalize on what is there.”

Raftery did not say a word about the compromise during the latest township committee proceedings, and even when it came time for his committee comments, declined to make any. But previously, in a phone interview this newspaper, the committeeman explained that a sycamore tree in the patch is his favorite. He also pointed out that there is a bunch of “wildlife” observed in the patch of the trees.

Fisher, in thanking Raftery, recounted that her husband has “been involved with baseball” for some three decades, and in doing so, spent many Sundays at the baseball diamond at the Harry W. Thompson Field, (which is across the street from the Red Lion Recreation Complex formerly the Good Farm), and therefore is acutely aware that “the trees are what makes the park.”

“We always said, ‘They (the town fathers) should go over to Hainesport and see their park,’” said Fisher, who appeared to recount a memory from the time when Committeeman James F. Young, Sr. was mayor of Southampton. “We were always going to kidnap Mr. Young and take him over there to see what a real township could do with a little bit of money!”

Fisher demanded to know if “you take all those trees down,” was “Murphy (or Democratic Governor Phil Murphy) going to let you do it?” She noted that when she wanted two trees topped in front of her yard in Vincentown, she was asked if she had $30,000 to pay in fines as she was advised “you are not allowed to do it anymore.”

“They told me, ‘“You can’t cut all the trees down,’” Fisher recalled. “Then I read about this in the paper. … I want to know where you get the authority to cut any trees down!”

Mikulski replied that “nothing in the State of New Jersey code stops us from cutting down any trees,” to which Fisher retorted, “Thankyou, I will call Trenton tomorrow.”

The mayor also revealed during the Sept. 20 township committee session that the municipality will be “planting 30 new trees this year and next,” maintaining the trees would be “coming from the county.” The planting “will

help make up,” he said, for the loss of any trees.

But with the township committee now not planning to remove all of the mature trees, with Raftery previously revealing the cost to remove that many was some $45,000, longtime LeisureTowne retirement community and township political activist, Evelyn “Evie” Doherty, asked why the governing body was still moving forward with removing $250,000 from the township’s Open Space Fund to fund the ballfield project. She pointed out that she only learned about all of this through the “Pine Barrens newspaper.”

“We don’t have to spend all the money,” Mikulski replied.

Doherty, in what shaped up to be a lively public spat between the activist and mayor, pointed out that the money is still being “allocated.”

“It doesn’t mean we have to spend it,” Mikulski responded. “If the ultimate cost ends up being less, that money will remain.”

That response from the mayor led Doherty to ask, “Why not take that $45,000 and turn it into a dog park that I have been waiting for since the complex was first defined?”

“Because the dog park, as we talked about before, is at a later stage in the project,” Mikulski replied.

That led Doherty to ask the mayor, “What later stage?” and “How many stages is this going to have?” as some officials contended the convertible baseball/softball field is part of “Phase III.”

This newspaper previously reported that the last-presented concept plan for the overall complex project showed four multi-purpose fields, five ball fields, an amphitheater, a boardwalk, two bocce courts, a sledding hill, a skating pond, a comfort station with a concession area, several picnic pavilions, multiple field sheds, and an irrigation pump house. Earlier this month, Mikulski revealed building a basketball center has also been discussed, although he noted that the possible facility could or could not be at the complex.

“It depends on how much money we get,” responded Mikulski of when the dog park would be installed.

With the governing body ultimately deciding, by a vote of 5-0 Sept. 20 to remove $250,000 from the township’s Open Space Fund to build a convertible baseball/softball field, Doherty demanded to know, “How much is left in the Open Space Fund.”

Hoffman answered, “another $250,000.”

The mayor, at the start of the latest township committee session, explained that “the fund is already on everyone’s tax bill,” or represents “1 percent of your tax dollar,” and contended that the municipality has to dip into the fund for the remaining parts of the planned project because the county’s recreation grant funding to the town has been reduced from $250,000 to $75,000 annually.

“I am concerned all you are doing is building soccer fields and ballfields all over,”

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

A view of the “tree grove” that will ultimately be turned into a “picnic grove” with some of the trees coming down.

MURAL

community figure – one who long supported the Watson administration, to publicly shame Medford officials on social media, while also lending his support to the bakery.

“It is sad to see Medford Township revert back to being unfriendly to small businesses,” declared Joe Maggelet, administrator of the Medford 08055 Facebook group, who has also recently expressed his dismay with the township also moving to vigorously prosecute the 81-year-old, handicapped Carns family matriarch over her children operating a tree service on her tree farm, and having stored two commercial tree service trucks on the 30-acre parcel, a supposed violation of township zoning ordinances that only permits one commercial vehicle parked on a parcel in a residential zone, and prohibits commercial business operations there.

The township’s new focus on a brightly colored mural at 185 Route 70 comprising a cheery moose logo for Maggie Moose Bakery & Gourmet Gift Boutique, which has quickly become popular with both young children and their families – serving as both a source of happiness and community pride, is occurring amid Pine Barrens Tribune reporting that the township ignored its own critical infrastructure for extended periods of time over the last several years, all in addition to an ongoing “debacle” with trash pickup in which the municipality is struggling to both take action and communicate accurate information.

The critical infrastructure woes include failing to make timely repairs to fire hydrants, as well as to the Kirby’s Mill Dam, the latter currently considered a “hazard” by the mayor’s own admission with the municipality now scrambling to make repairs due to an engineer’s increasing concern about its stability and a looming inspection report that is due.

In response to Maggelet (who even changed the cover photo for the local Facebook group page to that of the mural in question in an apparent show of support for the bakery) sharing in the local Facebook group this newspaper’s article about the township’s failure to repair Kirby’s Mill Dam, asking, “Who is running Medford Township?”, one local, closely following the ordeals (with the Carns matter also entailing a zoning official maintaining a “freedom of expression” sign was in violation of local code), suggested to “Put up a sign, they’ll definitely notice that.”

“Too concerned with harassing family farms and dealing with the moose outbreak than to actually do something important,” wrote another local in response to Maggelet’s posting.

Another area resident observed that “if that dam fails, that effects everyone along the Rancocas Creek.”

“Yep, can’t believe the township wastes their time and money on the Carns family and a cute moose,” the woman asserted.

Another area citizen asked, “How about (Medford) deal with REAL issues, and leave small farms and businesses alone?”

“Wow, what’s gotten into Medford?” the citizen inquired, to which another pointed out, “They’re too busy trying to ban moose murals.”

The hullabaloo over the township’s acting on the moose mural began Sept. 19 when Candy Vargas-Thibeau, “proud Medford business owner” of Maggie Moose Bakery, posted on her Facebook page that just after a pipe burst had temporarily closed her establishment, she received a letter in the mail from the township’s zoning officer, Ann Bell (Beth Portocalis no longer holds the position – see separate story).

Vargas-Thibeau posted a copy of the

zoning letter for everyone to see on the bakery’s Facebook page, with the subject line of the letter “Re: Wall Painted Signage,” informing her that Bell “observed a wall sign painted on the westerly side of the building within the shopping plaza” and that more specifically, “since your moose logo is included on the painted side of the building, this is a violation” of the local sign ordinance.

Bell then gave the bakery owner two “options” to abate the alleged violation, maintaining that either “the building facade can be repainted to remove the moose logo and replaced with the existing pink background with a mix of colored sprinkles,” or “you may apply for a bulk variance from the Zoning Board of Adjustment to seek approval to have the existing moose logo remain.”

The latter option, she wrote, would result in “any potential violation” being “held in abeyance” until the local zoning board “renders a decision.”

Vargas-Thubeau had just taken a vacant storefront in the shopping center and transformed it into a vibrant creation with a thriving business.

“Apparently, because the wall had a painting of our mascot, Maggie Moose, it is considered signage and will need to be painted over,” she wrote in a note to customers accompanying Bell’s letter. “Needless to say, I am heartbroken. We are in full support of local artists beautifying and bringing smiles to the community through their art!

“This bylaw seems to be the silliest, and it saddens me, because as a new business, I just wanted to give y’all something fun to look at, that makes you smile! It’s also disheartening that a business has to go through such hurdles in this town each and every step of the way just to function.”

Vargas-Thubeau, in adding that, “I need your help,” and pointing out that the “only way around this is to try to apply for a bulk variance,” requiring “a lawyer who has experience in land usage to represent me,” asked for recommendations, maintaining she is in “need of each and every one of you to help me present my case when it’s time to go up in front of the board for approval.”

“Please send me photos of you, your kids, your family and friends with our Moose while she’s still up!” Vargas-Thubeau added. “You can also email your support for keeping our moose.”

What followed was a barrage of community support and plethora of locals posting pictures they took in front of the mural, with calls to “Save the Moose!”

The following day, the matter attracted the attention of the local Fox affiliate, WTXF-TV-Philadelphia, also known as Fox 29.

The television station aired a report highly critical of the situation on its 5 and 6 o’clock evening newscasts, and a news anchor, prior to tossing to the reporter, declared “the community is not happy.”

That television reporter began his report by asserting “your kids will love it” and asking if it is “actually a sign,” before further questioning if the township’s position that it is one, is a matter of “governmental nitpicking,” all while even shaking his head in apparent state of disbelief.

The television reporter – who even posed for a picture in front of the mural himself, one later posted to Facebook – then highlighted the thoughts of two female patrons, one who called the mural “gorgeous” and another who declared, “Oh – this is the best and it should not be destroyed.”

Vargas-Thubeau explained “our mascot” featured in the mural “is part of our signage” and “they (the township) consider it part of our signage because it is our logo.”

“They don’t have an issue with the mural,

at the Market!

Joseph A. DePetris

-

Joseph A. DePetris passed away peacefully on September 25th at his home in Avalon, N.J. He was 102 years old. Born March 15, 1920, in Philadelphia, he was the son of William and Ernesta (nee Condello) DePetris, and the beloved husband of his late wife Rosemary (nee Sangster) who together shared 67 years of marriage.

Joseph is survived by his 5 children, James (Mary) of Radnor, Michael of Conshohocken, Steven (Christine) of Merchantville, David (Trish) of Newtown and daughter Donna Marie Groskoph (John) of Summit; grandchildren Thea, Jennifer, Jill, Jackie, Jamie, Michael, Austin, Robbie, Emily Ann, Josh, Jake, Shannon, Sean; great grandchildren Mackye, Beau, Quinn, Johnny, Keira, Jimmy, Chase, Ava, Hannah, Heidi, Henley; and his sister Rita Vallis. Joseph is preceded in death by his brother Michael and sisters Mary and Theresa.

Joseph was a devoted husband and loving father who served as the patriarch of his family. He was a persistent hard worker and a man of faith who loved God and his family.

He grew up in South Philadelphia and Chestnut Hill where his family had a tailor and dry-cleaning business. His experience living through the Depression had a lasting impact on his life. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving on the USS Sturtevant (DE-239) during World War II. Coming home, he met his wife Rosemary at a church dance and soon started his family in Chestnut Hill before moving into the suburbs in 1960 to Moorestown, N.J. Joseph and Rosemary’s family flourished in Moorestown with all children attending Moorestown High School.

He was a successful businessman and real estate developer. He started his career working at South Jersey Mortgage Company for 18 years where he honed his financial and real estate contacts and relationships. He would go on to partner with investors to acquire and develop land in the Southern Jersey market. He was also a partner in the Howard Lumber Company in Runnemede, N.J. and also in the Hilton located at 10th and Packard in Philadelphia (now home to the Live Hotel and Casino). In the late 1960’s, he purchased large tracts of land in Medford, N.J. which included taking ownership of the Lake Pine

Water Company. After a few years, he sold the local water company, tired of repairing frozen pipes at all times of the day/night. In Medford he would go on to build his most successful project and his one and only shopping center, The Village at Taunton Forge. He took pride in creating a retail center that was different than the typical “strip” centers that were being developed during the late 1970s and 1980s. The center would become known as his “baby” as he cared for it deeply, handling the daily management and often doing much of the maintenance himself. The center would be the catalyst for his sons’ careers in commercial real estate brokerage and development.

Joseph would always tell his children that he was a “lucky guy” with all his family and good fortune and that although he wasn’t the smartest man, he was persistent.

Joseph lived in Jupiter, Fla. during winter and Avalon, N.J. during the summer.

He loved spending time on his deck basking in the sun and enjoying happy hours with his beloved toast Cent’ Anni (“May you live a hundred years”). He enjoyed fishing, gardening, and working around the house as a handyman. His greatest joy was time spent dancing with his wife Rosemary.

The DePetris Family will forever be grateful to Nana who cared so lovingly for both Joseph and Rosemary as their devoted caregiver during the past 15 years.

Joseph’s life was a celebration of love and family. He was blessed to live a very full life. He will be greatly missed by his family, relatives, and friends. His life and legacy will forever be remembered.

Relatives and friends are invited to the visitation on October 5th, 2022, from 8:00-10:00 a.m. at Mount Laurel Home for Funerals located at 212 Ark Rd. in Mt. Laurel, N.J. The Funeral Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church located at 42 W. Main St. in Moorestown, N.J. The internment will take place immediately following the funeral mass at Locustwood Memorial Park located at 1500 Marlton Pike West in Cherry Hill, N.J.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Joseph’s memory can be made to the Rosemary DePetris Foundation, P.O. Box 1468, Summit, NJ 07901.

SAFETY

“dropped off unattended,” having to walk down Washington Boulevard “without an adult.” A grandmother, responsible for that child, “has children coming from different directions.”

“It sounds like some things have kind of slipped through,” Vadon asserted.

Smith responded that the district’s school bus mapping system relies on “geo-coding” and that it “might not be exact” in some instances. He said he would look into whether there is a “fix we can do.”

Havers reiterated district officials “will see what we can do” and that everyone “has to be careful” in committing to any promises given the current situation.

“I do have some true concerns with the younger children, walking down Connecticut Avenue, walking down New York Avenue to get to a stop,” Vadon repeated. “So, that is the main issue for me personally.”

And a “main concern” about that, she added, is that in the wintertime, when it snows, because there are no sidewalks, the kids (and their parents and guardians accompanying them) would be “forced to walk in the middle of the street.”

“The siblings’ conflict, we can check into,” Smith said. “I know we talked about New York and Connecticut avenues. I don’t know if there is any way we can avoid both those streets. It is something we can look at. If those are the two main concerns – the things brought up previously, were really good ideas – speed humps and signage. We would definitely support the association and township moving forward with those. We can explore getting off Connecticut.”

Tompkins inquired whether the Pemberton district could put snowplows on

its school buses to help with safety during snowstorms. Treadaway responded that in the northern states, it is actually done, but in New Jersey, it is illegal.

“We have a problem in a lot of areas, which is why we end up closing down more than most schools because of road conditions,” Havers recognized. “Often the roads are not plowed because it is such a massive area. The town is 64 square-miles, which presents a challenge.”

The Republican mayoral candidate also asked if the Pemberton district could work in tandem with the township to apply for the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT)’s Safe Routes to School grant, with Smith replying that the district is already utilizing such funds for a project, and that the program is for improving infrastructure “within a two-mile radius of a school building.”

“Presidential Lakes does not qualify,” Smith declared.

Tompkins replied that “if a kid leaves a house and is walking to a bus stop, that is an extension of school.”

“You are right, the bus is an extension of school,” Smith said. “But I don’t think it qualifies in that sense for Safe Routes to School.”

As concerns continued to be expressed about the distance between student homes and their bus stops, Treadaway, in measuring them via a special tool, maintained most don’t exceed one-tenth of a mile or a block-and-a-half and that there are none that exceed one-half mile, unless a parent specifically requested a student be assigned to a particular bus stop.

He also pointed out that “there are so many students in Presidential Lakes,” four school buses are required to serve the community. That fact “surprised” Vadon.

TREES

(Continued from Page 8)

Doherty quipped. “How many fields do you have in Southampton?”

Raftery, on Sept. 9, had also raised the issue of the township having a number of fields, pointing out new fencing and dugouts had just been installed at the Southampton Sports Complex, or part of the same parcel as the municipal building, accessible from Retreat Road, all while the plan was to move all recreation facilities over to the Red Lion Recreation Complex. At the time, the mayor said the Southampton Sports Complex ballfields could be turned into “backup” fields.

Officials, on Sept. 20, initially struggled to provide a firm answer to Doherty’s question about the number of rec fields, with Doherty refining her question to, “How many soccer fields and ballfields have you put up in Southampton since the beginning of this (Red Lion) complex?”

The mayor replied, “three soccer fields” and “none” as to the number of new ballfields. But well aware of the new dugouts and ballfield setups that are outside the municipal building, Doherty asserted, “There are so many things out here, it is mindboggling!”

As the activist continued her grilling, Mikulski declared of the public hearing on the Open Space Funds ordinance, “This is not a question and answer … you have to let me answer.”

“Well you can’t answer them!” Doherty quipped. “You don’t know how many ballfields, and how many soccer fields!”

After the mayor declared, “I just told you,” the activist asked, “What did you say?!”

“Three soccer fields,” Mikulski replied. “These baseball fields (outside town hall) were here before. The only thing different is the dugouts. When we introduced the project, when we had a full house, we said we wanted to eventually have all the rec programs in one location, so moms and dads don’t have shuttle back and forth, between fields.”

Doherty ultimately said she “doesn’t have a problem with the fields,” but that “it seems that, somehow or other, you can bypass a field for a dog park.”

“We understand you want a dog park, the problem is …,” said Mikulski, before Doherty again cut him short, declaring, “It is not just me … it is others too.”

“What bothers me is that I got statistics on the number of dogs we have here, and it is over 700, and that is the ones we know of, and there is probably many more,” Doherty added. “And there are less than 600 kids in our schools.”

After Mikulski said he was not “going to have a back-and-forth,” Doherty quipped, “I’m just giving you facts.”

The activist, in pointing out Southampton received $991,656.18 through the American Rescue Plan (ARP), demanded to see a “breakdown” of the use of those funds, which

SAFETY

(Continued from Page

“If a parent calls me with a concern, I take down their information, and actually physically go out to the bus stop and look at the road conditions,” Treadaway assured the concerned parties. “How many times did I send you a video, and say ‘Damn it, this horrible. We can’t have a bus going down here.’ I check it out every single time. I always say give me 72 hours. But for the whole month of September, I’ve been out almost every day looking at bus stops because parents have concerns. Sometimes they are legit, sometimes they are not.”

The bottom-line, Havers suggested, is that, “I don’t know what changes we can or cannot make yet,” and that “some of it

the mayor said he would give at the October regular township committee meeting, followed by Doherty noting that the September bill’s list indicated that ERI was to receive a payment for some $48,000.

After making that latter observation, the mayor advised Doherty that the public hearing could only pertain to the Open Space Fund ordinance, to which the activist asked, “How much of this ($48,000) are you paying to ERI for this project (at the Red Lion complex)?”

“$48,000 seems like an awful lot of money,” Doherty added.

Mikulski maintained that the ERI bill before the township committee for September represents special project engineering work for both road and storm drainage improvements in various parts of the town, including on Retreat Road and Falcon Drive.

“That is lot of money in one month,” Doherty declared. “I am very disappointed, because every time I come here, it is ‘ballfields’ and ‘soccer fields.’ I have nothing against kids, but I would like to see a dog park and it gets nowhere with the township committee! I am beginning to think that maybe you just don’t like animals!”

Following passage of the Open Space Trust Fund ordinance, the township committee approved moving forward with construction of the convertible baseball/softball field on the new, agreed upon terms and conditions. Heston previously revealed the bid placed was for $465,150 with alternate bids also placed by the firm, including one for some $30,000. There previously had been a discussion about changes allotting for the trees requiring a “design change.”

Previously, on Sept. 9, Darji said the delay in approval would likely not allow for the seeding of the field to commence before a narrow planting window closes due to upcoming colder weather, with seeding likely having to now wait until spring 2023.

Mikulski, when later asked by this newspaper if the Sept. 20 approval changed the anticipated timeframe, responded that it is “yet to be determined” as “some minor changes were made to the field location to save some trees,” noting that now “the engineer and contractor will have to work through the changes to see if they can start this fall.”

“I hope you have all been to the Red Lion Recreation Complex, and if not, I encourage you to get there sooner, rather than later, to understand what we are doing,” said Mikulski at the start of the latest township committee meeting. “I am proud of that project, more than anything else we have done in my five or six years on the township committee.

“What we are doing is we told the residents when we started this project that our goal was to use as little or no municipal monies to build this park. We successfully built almost all of it with grant money.”

may be contingent on getting to the point where we have an extra driver, and can add a route.” In the meantime, he will “go to the mayor” and have “Mr. Treadaway look at the stops.”

“The goal is to do the best we can,” the superintendent reiterated, with Smith noting that the district has tried to contract with additional private school busing contractors, but to no avail, revealing in response to a question that the district only has some 52 bus drivers currently.

Vadon, who previously penned a forceful letter to Treadaway, calling for a “review of these unsafe conditions,” and threatened to both hold officials financially responsible for the issues and ask the state to take away transportation funding from the district over the “unsafe conditions,” said she was satisfied with how the meeting went, believing it was productive.

PRINCIPAL

students and to achieve the best possible education.”

“I value building relationships and connections that fosters a positive selfconcept and confidence for students to achieve at their highest level,” Blount declared.

Blount, currently residing in Plainsboro and a lifelong resident of both Mercer and Middlesex counties, said he choose the Pemberton high position because it is a school that is within a “close-knit community” and part of a “close-knit diverse community that values the whole child.”

“I want to ensure each student develops their unique talents and interests, and has a post-secondary plan after high school, which includes college, a career, military or vocational school,” Blount maintained.

Joseph, who ended his 19-year career in the Pemberton district last week, leaving for an assistant superintendent position at Burlington County Institute of Technology (BCIT), declared on Sept. 22 that “whatever that narrative is that some people like to spread about PTHS students,” he “believes the majority of our students do right.”

“I always love my people,” he declared, maintaining that if one replays a video of their high school days, they would probably find times where they were engaged in an aimless or errant activity. “Teenagers make mistakes. But I am proud of the students who were and are here, and I am also proud of every single one of us who walk the halls on a daily basis.”

Rob Horn, president of the Pemberton Township Education Association (PTEA), declared following Joseph’s goodbye remarks that he is “really going to miss ‘EJ.’”

“He is phenomenal administrator, and a great guy,” Horn told those who were gathered at the Pemberton school board meeting.

The PTEA president recounted that he first met Joseph when the latter was a Language

Arts teacher at Pemberton’s Helen Fort Middle School and recalled that “he was sort of popping into the classrooms” because “he would come around and talk to the kids.”

“He was not popping in to observe, he was coming in be part of the team, and part of that community,” Horn contended. “He was interested in what we were teaching. He was interested in what the kids were learning. You could see that enthusiasm. He was not here to micromanage us; he was there to kind of reinforce what we were doing. He wanted to know what we are doing. He wanted to know all about writing process, for example. He was a math guy … and he wanted to educate himself on subjects that weren’t his specialty so that he could help the kids.”

When Joseph ultimately came upon a student who was off task, according to Horn, “he would refocus that kid.”

“He reinforced what we were doing, and whenever he was around, it felt like we had another advocate in the classroom,” Horn declared. “It was a phenomenal approach –he was always present. I have had very few administrators do that – to be present to the point that you know they really support what you are doing.”

Joseph’s goal, according to Horn, is that he wanted “to keep the kids focused and learning.”

“And the kids knew that too,” Horn asserted. “And they got the message. Again, it was a phenomenal approach. And now, having worked with him as the PTEA president, he has been great to work with. He did everything for the kids. They know he was there for them.”

He added that whenever there was an “inadvertent violation” of the teacher’s union contract, Joseph was “quick to correct it.”

“He really does respect the contract that we all agreed to,” Horn declared.

Pemberton Superintendent of Schools Jeff Havers, in helping to give Joseph a proper sendoff, said that he hoped the latter “enjoyed” his time in the classroom and as a principal, describing that when he had transitioned from a principal to a central office administrator, “you leave that interaction” with the kids, and

are “going to miss it.”

“I know you will, because I know how much you value it,” Havers maintained.

Joseph, as he waved goodbye to Pemberton students, parents and staff from the front row of the high school auditorium, received a standing ovation for his service and a loud round of applause.

“I would like to thank Mr. Joseph for his many years of his service and dedication to our children,” Havers declared. “I think it is obvious all of the great strides that were made during the high school under your leadership, and under your passion. I am grateful for everything you have done for our kids pre-COVID, during COVID, and during our return.”

Blount, on his LinkedIn profile page, describes himself as a “highly regarded 20year school administrator and “professional development provider.” He also describes that he is an “in-demand inspirational speaker impacting hearts and minds of teachers and students, improving culture and achievement.”

The new principal of Pemberton high lingered in the high school auditorium after the Pemberton school board convened a closed session, notably talking one-on-one with parents and teachers.

In an “about me” section of his online profile, Blount notes he is “skilled in high-yield instructional strategies, social emotional learning, student self-efficacy, early college, leadership, training and research.” He considers himself a “strong educational professional with a master’s degree focused in Educational Leadership from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).”

Blount, who has also served for the past six years as a “leading expert” and “board member” of the George Washington Carver Education Foundation, providing, in part, “guidance in developing early college high school programs,” initially received a bachelor’s degree from Stockton University in Business Finance.

Also sent off on Sept. 22 by the Pemberton school board was Pemberton School Business Administrator and Board Secretary Dan

Smith, who recently accepted a position with the Egg Harbor Township School District to become its new business administrator.

Havers maintained Smith has “done a great deal of work in our community,” including overseeing a “tremendous amount of facility enhancements,” in addition to performing “a lot of advocacies.”

Between Smith discovering that the Pemberton district qualified for “municipal overburden” with respect to school funding, and his campaigning for “military aid,” which the state ultimately began providing school districts last year, according to Havers, the business administrator probably found “close to $15 million for our district.”

“He is a great person to work with, and has an excellent sense of humor too …,” Havers remarked. “He also carries with him a strong work ethic … He worked up to the finish line to make sure Pemberton is in the best possible place before he leaves.”

Pemberton Board of Education President Tom Bauer declared that, “I don’t know if I could do this job without Mr. Smith always guiding me in the right direction.”

“He has been an absolutely super employee of the school district,” Bauer added. “In my long, long time here, in many different roles, he is one of the best. He really is. I wish you all the best in the new position. Many of us in the community will miss you sincerely.”

While the latest school board session again featured public comments that highlighted what Bauer described as “negatives,” the Pemberton school board president maintained he wanted the new hires to know – including Michelle Sanchirico, who will replace Drew Besler as an assistant principal at Helen Fort, that they are “working in a really great school district.”

“I started here in 1974,” Bauer said. “I have had the time of my life here. I have always been respected. I have been able to accomplish a great deal. A community as diverse as this is really a special community. I really would not work in any other place than here. And somehow, I became president of the school board, and have been on it for 12 years.”

Keith

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Adam’s Furniture Restoration, LLC. Fully insured. Furniture repair, kitchen cabinet refinishing, touch-ups, and in-home services. Call 1-856-979-6210. Visit www.facebook. com/adamsfurnres .

IMMEDIATE

HAULING

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

Household appliances. Televisions, furniture, etc. for disposal or transport. Garage and yard cleanups along with lawn cutting and gutter cleaning. Free estimates. Call or Text Bob at 1-609-880-3789.

HOME HEALTH AIDE

Experienced certified home health aide. Companion and caregiver. References available. Call or text Cindy 609-227-9873.

ITEMS FOR SALE

Crown boiler. Model BWZ Tewz 100 BOLT3PSU. 120,000 BTUs. Net rating 104. New condition. Removed from house remodel. $850. Please call Fred at 856-3715076.

ITEMS FOR SALE

Antique collectibles and furniture for sale at upcoming yard sale in LeisureTowne on Oct. 1. Come visit 58 Marlboro Drive in Southampton (LeisureTowne). Call 609351-6681 for more information.

LAWYERS

Erwin Apell Attorney, Browns Mills. All legal matters - free hotline 24/7. Visa, Mastercard. Call 609-220-3059 or email Erwinapell@gmail.com .

LOOKING TO RENT

The house in Howell where I’ve been living for years is being sold and I am seeking a new home (share) almost anywhere in South Jersey but I really love the Pine Barrens and vicinity . . . one of my favorite places is Hot Diggidy Dog in beautiful downtown Chatsworth! I go there frequently. It doesn’t need to be fancy but some place with nice folks who would like to have this fully vaccinated (including the Pfizer booster) old timer with them. I bring good food fringees with me so if you think you have a possibility . . . or know someone who might, please call me at 732-216-3176 or Email: cr@exit109.com and let’s talk.

The Pine Barrens Tribune is now offering dependable individuals a great opportunity to earn some extra income simply by showing up at meetings of municipal governments that aren’t routinely made available online and recording the proceedings. That’s all you need to do—simply be there on time, press the “record” button on a taping device, and stay until the end.

Besides offering areas residents, including students and retirees, a chance to pick up much-needed extra money, this on-call gig can serve as a genuinely interesting learning experience in how our communities are governed—and give the person who fills it a role in the operation of this area’s leading source of local news.

Those interested should call Pine Barrens Tribune publisher Doug Melegari at (609) 801-2392.

Just as there’s no substitute for a newspaper that keeps readers informed about the affairs of their community and region, there’s also no replacement for an experienced and effective sales rep who knows how to get results. If that describes you, then you may well be the part-time person this newspaper needs to generate ad revenues and thus enable it to continue chronicling events and helping to keep businesses thriving in our communities.

So give Douglas Melegari a call at (609) 801-2392 and describe your background in selling —and what it is that qualifies you to be a key member of a team that’s helping keep the business of reporting local news vibrant in New Jersey. (Hint: It will really make a good impression if you’re familiar with this newspaper!)

SOLICITOR

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grants from the NJDOT to repave its streets as the municipality does not put borough funding toward such projects, and that when the town submits a grant application, “we put in for curbs and sidewalks.” And because “the state gives us money,” while “in some ways” it relies on the state tax, “no citizen of Pemberton Borough put one cent toward roads that are paved, or sidewalks and curbs put in.”

“It is not in your taxes at all,” claimed the

mayor, though the state is actually funded by taxpayer dollars, with its coffers just not being filled by the borough taxpayers alone.

The bottom-line, Raney indicated, is that “my whole objective is the homeowner should take care of it (problematic sidewalks) and that “in the past, when it was brought up, I was told by your council that you didn’t get a chance to send out letters,” and “I am not seeing any kind of system where these (problematic sidewalks) are ever going to get done.”

“I see no process here,” she declared.

Griffin acknowledged, “I don’t think we answered your question very good,” to which Raney replied, “I am afraid not.”

IF YOU’VE GOT INSIDE SALES EXPERIENCE, YOU COULD SOON BE PLAYING A KEY ROLE IN HELPING US TO SPREAD THE NEWS

MURAL

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but the portion of the mural with our moose in it,” the bakery owner added, pointing out she was told the fine is $1,500.

She maintained she would “rather pay the fine and be done with it” instead of “wasting the board’s time” over something “so petty.”

The television reporter noted that when he asked Bell for comment, she simply sent him the section of the sign ordinance the bakery is in violation of, “Per the township’s Land Development Code, Signs, Section 526: a sign is defined as any object, device, display or structure, or part thereof, situated outdoors or indoors, which is used to advertise, identify, display, direct or attract attention to an object, person, institution, organization, business, product, service event or location by any means, including words, letters, figures, designs, symbols, fixtures, colors, illumination or projected images; and (N.4.m) signs painted directly onto buildings, except on historical buildings or districts, are prohibited.”

He added that when he queried Bell as to whether growing hedges in the area would be enough to obscure the moose and satisfy the town, the zoning official replied, “No,” refusing to comment further.

Resident Stephanie Moore, apparently infuriated by what she had just watched on Fox 29, attended a 7 p.m. Medford council meeting.

“Did you watch the news tonight, at 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock?” she asked the governing body. “They were highlighting Medford and what is going on with the new bakery. We are now highlighted – it is worse than Marlton, Cherry Hill and everything like that. I am humiliated this township would do this to small businesses!”

There recently was an unconfirmed, published report that made the rounds online that at least some Medford officials may have broken state rules in order to entice a brewery to come to town and set up shop at the former municipal hall. The town also recently passed an open-container measure for the downtown district.

“Clearly y’all don’t care about small businesses unless it is a brewery!” Moore declared. “That is it! You have made it so clear – look at the Carns. How dare you all do this to them and act like you have no parts of it! Like really?”

In turning back to the bakery issue she had just watched on television, in calling it a “painting on their wall there,” she asked, “You are going to act like that is a sign?”

“A ‘sign’ is something you can take off the wall and hang it back up,” Moore maintained. “This is paint. It is different.”

Moore called what is happening in Medford “total corruption at this point” that

is now “being exposed on Fox 29 at the top of the hour!” (The Carns previously detailed how when they applied for a use variance for their family farm a couple years ago, the township kept requiring that they put more money in an escrow account, alleging the municipal professionals are benefiting from the process enriching themselves through the review/professional fees – a process the First Amendment activist, at a previous council meeting, alleged amounted to a racketeering scheme.)

“At 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock, they trashed Medford council and the zoning board,” she pointed out as Watson reached for a water bottle. “Trashed it! And you know what? Everybody agrees! It is disgusting! When does it stop? Do I need to run for mayor next, because this would not happen under me!”

As the various council members, Watson, Deputy Mayor Frank Czekay, Councilman Erik Rebstock and Councilwoman Donna Symons stayed silent, either staring straight ahead or appearing dazed (with Lauren Kochan absent), Moore quipped, “Don’t act like you are not involved!”

“This is wrong!” she asserted. “How dare you do this to the small businesses, unless they sell beer!”

After Moore sat down, another woman attending the council meeting inquired of council, “I am unaware of what this lady is talking about – can I filled by in, in anyway, because she seems quite irate and I wonder what made her feel that way?”

“Apparently, something on the news at 5 o’clock that I didn’t see,” Watson responded.

That response from Watson led the woman to ask, “What’s going on?”, which received no further response, except, a “thank-you” from the mayor, who reshuffled his papers.

Fox 29, in attempting to interview Bell earlier in the day, had gone inside Medford Town Hall.

The township’s various actions aimed at small enterprises of late, including Maggie Moose Bakery, Cornerstone Tree Service (owned by the Carns siblings) and the Animal Welfare Association (where the township refused to allow them to hold a fundraiser at Freedom Park) “isn’t what the taxpayers of this town want,” Moore declared, adding, “This is not what we stand for!”

As the fallout continued in the days following the council meeting, among the hundreds of comments from locals posted on the bakery’s Facebook page, were, “This seems like extortion in the town of Medford!!! Disgusting for a town to dismiss your beautiful building, yet it’s just fine that people graffiti crap all over our bridges and abandoned properties,” and “Rooting for Maggie Moose after seeing this ridiculous story!! Medford should be happy you have a great business paying tax dollars in your town!”

“It’s made me so upset!” wrote another woman. “Literally, I know what town I will not bring my business to. That’s just too much for such an amazing person who has put her all in her bakery just to get told she has to remove her brand basically off the wall.”

Others called it a “ridiculous situation,” “such petty stupidity,” and maintained “government is the problem, not the solution.”

“I saw the piece about the mural on TV,” wrote another local. “Seriously, this is something that puts a smile on people’s faces and hurts absolutely nothing or no one. I say those running the township must have bigger things to worry about than a moose mural that makes people happy. Maggie Moose needs to stay!”

One woman pointed out that the shopping center the bakery comprises “has had such a face lift since Maggie Moose opened.”

While one noted the “moose is everything” to the community, a grandparent provided an actual account that mural “is great and so kid friendly, as well as done so tastefully for children with autism!”

“I love the colors selected, having a granddaughter with special needs,” the grandparent attested. “I love the fact that your shop is so warm and inviting.”

This newspaper, in visiting the bakery earlier this week, happened to come upon that very grandmother, with her autistic grandchild very much enjoying the painted moose in the early afternoon, putting a smile on her face and finding that it brings her immense happiness. The grandmother called the township’s actions “atrocious.”

Vargas-Thubeau, in giving a “heartfelt thank-you to each and every single freaking awesome one of y’all” on social media, declared that the “outpouring of support and encouragement has really touched my heart.”

“If you are thinking of opening a business here, don’t hesitate-do it!” she added, something the proprietor also stressed to this newspaper, wanting this incident to not serve as a deterrent to prospective entrepreneurs pursuing their dreams. “While you may have to jump hurdles with the township, you won’t find a better community of residents that support local businesses and that’s what it’s all about!

“The outcome is unknown. I am not a chain with unlimited funds. I’m just a girl who loves to bake and wanted to give the place where she grew up something back … something to be proud of. Something to bring you joy. … At the end of the day, I

am just a small business, a first generation Cuban American just trying to live the American dream. I’m not sure what the outcome of our moose mural will be, but I’ll do my best to keep it for you. If the moose ultimately has to come down, which I hope it won’t, I will have at least tried within my means.

“It’s ultimately my goal not to put myself out of business for this fight, so we will come up with something else within code that we will do should we have to cross that bridge. Right now, it’s overwhelming. These bylaws are put in place to protect the community, but some are real head scratchers for sure.”

Vargas-Thubeau, on Sept. 26, posted a two-page letter appealing to Bell to reconsider and even inviting her to visit the bakery for further discussion, pointing out she is a “proud minority, first generation Cuban and Mexican American woman who grew up in the area,” graduating from Shawnee High School. She noted in the correspondence, in pointing out that Bell has since sent her a variance application, that “after thoughtful consideration,” she “will not be able to afford” seeking a variance.

“I ask you to consider being fair and to make an exception based on the above, and the outpouring of community support for the moose to stay,” she wrote, noting she observed countless other businesses in Medford that would be currently in violation of the very provision Bell pointed to in her letter. “It just seems unreasonable that the city would want a brand-new business that in the past four months has spent countless dollars in making donations to the town trying to make a difference, to go through such financial hardship for something that could have an easy resolve that is mutually agreeable.

(Vargas-Thubeau just hosted a Cars, Coffee and Cops in conjunction with Medford Township Police.)

“It seems unreasonable that this moose that brings so much joy to the community could potentially cause a financial hardship on a new business, and that you and the town officials would want to risk putting me literally out of business with legal fees and costs associated to keep the moose on the wall. What good is the moose if I can’t afford to remain in business? What was once a bland building is warm and inviting to the community. Medford should be trying to promote business, not deter new businesses. Please do not put doubt into the minds of our future entrepreneurs about potentially wanting to open a business in town.”

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

The storefront for Maggie Moose Bakery & Gourmet Gift Boutique, with the business’s actual sign.

Photo Provided

The Carns siblings (Bryan, left; David, right), subject of many township actions, pose in front of the Maggie Moose Bakery & Gourmet Gift Boutique mural in a show of solidarity.

@capitalhealthnj

FREE UPCOMING HEALTH EDUCATION EVENTS

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.

Caring for Breast Cancer with a Holistic Twist

Thursday, October 6, 2022 | 6 p.m.

Location: Zoom Meeting

Get the latest information about advances in breast cancer screening and treatments from DR. LISA ALLEN, director of Capital Health’s Center for Comprehensive Breast Care. Also, LuAnne Rickey will discuss the services offered for patients at the Oasis Salon and Wellness Spa. The class will end with a demonstration of gentle yoga stretches by Maureen Kaelblein, a registered yoga instructor from the Capital Health Wellness Center.

and the MIND Eating Plan

Thursday, October 13, 2022 | 6 p.m.

Location: Zoom Meeting

Join DR. DANIELLE CARCIA, a board certified family medicine physician with fellowship training in geriatrics, to discuss the latest research, treatments, and prevention strategies for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Registered Dietitian MINDY KOMOSINSKY will discuss the MIND eating plan, which promotes the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of certain foods that may help lower the risk of dementia and slow the loss of brain function that can occur with aging.