Pine Barrens Tribune October 15, 2022-October 22, 2022

NO CLEAN EXPLANATION

Scheduled Replacement of Bridge on Access Way for Two Local Campsites Sparks Calls for Officials to Fix ‘Dangerous’ Road

EMS Chief Concerned New Structure Would Only Exacerbate Safety Issues Unless Road is Improved Concurrently

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

WASHINGTON—The state’s planned replacement of a one-lane wooden bridge on Godfrey Bridge Road, a rural access way for two campsites deep in the Wharton State Forest in Washington Township, has led to calls from residents (including a former township committeeman) and a local emergency services chief for the municipality to fix its “dangerous” portion of the road.

The Hiring of a North Jersey Janitorial Firm to Sanitize Burlington County Buildings Won’t Deprive Disabled Individuals Working with the OTC of Jobs, Officials Claim, But Other Questions Raised by Approval of the Contract Aren’t So Easily Answered

By Bill B onvie Staff Writer

MOUNT HOLLY—While the awarding of a $768,000 contract to a Bergen County janitorial firm to clean, disinfect and sanitize various Burlington County government buildings reportedly won’t result in the elimination of jobs performed by disabled individuals recruited and trained by the Occupational Training Center (OTC) of Burlington County – a prospect that has alarmed some county

residents – it has brought to light some other issues for which there appears to be no immediate or ‘clean’ explanation.

Prior to being unanimously approved by the Burlington County Board of County Commissioners at its Sept. 22 meeting, the resolution to hire the outside firm, Maverick Building Services, of Rutherford, for the 12-month period from Sept. 1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2023, was greeted with a display of indignation by a number of attendees, some of whom took

it as a personal affront to family members suffering from various handicaps that, were it not for OTC, would have made it impossible for them to find work.

OTC, as one resident characterized it, echoing the sentiments of others present, provides “more than a job, it provides (the disabled) an opportunity to serve their community, gives them a sense of worth, a sense of pride, a sense of well-being, a sense of achievement and accomplishment.”

Godfrey Bridge Road, which ultimately transitions into Washington Turnpike (the latter unimproved), has been the scene of a number of both serious and deadly crashes over the last several years, as reported by the Pine Barrens Tribune

The most recent fatal crash involved a motorcyclist from Mays Landing losing his life on Godfrey Bridge Road back on Aug. 6, as pointed out during a Sept. 6 Washington Township Committee meeting by Paul Diulio, a resident of Godfrey Bridge Road.

“I have been complaining about that road for 20 years – that it is unsafe,” declared Diulio, noting it is particularly unsafe in snow. “In August, we had a fatality. … The telephone poles … they are (practically) right in the road. … It is not safe.”

According to Washington Township Engineer Kevin Dixon, the state is “in

Photo By Shutterstock

A simulation of a deep cleaning.

Issues

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SHAMONG—Hope without a plan is just like a dream, or is just a wish, according to Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) Superintendent Dr. Carol Birnbohm.

That is why the LRHSD has taken a number of steps recently to plan for the future in support of both students and their families, the superintendent pointed out during a Sept. 21 LRHSD Board of Education meeting.

“We need to have hope with purpose,” Birnbohm declared. “We like to recognize in our district that we do things. We just don’t ‘hope’ things get better, we put plans in action.”

The superintendent, in providing an example, said the district “just doesn’t ‘hope’ that kids will have a better school year this year” than last, and just doesn’t “hope” they will “not struggle with anxiety or mental health issues as they did during the Coronavirus pandemic,” but has recently adopted resolutions against hate, trained administrators to become “mental health first-aid responders” and has also partnered with Care Solace “to help parents navigate that really tricky realm of trying to find a mental health professional and matching health insurance.”

Additionally, Birnbohm said, the district is “looking forward to a new partnership with a company that is going to provide teletherapy,” which will help struggling families with any “obstacle of getting to and from counseling.”

The “in-home teletherapy” program will be offered “at no cost to the district,” the superintendent announced, and will be “completely free,” only billing insurance.

She also pointed out that school administrators were recently trained in the Nurtured Heart Approach, or what she explained is a “trauma-informed way of interacting with one another.”

“We are trying to overcome as many obstacles as possible and not say, ‘Hope it gets better kid,’ Birnbohm maintained. “We are talking about hope with purpose, hope with a plan.”

The district kickstarted the school year around that theme, the superintendent noted, by hosting Jessica Buchanan, a teacher and humanitarian who had been kidnapped in Somalia. According to Buchanan’s online biography, she had been abducted at gunpoint back in late October 2011 and held for ransom by a group of Somali pirates for 93 days.

“She was able to tell her story of how she maintained hope for many, many days in the most desperate situation,” recounted

Birnbohm of Buchanan’s presentation to LRHSD faculty. “She was extremely moving and very well received by faculty. She spread a message of resilience and hope. It fit really nicely into our theme for our school year.”

The LRHSD board also watched a playback of the district’s 2022-23 teacher of the year video message to fellow colleagues “on opening day” in which Sarah Allen, an English instructor at Lenape High School, pointed out the “classroom is not perfect,” but that she “keeps coming back after really challenging days” because of a “love and passion for what I have.”

“Love,” she maintained, is a “simple and powerful ingredient.” She added that “it is easy to lose” both “love and passion,” but that “you can’t let that happen or you’ll lose the necessary component for connecting with and reaching today’s youth.”

“We need to see that we have a passion for life and a love for what we have chosen to do, even on the hard days,” Allen declared.

“So, when the world shuts down, life presents inevitable hardships and the aftermath is challenging, they (the students) will have learned to persevere to keep their passion for life progressing forward.”

She “challenged” district faculty to “enhance your love and passion for what you love to do,” and urged them to make the new 2022-23 school year one “filled with passion and love.”

“What a way to start the school year,” is how Board President Steve Lee reacted to everything that he had heard during the Sept. 21 LRHSD board meeting. “I’m excited. I am 100 percent behind the message of hope and the message of love. It is quite important to remember these, because sometimes we are so busy, we forget. Our kids are our hope and love is well deserved.”

The meeting ended with the parent representative for the Lenape Class of 2023 praising the board for an action taken earlier in the meeting, acting on parents’ requests for a change in venue for the Lenape prom.

“We were supposed to have the prom in Atlantic City, but due to parents’ love and recognizing that might be a little bit of a safety hazard for our kids, we asked that the venue be changed to somewhere closer to home for students driving, or who don’t have the means be able to do that,” she explained. “Thank-you all for taking the time to understand where we were coming from as parents and being able to understand the safety of our children is first and foremost. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to approve this for all of us.”

According to a copy of the meeting agenda, the Lenape high prom will now be held at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, on May 26, 2023.

and

Meringue Ghosts

baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for three hours. Turn

the door slightly ajar to let the meringue ghosts dry for at least two hours. When the

completely cooled, decorate them with gel icing.

for Township Open

on

of

and Hickory

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD—An “Acorn Planting and Forest Regeneration Project” has been proposed on Medford Township open space located on the corner of Hartford Road and Hickory Lane.

The township’s Environmental Affairs Advisory Committee (EAAC) is targeting an area of 400 to 500 square feet on the parcel, “close to the tree line” there, so that it would

“naturally blend into the surroundings as the trees mature,” according to a statement released by the municipality.

“I have been to their meetings,” said Medford Councilwoman Donna Symons during a recent Medford Township Council meeting in discussing the proposed project.

“I think it is a great idea.”

The intent of the project is to restore a portion of the “township-owned green/

Southampton Residents, Committee Have Spirited Disagreement Over Maintenance Funding for Vincentown Village Sewer System

Couple Residing Outside Sewer Service Area in Town That Has Private Septic Says Taxpayers Shouldn’t Have to Foot Bill, Rather Only Those Using System

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—A spirited disagreement over whether all Southampton Township taxpayers should have to fund maintenance to the municipal-owned sewer system that is strictly for Vincentown Village residences unfolded during a Sept. 20 Southampton Township Committee meeting when one township resident living outside of the village demanded the situation be rectified “immediately” so that all township taxpayers are no longer on the hook, rather just those who are customers of the system, even threatening at one point to bring about a “class-action lawsuit” against the governing body, all while a resident of the village responded, “The sewer was the best thing that ever happened to Vincentown!”

The lively disagreement unfolded as the township committee considered an ordinance appropriating $400,000 from the municipality’s Capital Improvement Fund to “purchase a Public Works Vehicle, small Public Works equipment and maintenance of the Vincentown Sewer System.”

“If you do a road, I can benefit from that,” maintained resident Patrick Kennedy, who lives on Retreat Road in the township, outside the village. “The school system – I can benefit from that. Recreation – I can benefit from that. But I get no benefit with my tax dollars paying for the maintenance of the sewer system to take care of the Village of Vincentown.”

Kennedy asked just how much of the $400,000 would be dedicated to the

maintenance of the Vincentown Sewer System, to which Southampton Township Administrator and Clerk Kathleen D. Hoffman replied $50,000.

“If people would stop putting unwanted things down their toilet, it would help save a lot of money and on repairs,” Hoffman added.

Kennedy also queried local officials as to just how many residences of the township are served by the sewer system, with Hoffman replying, “approximately 222 residences,” with an official confirming the sewer system at issue has “nothing to do” with LeisureTowne, Southampton’s largest retirement community of over 2,250 homes.

“Why are the residents of Southampton paying for a sewer system for the Village of Vincentown?” Kennedy demanded to know.

Southampton Mayor Michael Mikulski responded that it is “similar to any other projects in the rest of town,” such as a road improvement project, in that “if it is a road, all the residents pay for it,” but may not necessarily use that particular road.

The mayor explained that “a decision was made well before I was on the township committee” to erect the sewer system, pointing out that Committeeman James F. Young, Sr. (a former Southampton mayor of 25 years until 2020) was on the governing body at the time, as it was decided “the entire township would benefit from a sewer system” there.

“At the time the sewer system was put in, as I understand it, there were a lot of

‘Acorn Planting

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

Medford Township open space located on the corner of Hartford Road and Hickory Lane where an “Acorn Planting and Forest Regeneration Project” has been proposed.

“There are not that many opportunities given to people with special needs,” he added.

However, Isaac Manning, OTC’s chief executive officer, told the Pine Barrens Tribune in an Oct. 12 phone interview that only 14 of his organization’s hundreds of jobholders, including supervisors, would actually be affected by the granting of the $768,000 contract to the outside firm and that new opportunities would be found for those individuals. But there remain other questions arising from the resolution’s passage by the all-Democratic five-member county governing board that have yet to be answered.

One of those questions is why “deep cleaning of buildings” owned by the county was necessary to the tune of approximately $2.5 million charged by Maverick for services matching that description during a period that extended from December 2020 through August of this year, according to invoices obtained by this newspaper.

During the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with lockdowns and the closing of parks and recreation facilities, a prevalent belief was that surfaces were a major source of transmission and should be sanitized whenever possible before people came into contact with them. That theory was reportedly what prompted Burlington County officials to engage the services of the North Jersey firm, which initially filled what it described as “blanket order(s) for deep cleaning of various county buildings for COVID” during the months of November and December 2020, for a total of $137,560.

In the months that followed though, the initial hysteria about the danger of the Coronavirus spreading via surfaces abated, as was evident from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) bulletin updated in April 2021.

“People can be infected with SARSCoV-2 through contact with surfaces,” it said. “However, based on available epidemiological data and studies of environmental transmission factors, surface transmission is not the main route by which SARS-CoV-2 spreads, and the risk is considered to be low.”

But even while the fear of the infection being transmitted via surfaces became less and less a source of concern, Maverick seems to have proceeded full steam ahead during that time with its “deep cleaning of buildings,” for which it presented the county with additional invoices totaling $974,920 and $1,386,640, charged to an account called “storm recovery reserves.”

In a phone conversation with this reporter on Oct. 12, Daniel O’Connell, director of the Board of County Commissioners, noted

that while he couldn’t exactly say what led the county to engage Maverick in 2020, “I don’t think we would hire any entity if we didn’t think we needed them,” and that at the time, the county was being advised by health officials at various levels of government that deep cleaning and cleaning of surfaces above and beyond anything that OTC employees were capable of doing was necessary to protect against the spread of the virus.

“These were guidelines that were passed along,” O’Connell noted, adding that “obviously we’ve learned things now we didn’t know then.”

“And hindsight,” he quipped, “is 2020.”

Then there is the question of why a policy that, according to Manning, had been in force for about 15 years, which allowed his nonprofit corporation – an entity that offers “diversified vocational rehabilitation and job placement programs for adults with disabilities” and is considered a federal “Ability One contractor” – to function as the sole supplier of labor for the care and cleaning of county buildings without having to worry about competition, seems to have been inexplicably done away with.

In a closing statement at the Sept. 22 commissioners’ meeting, O’Connell attempted to explain the board’s decision to extend Maverick an actual contract for “the professional cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing of various buildings for the County of Burlington,” with two one-year renewal options, by indicating that the commissioners’ hands were tied by a legal obligation to the lowest bidder. Maverick’s bid was the lowest of three submitted, O’Connell later told this newspaper.

(The resolution confirming the amount of Maverick’s bid was located online after this newspaper was informed by a county spokesman that it would have to submit an Open Public Records Act, or OPRA request in order to find out what the bids were, even though the award had already been made. OTC’s bid, Manning subsequently revealed, was approximately $80,000 higher than Maverick’s.)

“The contract was up and in accordance with contract law, bids were received and an award was made,” O’Connell declared, adding that having worked as a union representative for almost 50 years, “I know what it’s like to have a job and I know what it’s like to be out of work” and that “this contract that we wrote tonight is not putting OTC out of business,” with the organization’s participation in services such as the recycling program being entirely unaffected.

But in talking with the Pine Barrens Tribune , Manning, while insisting that “OTC has enjoyed a good relationship with Burlington County for decades” and that “this change in the decision to award that contract has in no way affected that relationship,” also disclosed that up to

now, his organization’s status has been that of a “sheltered workshop under local public contract law” which afforded it “an exemption to provide work without the need to go out to bid.”

“I don’t know what changed – that is something you would have to discuss with the county,” Manning asserted. “I can’t speak for them.”

He added, however, that it was “the county’s prerogative” to alter that arrangement whenever it so desired, and his understanding was that this all had to do with “issues surrounding ongoing sanitation needs relative to COVID and the pandemic.”

Responding to this reporter’s question, Manning also maintained that none of the approximately dozens of OTC workers who were responsible for doing janitorial work in county buildings were laid off or had their jobs pre-empted by Maverick during the time when the firm was doing the “deep cleaning covered by those invoices. Under the new contract, however, the company will be assuming those responsibilities as well, he said.

O’Connell, when subsequently queried by this newspaper, claimed that he had been unaware of the existence of an exemption from bidding previously extended to the OTC, and indicated he would make inquiries about it.

Another question raised by the award concerns the motivation behind an apparent $1,000 contribution that Maverick made back in February to “Heather Cooper,” according to the website for ELEC, the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. While the site shows the firm has made nearly 50 contributions of varying amounts, some to Democratic committees (as well as to “Chris Christie”), it provides no other information about this particular one. Heather Cooper, however, is the name of the vice chair of the Burlington County Democratic Committee, who is also Deputy Mayor of Evesham Township and a member of the township’s all-Democratic Council. Cooper is up for re-election on the Evesham Council next month, along with two other colleagues, with control of the local governing body at stake.

Concerns have also been raised, including by attendees at the meeting, about the firm’s reputation. A current check of Maverick’s status on the website of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) revealed that it is “not BBB accredited” and has an ‘F’ rating.

In a response to those residents’ comments, however, Commissioner Felicia Hopson maintained that the firm is “a minorityowned company” (an apparent reference to its president and CEO, Jose Garcia, being Latino) as well as being “certified.”

(A call made to Heather Cooper’s number had not been returned as of this newspaper’s deadline time. Calls made to the headquarters of Maverick, which

supposedly resulted in a message being conveyed to the company’s communications director, Chris Wolk, were subsequently met with an announcement from Verizon Wireless that “your call cannot be completed as dialed”; however, a call made to the same number from another phone elicited no such message. None of the calls made to the firm were returned.)

Charges that politics played a part in the hiring of Maverick were, in fact, among the complaints voiced at the Sept. 22 commissioners’ meeting, as when one speaker, Beverly Marinelli, of Lumberton, called it “Cronyism with a capital ‘C,’” and told the commissioners, “You should be ashamed – but wait, your party’s never ashamed … shameless is more like it.”

Another speaker, America Phillips, of Pemberton Township, who said she spent nearly three decades working with the disabled and witnessed their great joy at going to work every day and being picked up, asked why a company that’s “not even from the vicinity” was being hired and wanted to know, “is somebody giving somebody money?”

Also present was Jeff Fortune of Moorestown, a Republican candidate for the county Board of Commissioners and owner of a janitorial firm based in Philadelphia that hires ex-offenders.

“Instead of supporting members of the special needs community by providing jobs to OTC participants, you are rewarding a politically connected company that has already received millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to backroom deals,” Fortune told the commissioners.

Fortune, who described himself as extremely passionate about the issue of providing jobs for special-needs individuals, called the contract resolution “just one more example of how you all (referring to the Democrats on the commission) think once again the rules don’t apply to you, that you can hire whomever you want, pay them whatever you want and give whatever reason you want with complete disregard for the truth and the process.”

O’Connell, in his closing statement before adjourning the meeting, emphasized that “we’re not putting the OTC out of business” and indicated he regarded some of the barbs from attendees as being mostly political in nature.

“I understand elections,” he asserted. “There’s an election in a month or so. I get it. But let’s not when we talk about that try and twist facts to make us appear that we’re something we’re not.”

He also acknowledged in speaking with this newspaper the criticism directed at the board by some of those present at the session for having allowed a firm from outside the area to bid on the janitorial contract, but contended, “I don’t think we can limit it

BRIDGE

charge” of Godfrey Bridge, which carries Godfrey Bridge Road over the Wading River in the Wharton State Forest, and recently secured Pinelands approval to replace the bridge, a process that was a “longtime” coming due to “wetlands issues and other things in regard to the dimensions of the bridge and everything” that had to be worked out.

“They are replacing it with a different kind of structure,” said Dixon of what was revealed to local officials in a virtual meeting, which he described involved representatives of the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT).

“It will be about a year.”

Diulio, in pointing out that Godfrey Bridge Road has not been improved in quite a long time, asserted that he “figured you might do something about Godfrey Bridge Road since the state is going to redo the bridge.”

“Because I know on that road there is no speed limit sign,” Diulio pointed out. “There is no shoulder. And it makes no sense to me because you have a state campground (Godfrey Bridge Campground) and a private campground (Wading Pines Camping Resort) there with kids riding bikes.”

The sun, he noted, is also “often in your eyes” while traversing the road to the point that “you can’t see.”

“I have brought it up at past meetings about painting lines on it so you can see where you are at,” said Diulio in pointing out that Godfrey Bridge Road lacks lane delineation striping. “Right now, you can’t see anything!”

The resident maintained he has also previously raised the issue of the utility poles on the road, many of which are right up against the asphalt, with the road having no shoulder. One pole that is located “out front” of his home, he maintained, has been “hit numerous times” and “they finally replaced it,” but not before “cutting all the trees in my front yard and leaving them like totem poles sticking up.”

“What is the township going to do for this road since it is a township road?” Diulio asked. “It has so many bends like a snake. It is only a matter of time before someone else gets killed on that road, including myself, because they are drag racing down that road. When I pull out of my driveway, I see it all the time.”

Additionally, he said, the road is frequently traversed by off-road vehicles, including Jeeps, as well as those participating in nearby enduros. In addition, the road is frequented by canoe trucks and campers.

“Again, I am here to complain about the road,” Diulio said. “Take out some of the

bends there, put some speed limit signs up, and put some long, reflective strips on the telephone poles.”

Washington Township Mayor Daniel James, upon hearing the complaint, directed Dixon to evaluate the road. But Dixon said he was already out there and “can pretty much corroborate what you are hearing.”

“We are not arguing with you,” James declared. “We just have to find a solution.”

Diulio noted that he fought for a school bus turn-around under the previous administration, “but excuse my French, it was done half-as*,” maintaining a “school bus has gotten stuck there three times that I know of.” Right now, he stressed, “it is not safe” for both kids catching the bus and riding their bikes while camping.

“In my opinion, they should maybe widen the roadway and put a walkway in,” asserted Diulio, adding that he “could care less” at this point if crews take more trees from his yard in order to widen the road.

Barbara Cavileer, chief of the Green Bank Volunteer Ambulance Company, the local emergency squad for Washington Township, during a subsequent Oct. 4 Washington Township Committee meeting, declared she “has to agree” with Diulio in his assessment of the unsafe condition of the road.

“There is a major problem we need to address regarding Godfrey Bridge Road, and by pushing it back, it is not helping anything,” Cavileer maintained.

Cavileer called on Washington officials to release their priority list of roads that need to be addressed in town, further declaring, “I would like to know the order of those roads, because it seems like we are doing the same roads with grants all the time.”

“I have never heard Godfrey Bridge Road being elevated to be considered,” she added.

Now is an opportune time, she maintained, for the township to improve the road “because once this bridge is done,

we are going to have traffic and more so the speeds.”

“We need to stay ahead of this,” she declared. “It is an unsafe road. I would challenge that it is up to code with both width and shoulders. We need to see if we can straighten any of those dangerous curves or at least make them a little bit less (sharp).”

James expressed concern that if the township removes some of the bends or curves in the road, it will only make the “traffic go faster.” However, he acknowledged, “we definitely do need to make the road safer.”

“If you start now with our speed of getting things done, maybe we will be in conjunction with the completion of the bridge,” the emergency squad chief advised the governing body. “That is why I would like to re-evaluate Kevin (Dixon)’s list and where all these grants are going and maybe put them toward getting that road fixed. We need to elevate this to a higher priority.”

While Dixon was absent from the Oct. 4 governing body session, Washington Deputy Mayor Paul Seybold maintained that he had since spoken to the township engineer and believes “Godfrey Bridge Road is the next one on the list.”

A substitute engineer sitting in for Dixon during the October township committee meeting noted that he “went out personally about a year ago to evaluate the condition of the road,” and subsequently “had drawn up an inspection report.”

“As far as I am aware, it is next on the list,” he said. “We also took a traffic count in pursuit of a grant.”

Cavileer pointed out that one of the “other hurdles” is the location of the utility poles and the “utility companies pushing back.”

“We need to start coming up with a plan of attack, so we force them (to re-locate them),”

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari Godfrey Bridge, which will reportedly be replaced

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

Telephone poles that both residents and officials describe as being too close to the road.

Social Media:

It’s Not Just for Kids

Perhapsdue to the popularity of social media among a generation of young people who grew up with it, platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are often associated with people born in the 21st century. However, a 2018 study from the Pew Institute found that 65 percent of adults between the ages of 50 and 64 used Facebook and 68 percent used YouTube.

Social media is often on the receiving end of negative attention, but it’s also a potentially valuable tool that can help men and women over 50 stay connected with their communities. That’s not always so easy for adults who no longer have children at home. And as its name suggests, social media can help users connect with others who share their interests. Such connections also can be hard to make for adults over 50.

Adults over 50 may be more comfortable with social media now than they were a decade ago, but it’s still a good idea to brush up on basic security measures that can help men and women protect their privacy as they utilize platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Protect Personal Information

No social media user has the right to access your personal information, including your address, date of birth or other data unique to you. Avoid interacting with anyone who requests personal information, employing the function to block such users from connecting with you when possible. It’s

also important to keep information about travel plans private. For example, sharing details of an upcoming vacation can serve notice to potential criminals that no one will be in your house, making it a potential target for burglars.

Aim for Quality, When Building Networks

Avoid accepting friend requests from individuals you don’t know. Cyber criminals often gain access to victims via social media, so limit your social media network to people you know and trust.

Turn Off Location Information

The technology behind social media is impressive and even makes it possible to determine where users are when they tweet or post to other platforms. But many users, especially those concerned about their privacy, don’t want to share location information with anyone, much less strangers. Turn off location information and routinely double check to make sure it’s still turned off.

Discuss Others’ Privacy Concerns

Social media isn’t for everyone, and some people may not want photos of themselves or their children posted to platforms like Facebook or Instagram. Prior to posting pictures or information about other people, confirm that they’re OK with you doing so.

Adults over 50 are engaging with social media. But no matter how comfortable users become, it’s still best to keep various social media safety protocols in mind.

How to Plan for a Post-50 Career Change

Professionals change careers for many

reasons. Some do so in pursuit of a higher salary, while others seek a more even balance between their personal and professional lives.

Career changes can renew a person’s passion for working, which can grow stale for individuals who have been doing the same job for years on end. Though there’s not necessarily a bad time to change careers, there are times when making such a transition carries more risk. Such is the case for individuals over 50. Many individuals over 50 may not have the financial obligations they had when they were younger, as children may have grown up and moved out of the house. That can make changing careers after 50 more palatable. However, some individuals in their 50s may be hesitant to leave the security of an established career behind in favor of something new. Hesitance about job prospects after 50 also can make some less likely to take the plunge into a new career. Though hesitancy about a career change after 50 is understandable, a recent survey from the American Institute for Economic Research found that 82 percent of workers who responded to the survey were able to successfully transition to a new career after age 45. In addition, projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that labor force participation among individuals aged 65 and over would increase significantly by 2022, nearly doubling the rate of participation in 1990. Those figures suggest that a midlife career change is not necessarily the same thing as a late-career career change. That should give professionals the confidence they need to successfully transition to a new career. Individuals mulling a career change after 50 also can take these steps to make such a transition less risky.

Pay Down Debt

individuals 50 and over who want to change careers. Career changes often require a pay cut, so individuals who can pay off their mortgages, consumer debts and/or auto loans prior to making a career change may find the transition to a lower income goes more smoothly than it might if they’re still carrying such sizable financial commitments.

Make Plans to Delay Retirement

As BLS data indicates, individuals who want to delay retirement certainly won’t be alone. Delaying retirement affords individuals more time to save, and a financial advisor can help adults over 50 come up with a new retirement plan that reflects their willingness to work longer. Delaying retirement also means delaying withdrawals from retirement savings accounts, which can provide peace of mind against a loss of income resulting from a career change.

Downsize Your Lifestyle

Even a post-50 career change that will require a significant drop in income can be doable for professionals who downsize their lifestyles. Empty nesters can consider moving into a smaller home, while travelers can cut back on the number of trips they take each year. Cutbacks won’t necessarily be easy, but they can be worth it for individuals looking for new career challenges.

Go Back to School

Much like young people who go to college before entering the professional arena, adults over 50 who want to change careers may need to go back to school to improve their career prospects. Remote learning and part-time schooling can make juggling a career and school more manageable.

A successful career change after 50 is entirely possible for individuals willing to make some sacrifices to be happier in their professional lives.

How Empty Nesters Can Overcome Boredom

What to do About Wellness After 50

children is a significant responsibility. Parents know there’s no such thing as a day off, which is why the first day they come home to an empty nest can be so confounding.

Raising

After roughly two busy and likely hectic decades or more of looking after their children, parents whose sons or daughters have left home for the first time may experience feelings of sadness and loss. That’s not unusual, as the Mayo Clinic notes it’s a phenomenon known as “empty nest syndrome.” Though it’s not a clinical diagnosis, empty nest syndrome can be a difficult hurdle to overcome, especially for parents who find themselves suddenly bored after years of being so busy. Empty nesters looking to banish boredom can consider these strategies.

Give Your Home a New Look

Parents go to great lengths to make their homes welcoming safe havens for their children. Moms and dads often joke that, between play rooms and study areas, kids get the bulk of the real estate under their roofs. Now that the children have moved out, parents can take back that space and refresh their homes. A home that’s adapted for empty nesters will look quite different from one designed for families with young children. So a renovation or redesign can provide plenty of work that can fill idle time and instill a sense of excitement about the future.

Become a Weekend Road Warrior

Newly minted empty nesters are likely still working full-time. But now that there’s no soccer practices or band recitals taking up valuable real estate on your weekend schedule,

Saturdays and Sundays can provide perfect opportunities to travel. Plan routine weekend getaways, choosing different locales for each trip. Visit a city one weekend and devote a subsequent trip to the great outdoors.

Reconnect With Old Friends

Some individuals experiencing empty nest syndrome may be hesitant to admit they’re experiencing feelings of sadness and loneliness. But a recent Sky Mobile study of parents of teenagers in England found that 47 percent were fretting about having an empty nest. So it’s likely that old friends and fellow parents are experiencing feelings associated with empty nest syndrome. Reaching out to old friends is a great way to reconnect and can provide an outlet to discuss feelings parents might be hesitant to share with others. But empty nesters who experience significant feelings of sadness and loneliness are urged to speak with a health care professional as well.

Replace Kids’ Activities with Your Own

After years of toting kids from one extracurricular activity to another, empty nesters can now do the same for themselves.

Visit local community centers and libraries and ask about classes for adults. Many offer classes on everything from crafts to sports. Adults also can research continuing education programs at local colleges and universities if they’re interested in a career change or pursuing an advanced degree for personal enrichment.

Newly minted empty nesters can look at their empty nest as an opportunity to engage in activities that pique their interests after years of catering to the needs and wants of their children.

Reaching

one’s fiftieth birthday in optimal health is an accomplishment to be proud of. The hard work required to be healthy in midlife includes adhering to a nutritious diet and exercising regularly. Once individuals cross the threshold and enter their 50s, they can look to some additional strategies to maintain their physical and mental well-being for decades to come.

Get a Pet

Many people 50 and older qualify as “empty nesters,” a term applied to adults whose children have grown up and moved out of their homes. Some empty nesters experience a phenomenon known as “empty nest syndrome,” which the Mayo Clinic notes can be marked by feelings of sadness or loss. Pets can help people over 50 with no children at home overcome feelings linked to empty nest syndrome. In 2018, the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging found that 86 percent of pet owners felt their pets make them feel loved while 73 percent said their pets provided a sense of purpose. Pets also can ensure individuals over 50 stay physically active and provide opportunities to connect with other people.

Prioritize Learning

Whether it’s taking music lessons, going back to school or mastering a new hobby, learning has a profound effect on aging brains. For example, a 2013 study published in the journal Psychological Science found that memory function is improved by engagement in demanding everyday

tasks. That study reported that people who learned new skills experienced greater memory improvement than people who only socialized or participated in activities that were not as cognitively engaging.

Make an Effort to Improve Balance

Various factors contribute to a decline in balance as adults age. For example, a decline in muscle mass that begins when people are in their 30s is a normal part of aging. Over time, that natural decline affects strength and agility. Balance exercises can be a valuable component of a fitness regimen that help individuals reduce their risk for falling as they advance through their 50s and into their 60s and 70s. That’s a significant benefit, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one out of every three adults age 65 and older experiences a fall each year, and as many as 30 percent of those falls lead to serious injury.

Embrace Your Inner Socialite

Socialization is important for people of all ages, including individuals 50 and over. A 2017 study from researchers at Michigan State found that valuing friendships was a strong predictor of health and happiness among older adults. Opportunities to socialize with friends may increase as people navigate their 50s and children move out or become more independent. Individuals can take advantage of opportunities to socialize whenever possible.

Various strategies can help people maintain mental and physical wellness as they make their way through their 50s and beyond.

What To Do With Your Portfolio After 50 Simple Ways to Lessen Your Financial Load

Afiftieth

birthday is often characterized as a milestone moment. Despite that reputation, upon crossing the halfcentury threshold, individuals typically don’t feel that much different than they did when they were still a fun-loving 49-yearold. Though there might not be much to distinguish a 49-year-old from a 50-year-old, a fiftieth birthday is a good time to reassess certain parts of life, including finances.

Conventional financial wisdom has long suggested reducing risk as retirement age draws closer. But a 2021 survey from American Advisors Group found that 18 percent of respondents indicated their intention to work past the age of 70, while another 12 percent indicated they have no plans to ever stop working full-time. Conventional financial wisdom rooted in retiring around the age of 65 may not apply to individuals who intend to work well past that age. That means recently minted fiftysomethings could benefit from adopting a new perspective on managing their money after they reach 50.

Work With a Fiduciary

Fiduciaries differ from other financial advisors in a significant way. According to Investopedia, fiduciaries are legally bound to put their client’s best interests ahead of their own. Working with a fiduciary can provide peace of mind for individuals who want to know the person they’re trusting to guide their financial decisions is working on their behalf. That peace of mind can be especially valuable for individuals over 50 who don’t have as much time to make up for financial losses as younger people. Investopedia notes that some brokerage firms do not want or allow their brokers to be

fiduciaries, so investors should make sure they’re aware of the legal responsibilities of anyone they trust to manage their money.

Monitor the Progress of Your Retirement Accounts

Tracking the performance of retirement accounts like a 401(k) and IRA takes on more significance after 50, even for individuals who don’t see themselves retiring anytime soon. Monitor how particular investments are performing and reallocate funds if certain ones have not performed well in some time. Most investments will go up and down, but people over 50 can monitor performance more closely than they used to so they get an idea of which ones are working for them and which could be compromising their ability to enjoy financial flexibility in the decades to come.

Resist the Temptation to Avoid Stocks Entirely

A recent study published in the medical journal TheLancetfound that life expectancy, which has increased dramatically across the globe since 1900, is expected to continue increasing in developed countries in the decades to come. That means people won’t only be working longer, but living longer as well. Investors 50 and over can prepare for that longer life expectancy by utilizing the growth potential of stocks even after they hit the half century mark. Limiting exposure to risk after 50 is still important, but avoiding investment risks entirely could lead to a financial shortfall down the road.

Managing a portfolio after 50 requires careful consideration of various factors. Deft management of an investment portfolio after 50 can ensure investors don’t outlive their money.

By

the time people reach their fiftieth birthday, many have begun to imagine what their life in retirement may look like. Though data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates the number of people working into their 70s increased significantly during the first two decades of the twentieth century, the vast majority of professionals still call it a career sometime during their 60s.

Retirement may still be a long way off for people who are 50 or in their early 50s, but around this time thoughts of what retirement could be compel many people to seek ways to reduce their financial load in anticipation of the day when they will no longer be working. Cutting back needn’t be complicated, and the following are some simple ways for individuals 50 and over to save money.

Address Unsecured Debt

Unsecured debt, which can include credit card balances and medical bills, tends to carry higher interest rates than debts that carry a collateral requirement. According to the Federal Reserve, roughly 12.5 percent of individuals over 50 still have student loan debt, which is another type of unsecured debt. If possible, people over 50 should pay off these debts immediately or make their best effort to pay extra each month so they are paid off as soon as possible.

Pay in “Cash”

It’s not enough to simply pay off unsecured debt like consumer credit. It’s also important to stop accruing additional debt. Individuals over 50 should resist the temptation to use their credit cards, instead paying with cash or debit cards.

Credit card debt is often characterized as a problem for young consumers, but a 2021 report from ValuePenguinfound that the median credit card debt among individuals between the ages of 55 and 64 was higher than it was for consumers aged 35 to 44. Paying in cash, whether it’s with paper currency or a debit card, ensures you’re not digging yourself into debt.

Reexamine Your Housing Situation Adults 50 and over who purchased their home in their late 20s or early 30s are likely nearing the maturity date on their mortgages. If so, paying a little extra toward the principal each month will help you pay off that mortgage a good deal earlier than if you keep paying the same amount you’ve been paying for years. Though paying extra money each month may not seem like reducing your financial load, it will do so considerably over time. For example, the financial experts at Wells Fargo note that individuals with a fixed-rate mortage loan of $200,000 at 4 percent can cut the term of that loan by more than 4.5 years by paying as little as $100 extra each month toward their principal. Homeowners over 50 who have already paid off a significant percentage of their mortgage loans could reach maturity much sooner if they start paying more toward principal now. Since housing costs are many people’s greatest expense, removing a mortgage payment from your financial ledger by the time you reach 55 could create significant financial flexibility as you get closer to retirement.

Individuals over 50 can utilize some simple yet effective strategies to reduce their financial obligations as retirement nears.

BRIDGE

said the emergency squad chief, noting she was concerned about the number of calls her agency runs to the area. “We have run into this issue with them in the past. They don’t want to be very accommodating when it comes to those utility poles. So, we need to either do (widening) work around them and show them they are now left in the middle

SEWER

problems with the septics in Vincentown and not being able to put in laundry, take showers, etc., because of stuff backing up,” Mikulski added. “So, the determination was made to put in the sewer system.

“Now that it is here and put in … we are working toward the equilibrium of the users taking over the costs of it.”

Kennedy retorted, “But the rest of the residents of the town are paying for the sewer system in Vincentown – supporting it.”

Initially Mikulski responded that they are “not paying for it,” which led Kennedy to quip, “If my taxes are going toward it, I am paying for it.”

“You’re right, you are paying for part of it,” said Mikulski, but pointing out that the residents of the village have seen steep increases of late in sewer hikes as they reportedly share more of the burden for

of the lane and shame them (into doing something), or come up with a mutual plan.”

The substitute engineer noted that “as a matter-of-fact, the NJDOT won’t allow us to submit plans” with a grant application for Godfrey Bridge Road “without first having the utilities settled.”

Barbara’s husband, former township committeeman Barry Cavileer, pointed out that when he was on the governing body, it “did succeed in having one pole moved from the center of the road,” but noted that it was like “pulling teeth.”

maintenance of the system. “There is no question about it, you are correct.”

That acknowledgement from the current mayor that all Southampton taxpayers are paying for the system led Kennedy to ask, “So, how is it that I have to pay for the sewer system in town?”

“It doesn’t benefit me,” Kennedy declared.

Mikulski, however, retorted that it “benefits the ‘township,’ at least in theory,” with Kennedy countering, “How does it benefit the ‘taxpayer?’”

“My question is, how are we going to remedy that?” Kennedy inquired.

“As I was saying, I do think there is a benefit to the entire township,” Mikulski replied. “Do I want to see the costs eventually get all the way to the people using it? I do! I have been a vocal proponent of that since I have been on the township committee. That being said, it is an annual thing that the rates have gone up, and while we are looking for ways to increase the capacity of the sewer system, which takes down the costs of the sewer system, it is not a one year fix.”

“Most of them are still too close to the road, and in my opinion, and I am not a traffic engineer, but those poles need to be moved in at least 3 to 4 feet, and that would take care of 75 percent of problem on the street,” the former township committeeman asserted. “But I don’t know how you will get that accomplished.”

Frank Tedesco, a spokesman for Atlantic City Electric, which is the electric company that serves Washington Township, when queried about the utility situation on Godfrey Bridge Road and the comments that were made, later told this newspaper that “first and foremost, we take these concerns seriously and are reaching out to the township to understand the specific poles in question along Godfrey Bridge Road.”

“As part of our discussion, we will reinforce the appropriate reporting and Atlantic City Electric contacts for addressing concerns of this nature,” he added. “Once we determine the specific poles in question, if the poles are owned by Atlantic City Electric, we will work with the township to discuss our assessment and potential solutions.”

The substitute engineer, during the Oct. 4 Washington committee meeting, asked the couple what they feel are the biggest safety issues on Godfrey Bridge Road, to which the former township committeeman replied “curves and speed” with the emergency squad chief adding, “camper coming each way” on the narrow road with nowhere to pull over because of the utility poles.

“It is so dangerous,” she declared.

But the substitute engineer maintained that it “sounds like problem better addressed in focusing on speed than physically addressing the road, which you can’t widen.”

In response to the mayor, Kennedy asserted, “Well it should have never been there in the first place!”

“That may be, but we can’t worry about what happened 25 years ago!” maintained Mikulski, to which Kennedy declared, “But we can stop it now!”

“It should be stopped now!” added Kennedy, pointing out he has lived in Southampton for 17 years. “I shouldn’t have to pay for that. I don’t think the people in LeisureTowne should have to pay for it either! My tax dollars are paying for the Vincentown Sewer System, and I am not able to tie into it! I don’t get a benefit from it, but my tax dollars are paying for it! This is something this committee needs to address immediately! We will leverage a class-action lawsuit if we have to! This is something that should not have been put in in the first place!”

Phyllis Fisher, of the unit block of Pleasant Street in the village, however, declared in response, “The sewer was the best thing that ever happened to Vincentown.”

“Why not?” asked Barbara Cavileer, to which the engineer responded that there are “environmental concerns,” including a “swamp that is there, which is over 100 years old,” in addition to the utilities.

“But we will see what can be done,” the substitute engineer added.

Barbara Cavileer explained that the new bridge replacement plan calls for increased tonnage and that they are “increasing the tonnage so that more vehicles can be accommodated going across the bridge.”

Seybold replied that he was advised the new bridge will be 12 feet wide and “that is all that can fit” on it.

“Also, by doing this, it is going to raise awareness that the bridge is open, the tonnage has changed, and bring more public awareness to using that road,” said Barbara Cavileer in response. “We are the ones left hurt, holding the proverbial bag here because we are cleaning up the accidents, and the messes – as well as the State Police, so on and so forth. So, I would like to get ahead of this if we could. “

The substitute engineer said he was “going to suggest” the municipality look into traffic calming, and when asked what that exactly entails, explained it could involve “all kinds of methods,” including “changing the speed limit to adding speed humps to posting signs that show what speed you are doing with flashing lights on it.”

“Yes, it is a problem,” James declared. “We will do what we can do. There are a lot of restrictions. But whatever we can do, we will do. The road has been there that I personally know of for 40 years. And I am sure it has been there a lot longer than that.”

“If you have been here, and I have been here 50-some years in Vincentown, you couldn’t walk out there at night,” said Fisher of the situation in the village when the sewer system did not exist, describing that residents not only had to contend with a foul odor, but also had to dodge what was leaking onto the streets. “…It was terrible!”

Fisher, in further countering the points of Kennedy, described the village is the scene of the township’s annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration, “leaving ashes” on resident’s vehicles, but that those living elsewhere in the municipality do not have to experience such a situation.

“I would like to see these people coming from Medford, and all these other places, come to the (Memorial Day) parade as the waste runs down the street!” Fisher asserted.

“How would you guys like that? It is not like we are getting it for free, (the rate) goes up all the time!”

Fisher described that due to the nature of the village, if each individual homeowner

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

A

of an individual who

“I think we’d be subject to being sued,” he added. “We can’t fence it off – that dog doesn’t hunt.”

Members of the public who attend commission meetings, he added wryly, can “pinch our toes with their questions and concerns, but it comes with the territory” and “people are naturally suspicious these days.”

Also weighing in on the issue was Burlington County’s official spokesman, David Levinsky, who, in a statement emailed to this newspaper shortly before its Oct. 12 deadline, affirmed that the services provided to the county by OTC through its sheltered workshop “are invaluable and continue to this day,” and that “to suggest Burlington County does not value this partnership is wrong.”

“One example of our strong partnership is when OTC experienced difficulties with recycling collections last year due to a driver shortage,” he maintained. “Rather than seek a new vendor, Burlington County elected to work with OTC to amend its contact and

supplement OTC’s workers with drivers from the Burlington County Bridge Commission and the County Division of Roads and Bridges until OTC could hire and train sufficient replacements.”

Then, addressing the controversy caused by the hiring of the Bergen County firm, the county spokesman contended that “there have been performance issues that required the county to request remedial actions, and the pandemic experience also required more intense cleaning in some county buildings.”

Maverick, he asserted, “responded to the county’s request for proposals to perform this intense cleaning and was chosen based on the merits of its proposal.

“Notwithstanding the new Maverick contract, OTC will continue to provide cleaning services at nine county facilities and no OTC workers will lose employment,” he maintained.

“In short,” Levinsky’s statement concluded, “Burlington County remains fully committed to OTC in all areas where OTC services match Burlington County needs,” as well as “committed to providing a sanitary and safe environment for its employees and visitors.”

be surrounded by “deer inclusion fencing” installed around it to “ensure the success of plantings,” with the proposed mixture of plantings designed to “ensure a healthy, diverse area.”

open space with native species,” which would allow the area to “naturally grow and eventually create a new forested tract of land.”

The area, according to the township, would be enclosed by a 4 to 5-foot split rail fence.

“If you are going down Hartford Road, and you pass the entrance to Woodridge on your left, and you are heading towards St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and Medford United Methodist Church, you’ll see a little well house that is out in a big, open field,” said Township Manager and Clerk Kathy Burger in describing the project’s location. “They are talking about doing it back in the corner there.”

According to the project proposal submitted to Medford Township Council by Ecologist Robert “Bo” J. Petrillo, a member of the EAAC, the idea came about as a result of local Elaine Mendelow. The impetus behind the project is something he later reaffirmed in an Oct. 11 interview with this newspaper.

Mendelow, it is noted in the proposal, has been “collecting acorns from native oak trees in the area” and wanted to “construct a project utilizing the acorns by planting them somewhere in the township and allowing them to naturally grow and succeed.”

Petrillo then proposed to “replant an underutilized portion of land” belonging to the township, including a grass field that is relatively unmaintained, “with a variety of native species.”

Specifically, the plantings will consist of a mixture of collected native oak trees (which produce acorns), as well as sapling shrubs. Early successional native plant seed will also be sown in the area.

Petrillo told this newspaper the area to be planted is approximately 0.011 acres and that it takes about 15 pounds of seed to do an entire acre, meaning 2 to 3 pounds of seed will likely be needed to accomplish the proposed project. The EAAC is hoping to obtain the seed, he explained, from Pinelands Nursery and Supply, which currently sells it at about $27 per pound.

The EAAC, he noted, is currently in search of a donor or a local organization(s) to contribute toward the costs.

When the project is all said and done, the plantings, according to the proposal, will

“Once the area is planted, it will be allowed to succeed naturally,” the proposal states. “The area will be monitored and maintained as needed.”

However, according to Burger, “if it is ever abandoned in the future, it would just become part of the natural forest.”

The whole project, Petrillo explained, is “at no cost to the township,” and “as of right now, no start date is set,” as he works towards receiving donations for not only the seeds, but also the required fencing.

“I love restoration,” Petrillo told this newspaper. “That is what I do for a living. It is nice to propose something within the township that I can help support with my background.”

Petrillo, who holds a master’s degree in Restoration Ecology and Wetlands and works to protect threatened and endangered species, added that it would likely take “30 to 40 years for the trees to reach maturity” once they are planted.

Signage will also be posted, according to the project proposal, to “educate the public on the project and the species being planted.”

The “project importance,” according to Petrillo, is that it will “restore an underutilized area of the township greenspace and create a new ecosystem.”

Additionally, the “planted woodland will aid in flood control, erosion control, water quality, wildlife habitat and climate change.”

It is the hope of the EAAC that it can also utilize the project “as an educational opportunity within the township allowing the community to observe the succession of a forest over time and learning about the native species within it.”

“I think this is a good spot for it,” said Medford Mayor Charles “Chuck” Watson during the recent council meeting in which the proposal was discussed. “I think it is an interesting idea, and is certainly not hurting anything. It is putting more forest back in town, and it doesn’t sound like it is going to cost the town anything. They are not going to expend any money or move forward with the project until they have the funding in place for all the fencing needed.”

Burger told this newspaper that the project was approved by council pending the EAAC obtaining funding for the fencing for the area.

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SEWER

had to put in a septic system of their own, it would be an expensive proposition, and that the community has a lot of “poor” residents, but that despite that, before the municipal system was installed, she and her family “wanted to pay for our installation.”

“But we were told that we couldn’t, because then everybody else would have to pay and nobody could afford it,” she noted.

Fisher, in declaring, “this isn’t a luxury we are getting,” maintained “we are paying already high sewer prices that go up all the time,” the latter a point that Mikulski agreed was the case.

“But I’ll tell you what, you would see a ghost town if we had to pay the full amount!”

Fisher declared. “One house would go up for sale, then another house and another!”

Patrick Kennedy’s wife, Elaine (a former area municipal clerk), however, took a position that is identical to the one of her husband’s, asserting, “I do not feel I have to pay for it.”

“Because if my septic goes, is the town going to pay for that?” she asked.

Mikulski, in again pointing out he was not on the governing body when the municipal sewer system was first put in, maintained that

“as I understand it,” installing septic systems throughout the village are not feasible “as compared to the rest of the town” because of a number of factors, including the “water table, size, and density of the population.”

“There had to be new sewer program put in,” he declared. “The township paid for it over period of time, and the bond is being paid off, a cost paid off by rest of the township.”

Mikulski maintained he “does think there is a benefit” overall to all taxpayers because “if we ended up with a 30 percent vacancy rate inside of Vincentown” because of a “lack of affordable and workable septic systems,” it is “going to take down property values of the entire township, and for certainly anyone living in the geographic circle of Vincentown.” He also expressed his agreement with Fisher that Main Street is a focal point for parades that the entire township gets to enjoy.

“There is a big piece of that, which works for the township as a whole, that I do think it is a benefit,” he added. “Is it an immediate benefit? No. But I would also argue that if my road gets paved, and you never use my road, you didn’t get a benefit from that either.”

Young, who previously questioned the funding circumstances himself when a rate hike was approved earlier this year, recounted that before the sewer system was installed, “people couldn’t take a shower and

wash their clothes on the same day.”

“That is how bad it was,” Young maintained, and while he previously questioned the funding arrangement, the former mayor, in previous remarks, has pointed to the system’s installation as one of his greatest accomplishments of his tenure.

Southampton Committeeman Ronald Heston, “having been around here for a long time,” also recounted that “you could not walk the streets of Vincentown on wash day because everything ran into the street –the sewage, because the septic tanks there couldn’t hold it.”

“You had to pump them every day in order to use them,” he contended. “And it was decided something had to be done, and it was done, and the people of Vincentown are paying for the sewage system.”

That is signified, he maintained, by the fact that the residents of Vincentown have seen their “rates go up dramatically,” with “most of the maintenance (funding) coming from them (the users/customers), not from us.”

The township committee having to now allocate $50,000 from the municipal Capital Improvement Fund to maintain the sewer system, according to Heston, “is an unusual circumstance,” but is a maneuver that has now become necessary “to fix the pumps.”

“As the administrator said, people are flushing things down the toilet that are not

meant to be and it is damaging the pumps, and it has to be fixed,” Heston maintained.

Mikulski pointed out that it is “not just the flushing” that is causing damage to the system, but individuals tossing things down the “storm drains, etc.” in the area.

“There are lot of things that go into it, but something has to be repaired to make it more efficient,” Heston added. “There will be a cost to the residents of Vincentown. But we need to have a septic in town. Be thankful there is sewage in Vincentown!”

Kennedy, however, responded that he doesn’t “think residents of Southampton Township should be paying for the sewer system in the village, no matter what the cause of the problem.”

“It is their problem, not my problem, but you are making it my problem and you are making it everybody else’s problem in town by taxing me to maintain that sewer,” he declared.

The Southampton mayor responded that Patrick Kennedy’s comments are “understood and well received.”

“We have been working towards it,” Mikulski added. “If you look at percentages where they were five years ago versus today, the burden has fallen more on the residents using the system. … I understand what you are saying, we can disagree on topics and not be disagreeable.”

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Monday, October 24, 2022 | 6 p.m.

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