Pine Barrens Tribune September 30-October 7, 2023

Rep. Andy Kim Steps in to Address Another Mess on Capitol Hill by Seeking to Replace Sen. Menendez

3rd District Congressman Noted for Cleaning Up After Jan. 6 Riot Is First to Declare Candidacy for Indicted Democrat’s Seat

By Bill B onvie Staff Writer

MOORESTOWN—At the start of 2021, U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, a Democrat just beginning his second term as New Jersey’s 3rd District congressman after having bested two far wealthier opponents in a formerly GOP-leaning district, did something that earned him the kind of national recognition no amount of money can buy. This son of South Korean immigrants took it upon himself to clean up the huge mess left by rioters who had invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in an ill-fated attempt to keep Donald Trump on as president, collecting debris and personal belongings from the floor of the Rotunda and placing it in garbage bags.

By D ouglas D. M elegari

Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—As one attendee wrote on social media when it was all over for the night, it came down to the “Power of the People.”

So many of them, in fact, turned out for a Sept. 25 Pemberton Township Planning Board session at the Pemberton Township Municipal Building’s courtroom, to

largely protest a pair of warehouse applications scheduled to be heard and possibly acted on by the board, that the room, which seats about 100 people, became way overfilled prior to the 7 p.m. scheduled start time.

This reporter got the last approved parking spot for the venue three minutes before 7 p.m.

Inside, every seat was taken in the

courtroom, with dozens of people crammed in the left and back aisles of the courtroom, with the standing-room only crowd flowing out into the hallway.

Planning Board Chairman Steven Borders asked how many people intended to stay for both warehouse applications. One man shouted, “We are here for the long-haul, buddy!”, to which Borders

See BIRMINGHAM/ Page 7

Now, more than two-and-a half years after that well-publicized episode, the typically low-key congressman, after winning a third term against another affluent rival, has immediately volunteered to address a brand-new mess on Capitol Hill— only one of a different sort originating this time from within his own party.

Without apparent hesitation, Kim announced on Sept. 23 that he would seek to replace New Jersey’s senior Democratic senator, Robert Menendez, just a day after the announcement that Menendez, the powerful head of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, was again facing corruption

See KIM/ Page 8

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

Many People Came Out for Pemberton Planning Board Session to Largely Protest

Fiery Line of Questioning, Statements Over Pemberton DPW Dump Truck Fire Leads to Councilman Confrontation with Official Now Demanding Apologies Councilman Presses Administration Over Whereabouts of Pre-Inspection Checklist, Whether Driver Underwent Drug Testing, Calls Bill ‘Outrageous’ and Criticizes Tow Selection; Administrator Responds Incident ‘Wasn’t Sabotage,’ Describing Rapid Onset of Flames

By D ouglas D. M elegari

Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—A Republican

councilman’s fiery line of questioning and statements during a tense Sept. 6 Pemberton Township Council session, particularly ones pertaining to a recent township dump truck fire and hefty towing and environmental cleanup bill that followed, led to a quarrel that evening and a later public confrontation at the end of an ensuing Sept. 20 governing body session, with the councilman now demanding a public apology from the township business administrator and Democratic Council President Donovan Gardner, the two officials who confronted him about his earlier remarks.

Appearing on the Sept. 6 council meeting agenda, under “new business,” was a request from the township’s Department of Public Works seeking authorization to pay a $16,157.50 bill from Flynn’s Towing, Inc., with a descriptor noting it was for “towing and cleanup services for the Truck No. 27 fire.”

As became evident during the Sept. 6 session, an “80,000-pound dump truck” belonging to the township, being used to transport asphalt for a paving project, “burst into flames,” with the vehicle destroyed by the inferno, which an official told this newspaper had occurred back on Aug. 28, while Public Works was paving Evergreen Boulevard.

Republican Councilman Dan Dewey, who retired in his day job after 40 years with the Miller Organization, serving as director of its Service Department, and has held a CDL license for about 15 years, in addition to now operating a small company in a related field, in response to reviewing the bill, initially asked on Sept. 6, “Did they use any fire extinguishers that were on our trucks to try to help put this fire out?”

Dewey, at one point, surmised that the totaled dump truck is probably worth $165,000.

“No,” answered Township Business Administrator Daniel Hornickel during the Sept. 6 session. “Unfortunately, what happened was the driver observed smoke. He pulled over immediately to exit the vehicle. And when he went to go back into the vehicle, to retrieve the fire extinguisher and his personal items, it burst into flames.”

The driver, according to Hornickel, was uninjured in the incident.

Since the start of Dewey’s term back in January, he, along with fellow GOP Councilman Joshua Ward, have inquired

about Public Works employees completing “pre-inspection forms” each day, prior to equipment leaving the yard.

“I guess the pre-inspection form that he filled out that morning, before he took out the truck, got burned up in the truck,” Dewey quipped.

The business administrator responded that he “doesn’t know” where the form for that day was kept, and without completing his thought, added, “but if it was in the truck …,” with Dewey retorting the form for that day is “very important” to have on file for review given the incident.

Dewey then posed a second procedural question to the administration, the one that seemed to set the stage for the later confrontation, asking, “Was the driver drug tested?

Hornickel, who appeared to grow increasingly exacerbated by the nature of the questioning, responded, “No, there is no reason to believe he was under any kind of an influence.”

Dewey, however, pointed out “there was an incident,” adding the “pre-inspection report would prove a lot.” The councilman continued that after one does a preinspection of their vehicle and “checks all the boxes,” that person should not stop there, but rather “should be constantly looking at air gauges and pressure.”

“And the most important thing to have in a truck is a ‘nose,’ and if it develops a fuel leak, you can certainly smell it way, way before it catches on fire, as well as an oil leak,” Dewey declared. “There is a good possibility this could have been prevented. And the way I look at it, it is a $200,000 mistake, between the replacement of the truck for $165,000, the tow bill, the load of blacktop, and the people waiting around probably waiting to get the asphalt (it was carrying) dumped in the paver. You had lost productivity; lost material and I think it is something that could have been cut off before it happened!”

Hornickel confirmed the asphalt contents in the truck was a loss.

It was during “council comments,” when the ensuing Sept. 20 council meeting appeared to have mostly concluded for the night, when Gardner is reported to have suddenly whipped out a flash drive, plugged it into a television in council chambers and had a video suddenly played. Dewey later

See FIRE/ Page 5

Pemberton Mayor’s Microsurfacing Initiative to Extend Roadway Lifespans Hits Roadblock in Getting Off Ground After Council Fails to Approve Contract Two GOP Councilmen Question Whether Targeted Roads are Right Candidates; Democratic Council President Blasts Opposition to Program That Has BA’s Okay

By D ouglas D. M elegari

Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—An initiative of Pemberton Township Republican Mayor Jack Tompkins to have certain township roads microsurfaced in attempt to “extend their livelihoods,” having the support of both Democratic Council President Donovan Gardner and Township Business Administrator Daniel Hornickel, has at least hit a temporary roadblock.

A microsurfacing contractor even came before council on Sept. 6 to explain the intricacies of the process and do a quick cost analysis, after Republican Councilmen Dan Dewey and Joshua Ward raised a number of questions about the process back in August and whether the targeted roads for it are the right candidates, but in the end, the administration was unable to obtain the needed support from council to approve a resolution authorizing a $61,379.73 contract with Asphalt Paving Systems for “crack sealant and microsurfacing.”

According to Tompkins, the township was targeting several roads in the Lake Valley section of the township for the application.

But Ward, on Aug. 16, maintained his “research” found that “it needs shade in order for it to adhere properly to the surface” and given “some of the roads listed in the resolution,” he was concerned because the municipality had recently “cut down a lot of trees” there. He also maintained that he learned it is “not ideal to lay in residential areas” and that it is “usually utilized on widely-used roadways” as “cars parked on newly-microsurfaced roads will tear up the surfacing.”

Lake Valley is a residential neighborhood. Additionally, Ward contended that microsurfacing was done on Route 38 and he has observed “it didn’t really last that long.”

Gardner, however, tried to convince Ward that the material would hold because of rocks put in it and that the microsurfacing is a “DPW recommendation” to avoid “bringing out a milling machine and labor.”

“This is kind of an initiative that I started,” Tompkins added.

The mayor explained that in observing the application of the product on Route 38, he asked his brother about the process, as his brother works for PennDOT, or Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation.

“And it does work in some areas,” Tompkins maintained. “So, when I got elected, I went to Public Works and asked

about it, and did some research on it.”

Tompkins said of his research on microsurfacing that he found “forecasts” that if one targets the “right roads and seals them,” it can “extend their livelihoods” by 10 to 14 years.

“That means you can delay milling and overlay, which is time consuming and pretty expensive, versus spraying and have it last 10-14 years,” Tompkins declared. “So, we decided to find smaller roads, spray them, seal them and evaluate them next year to see if we want to continue or expand the program, so we can catch up on our milling and overlay program.”

The mayor, in pointing out there are “64 square miles in this town,” contended it comprises “a lot of roads,” before asserting, “We are having a hard time keeping up.”

“I am trying to figure out a new way to kind of help us do that,” Tompkins said. “You can deny this tonight, but I am trying to do something different.”

Ward acknowledged he is “not an expert” in microsurfacing and “everything on Google is not always right,” before suggesting that a representative from Asphalt Paving Systems explain to council the “process to make sure we get the best bang for our buck.”

“Maybe they can give us some assurance it is going to work,” Ward said. “From the research I did – it didn’t make much sense.”

Tompkins maintained the sealing is “cheaper” with there being a cost savings of 50 percent over asphalt and milling.

Dewey noted that he “talked to a friend of mine” about the plan, who “says there is only one company around here that does it.”

“My suggestion is if they are a stand up company, and they stand behind their product, have the (Municipal Building) driveway done from Pemberton-Browns Mills Road to the gate (for the Public Works yard) and see how it holds up,” Dewey said.

“Then they’ll have a shot.”

Having the driveway done, he maintained, is better than spending $61,000 for a trial run of the application on various township roads.

Ward agreed with Dewey to first have a “small test area” for the application, with the contract tabled from Aug. 16 to Sept. 6 to allow for a presentation from Asphalt Paving Systems.

Walter Percy IV, regional director of sales and marketing at Asphalt Paving Systems since June 2003, told council on Sept. 6 that Public Works Director Tom

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Underground Water Tank Rupture at Medford Leas Causes ‘Loud Bang’

MEDFORD—A water tank rupture reportedly shook the windows and doors of homes in the Medford Leas senior living community of Medford Township on the afternoon of Sept. 22.

The incident reportedly occurred around 1:25 p.m.

According to the Medford Township Police Department, first responders determined the “loud bang” was the result of an “underground water holding tank that malfunctioned.”

Burlington County IAFF 3091- Medford, the local firefighters’ union, in a social

media post, noted that Medford firefighters helped to investigate a “loud explosion that was heard and felt throughout the north side of town.”

Arriving firefighters, the union said, found “a ruptured pressurized well tank located approximately 200 feet from the building, just off into the woods.”

Both police and the union said there were no reported injuries as a result of the incident. Police added that utility personnel worked to rectify the water tank issue following the incident.

Photo From Burlington County IAFF 3091- Medford

A tank that ruptured at Medford Leas on Sept. 22, causing a loud bang that shook the north side of Medford Township.

Pemberton Councilman Demands Streetlight Outages in Town Be ‘Prioritized’ Over $1.2M, Heavily Grant-Funded Township Sports Complex Lighting Project Business Administrator Responds Township Isn’t Responsible for JCP&L’s Equipment, But Has Pushed for Repairs; Green Acres Grant, Loan Can’t Be Used for Streetlights; Police Department Inventory Over Summer Found 194 Streetlights Out or with Issues

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—A Pemberton Township

Republican councilman is demanding streetlights that he says are currently out throughout the township be “prioritized,” and his demands led to yet another tense situation in council chambers during the month of September.

Councilman Dan Dewey contends that, as of the Sept. 20 Pemberton Township Council meeting, “you have over 50 streetlights out” throughout the township.

The Pine Barrens Tribune, just prior to press time, learned, in response to an Open Public Records Act Request (OPRA) answer, that an inventory conducted by the township Police Department, reportedly between July and September, found 194 streetlights with issues or out throughout the township.

Dewey, on Sept. 20, contended that the township should prioritize their repair over a $1.2 million project (heavily reliant on a grant and loan) to enhance lighting at the Pemberton Sports Field on PembertonBrowns Mills Road.

But Business Administrator Daniel Hornickel maintained, in response, that the streetlights are the responsibility of Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L), a FirstEnergy company.

“Council does not control JCP&L,” responded Hornickel to Dewey. “If you want to complain, I will gladly give you the area

Warehousing Redevelopment Agreements for Rockefeller Parcels Revived, But Pemberton Council Also Agrees to Form Redevelopment Subcommittee

representative’s name and number. We have been on him, but he is an area rep and does not control the CEO.”

The issue of streetlights had come up during a preceding Sept. 6 council meeting, with resident Harry Harper reporting that there were numerous lamps out on N. Pemberton and Lakehurst roads, for example.

“I took a count, and from the township road (the road for the Municipal Building) to the hardware store (O’Brien & Sons in Browns Mills), there are 18 lights out,” Harper told council on Sept. 20. “From Lakehurst Road to Trenton Road out to Thompson’s, there were 16 lights out.”

Later, on Sept. 6, Dewey pointed out that he previously raised the issue of streetlight outages, before declaring, “In the nine months I have been here (on council), we have not moved a football field on streetlights.”

“Can you give me an update?” he asked of administration.

Hornickel responded at the time that the issue had been “communicated to JCP&L,” though “I have not recently communicated” with the utility.

“I can forward to you prior correspondence regarding the LED replacement program,” he added.

Republican Councilman Joshua Ward, Dewey’s 2022 running mate and close ally, noted that he looked through the utility’s

Police Probe Report of Employee Armed with Knife and Making Threats at Medford Care Center; Locate Suspect in Maple Shade ‘Without Incident’

MEDFORD—A report of an “employee armed with a knife, threatening multiple employees inside a room within the Medford Care Center,” resulted in a lockdown of the Medford Township-based facility on Sept. 26, as well as a heavy police presence.

Police were called to the facility at 185 Tuckerton Road around 4:26 p.m.

“As patrol units arrived, a perimeter was established, and assistance was obtained from the Medford Lakes Borough Police Department and the Evesham Township Police Department,” a statement from the Medford Township Police Department stated. “During the course of the operation,

patrol officers deployed inside the Medford Care Center, which was placed in lockdown while a search for the suspect took place.”

Ultimately, reports surfaced that the suspect “fled the location,” prompting police to deploy both a drone and K-9.

“As a result of the on-scene investigation, it was determined there was no longer an active threat within the Medford Care Center and the suspect was located in Maple Shade without incident,” police reported.

Police have not yet said whether the suspect in the case will face any charges. A call requesting clarification went unreturned as of press time.

Hit and Run Crash in Pemberton Leaves Man with Serious Head Injuries

PEMBERTON—Police are investigating a “serious” purported hit and run crash involving a pedestrian that occurred on Sept. 10 on S. Lakeshore Drive in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township.

The incident happened around 8:55 p.m.

According to a press release from the Pemberton Township Police Department, officers, upon arrival, found Earl Bailey IV, 41, of Browns Mills, lying along the north shoulder of S. Lakeshore Drive with “multiple” serious head injuries.

A preliminary investigation, authorities said, revealed that a pickup truck, traveling west on S. Lakeshore Drive, struck Bailey along the shoulder of the roadway.

Police said the driver, according to witnesses, purportedly stopped after the collision, and walked back to the victim, before leaving the scene.

Bailey was transported to Capital Health Trauma Center in Trenton for further treatment.

On the following morning, Sept. 11, police said patrols were able to locate the suspect vehicle, a green Ford pickup, in the area of Wheeler Trail in Browns Mills.

Shortly thereafter, police said they took Wayne A. Irving, 53, of Browns Mills, into custody.

Irving was charged with knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in serious bodily injury, obstructing administration of the law or other governmental functions, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and endangering an injured victim.

The collision is under investigation by the Pemberton Township Police Traffic

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—A pair of redevelopment agreements to construct “one or more warehouses” on properties associated with the Rockefeller Group that are on Route 206, on either side of an intersection with N. Pemberton Road, received narrow Pemberton Township Council approval on Sept. 20 after having previously died for lack of motion on Aug. 16.

Democratic Councilwoman Elisabeth McCartney reluctantly flipped her previous position following a purported strongly worded piece of correspondence to the governing body from Business Administrator Daniel Hornickel, with the councilwoman arriving at the determination that the current owners of the properties in question “should be able to sell their properties” to whom they desire.

McCartney, however, emphasized the need for “forward thinking” on future development in the township and was one of several councilmembers who pushed for a “warehouse redevelopment subcommittee” of council to be created, on the heels of Republican Mayor Jack Tompkins suggesting it, declaring she is “getting tired of looking at all these redevelopment agreements.”

After some changes were made to zoning standards through the former all-Democratic council, as well as under the former Democratic Mayor David Patriarca administration to entice ratables,

FIRE

(Continued from Page 2)

maintained to this newspaper it was depicting what happened in the moments leading up to an unrelated-garbage truck inferno.

After the video concludes, Gardner acknowledges on the record that he “played that video” because of “something that happened in the township.”

“We had a truck fire,” Gardner declared. “And the individual stated he had a split second to jump out. By the time he jumped out, the truck was already engulfed in flames.”

The council president said of the video he just played that it shows proof that the “hydraulic under pressure is always hot” and that “misting” can lead to “fire – real quick.”

“My comment goes to Mr. Dewey,” Gardner asserted. “He came down pretty hard on that gentleman driving that (township) truck, asking, ‘Did he have a drug test?’ and, ‘Did he follow a checklist?’.”

When I saw that video, you can have all the checklists you want, but you are not going to find a leak in a hose. He also mentioned the guy should have been ‘drug tested’ because if he is traveling, and there is a gasoline fire, you are going to smell gasoline (beforehand).

If you are driving a truck full of asphalt, it is going to smell like asphalt. An oil leak would smell like asphalt. You came down hard on that employee. It is like you have a personal vendetta against DPW, and if it is a personal thing, we can discuss that in closed session. You have been coming down hard on Public Works a lot (Dewey, at the start of the year, was critical of Public Works Director Tom McNaughton, and also this year, has taken issue with paving quality and a farm field piping issue, as well as has raised concern with a plan reportedly endorsed by Public Works to use micro surfacing on some roads

redevelopment has flourished in the township, with the municipality currently in the process of deciding a number of housing development and warehouse development applications.

During the Aug. 16 governing body session, while Hornickel was absent, Tompkins, along with Democratic Councilman Paul Detrick, urged council to at least table the pair of Rockefeller redevelopment agreements for further discussion, if not giving approval, for fear of potential litigation given these projects have already been in the pipeline for some time, with the developer having already made investments given prior approval of a redevelopment plan for the area that permits warehousing as a permissible land use.

Detrick, on Sept. 20, appeared to provide some insight on what Hornickel, also an attorney, expressed to the council in the wake of its Aug. 16 decision. As the Democratic councilman pointed out, because warehousing is a permitted land use in the area in question, “right now, as it is, they can build warehouses” at that location without agreeing to anything further.

“They do not need these redevelopment agreements,” he maintained. “So, voting them down does not stop the warehouses or preserve a farm. It just allows them to build without doing any of the things not in the rules that we might like them to do, such as to help us to preserve the farmhouses there.”

[see separate story]).

“The fire – it happened quick, there was no time to get out, and by the time he turned around, he could have gotten his personalself burned up. This shows you how quickly a hydraulic fire could happen, especially when you are not expecting it.”

Ward, on Sept. 6 “reiterated” the points Dewey had to say about the incident, maintaining council was previously assured checklists were being “done” and then asserted, “I am just going to throw this out there – I am a certified diesel mechanic, and the flashpoint on a diesel, for it to get that hot (to cause a fire) is astronomically crazy,” before pressing for an “investigation” to “find out exactly what happened.”

On Sept. 20, Ward, in response to the apparent attack on his 2022 running mate, declared, “I am coming to Dan’s defense,” pointing out an “exhaust manifold has a completely different flash point than diesel.”

It was added by Ward that he “appreciated the fact” that the councilmembers “got an email with the checklist” being utilized by Public Works employees since the Sept. 6 session, “but it looks like a 30-year-old wrote the checklist.”

Gardner tried to talk over Ward at one point, claiming the Republican was “cutting into my time.” Ward, however, continued that the “checklist, in my professional opinion, needs to be looked at” and that a “checklist that just says things such as ‘fuel’ or ‘truck’ doesn’t tell me anything about the process.”

“I just think he (Dewey) came down pretty hard,” Gardner responded. “He (the Public Works employee whose dump truck caught on fire) followed the checklist requirements, and it (the fire) is obviously something he was not in control of.”

Dewey shot back, “Thanks for the cheap

See FIRE/ Page 14

Some Officials Conclude Warehouses Can’t be Stopped Because of Current Zoning; Leading Democratic Member Flips Position, But with Intent of ‘Forward Thinking’

Evesham Man Charged in Reported Online Sales of Fake Supplements

EVESHAM—A 47-year-old Evesham Township resident is facing several charges following an “extensive investigation” by the Evesham Township Police Department and Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office into allegedly fraudulent sales transactions involving more than $130,000 worth of counterfeit health supplements.

The suspect, Brad Snyder, was reportedly arrested without incident on Sept. 26 and lodged in Burlington County Jail, in Mount Holly, pending an appearance in Superior Court.

According to a press release from the office of Evesham Police Chief Walt Miller, Synder offered the bogus products as namebrand supplements and sold them online to unsuspecting customers.

The Amazon.com accounts that the

supplements were marketed under were Apexx and Miracle Tonics, Lt. Daniel Burdette, public information officer for the department, noted in an email to this newspaper.

He was taken into custody following the execution of a search warrant at the 100 Building of Woodhollow Drive, and another at a public storage facility on Route 70, the release noted.

Charges against Snyder include secondand third-degree theft by deception, secondand third-degree counterfeiting, and seconddegree computer criminal activity.

Police said the investigation was an ongoing one, and asked that anyone with information contact the department at 856-983-1116 or its confidential tip line 856-983-4699.

Method Used in After-Hours Robbery of Evesham Japanese Restaurant

Similar to That in Mugging at Medford Shopping Plaza the Week Before Both Incidents Involve Use of Chemical Spray, Possibly Bear Repellent, to Disable Victims

By Bill B onvie Staff Writer

EVESHAM—Whoever robbed an Evesham Township restaurant after closing time on the night of Sept. 23 used a similar modus operandi – a rather unusual and potentially dangerous one – as the individual who mugged a man at a Medford Township shopping plaza six days earlier, according to police accounts of the two incidents.

In both cases, a chemical spray (reported to be one used to ward off bear attacks in the Medford robbery) was utilized to temporarily disable the victim, which in the Evesham incident, was a female employee of the Mikado Japanese Sushi & Steak House at 793 East Route 70.

After spraying the restaurant worker, the perpetrator bound her hands and feet, duct taped her mouth, and proceeded to steal an undisclosed amount of money from the restaurant’s cash register, before fleeing in an unknown direction, according to a press release from the office of Chief Walt Miller of the Evesham Police Department.

The victim remained tied up until

ROADBLOCK

(Continued from Page 3)

McNaughton “reached out to me for alternatives to milling and paving” and that a subsequent review of township roads found “several areas that would benefit from an application of microsurfacing.”

“We planned a strategy to extend the pavement while it is still in good condition,” Percy declared.

The “average pavement lifespan,” he explained, is 14 years. After the first 10 years, he noted, the quality of a paved surface deteriorates by 40 percent, and at the 10-year mark, the asphalt “reaches a rapid rate” of deterioration and “in the following three years,” it reaches a point where there is no other option besides milling and paving.

However, at the first signs of pavement cracking and surface oxidation, if microsurfacing were to be applied, “it would extend its life for six to eight years.”

He added that a common “misconception” is that once the application wears away, milling and paving is required. But in reality, he claimed, pavement “can accept multiple applications.”

“Municipalities have done the same road

she was found by a co-worker, the press release noted. She was subsequently taken to Virtua Hospital, where she was treated and released.

In the earlier robbery, which occurred in the Village of Taunton Forge on Tuckerton Road at around 10:20 p.m. on Sept. 19, the perpetrator, who was described as wearing all black clothing and a mask, was reported to have stolen the victim’s wallet and cellphone after spraying him.

The victim in that incident was also treated at a hospital after making his way to a nearby business.

A photo of a black car taken in the vicinity of the Medford mugging, which might have been related to the incident, was subsequently posted online.

Any member of the public who may have information related to the latest occurrence or who might have observed suspicious activity in the area where it took place has been asked to contact the Evesham Police Department at 856-983-1116, call its confidential tip line 856-983-4699, or send an anonymous tip text, ETPDTIP at 847411.

three or four times in the 20 years I have been at Asphalt Paving Systems,” Percy declared. The product, he said, “would only be good as the surface it goes over top of,” and therefore, the company would be contracted to also seal cracks and repair potholes.

Percy also pointed out that some municipalities will “double” the application on a surface “to get more leveling with the material and extend its life further.”

Ward raised his previous research that the product is “recommended for highly-traveled roadways as opposed to residential ones.”

Percy called that “false,” noting that his company does 50 percent of its applications for the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), while the other half is performed for municipal and county agencies.

“We do a ton of municipal developments,” the regional director of sales and marketing at Asphalt Paving Systems declared, noting that his company does such work for between 40 and 50 municipalities in New Jersey, including in Galloway and Winslow townships, which “select a different neighborhood” annually for application.

Percy pointed to a video showing the firm’s work in Winslow, which he said has turned to Asphalt Paving Systems over the last 10 years. The company, he noted, was

Step’ Being Taken to Resolve Electrical Overload on North-End Substation in Pemberton Borough with $17,000 Advancement to Verizon for New Utility Poles

Acting Mayor Jerome Asks All to ‘Keep Mayor Griffin in Your Thoughts and Prayers’

By D ouglas D. M elegari

Staff Writer

PEMBERTON BOROUGH—A “crucial step” is reportedly being taken to alleviate the load on Pemberton Borough’s north substation, a problem previously raised at Pemberton Borough Council meetings and highlighted by this newspaper.

Pemberton Borough Council, during its Sept. 18 session, authorized an advance of $17,000 to Verizon for the setting of three new utility poles, according to Acting Mayor and Council President Terry Jerome.

Councilwoman Diane Fanucci noted that the funds are coming out of the borough’s Electric Budget.

The Pine Barrens Tribune previously reported that a backup transfer/ interconnection switch between two substations that supply power to the municipality has been sitting “disconnected” since work commenced on the Hanover Street Bridge in 2019. The switch reportedly had not been re-connected upon completion of the bridge work.

Additionally, Mayor Harold Griffin previously disclosed a second issue with the “north-end substation” itself, explaining that it is the result of the Hearthstone at Woodfield retirement community having been constructed, which added about 150 homes now drawing on it, putting a “tremendous amount” of load on the facility. He maintained the construction happened before his time on council and that the developer should have been required to put in a separate substation for Hearthstone, or fund work to improve the

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guide and found that the “LED fixtures themselves cost us $1.”

“So, you can take out an incandescent bulb and put in an LED for $1,” maintained Ward, with Dewey claiming the upgrades could save taxpayers’ money.

contracted to do microsurfacing on Route 72 and recently bid to do microsurfacing on Route 70. He also pointed out that the firm has done applications on the Brooklyn Bridge, which sees an average of 250,000 vehicles per day.

“I think your roadways fit the criteria,” Percy attested.

There had also been a suggestion at the Aug. 16 council meeting that “chip seal” is illegal in New Jersey, but in response to Percy’s presentation, which covered that as being a second option (comprising small rocks and stone, etc.), Ward quipped, “I guess I got misinformation.”

Percy also pointed out to the council that Asphalt Paving Systems, while the color specs are different than what is proposed for Pemberton, did microsurfacing on Route 9 in the Tuckerton to West Creek area, with Ward responding that he would “take a cruise out there.”

After Democratic Councilwoman Elisabeth McCartney inquired about whether the roads Pemberton officials intend to treat are considered “well-traveled,” Tompkins replied, “this gentleman and Mr. McNaughton selected the roads they want to do.”

“The first year, we want to do some roads to get an evaluation period,” Tompkins said. “That is why we are looking at residential.”

grid to accommodate the extra load, but that it did not occur.

“What in essence this does, is it is not the initial step, but a crucial step in connecting the south circuit with the north circuit,” said Jerome during council’s Sept. 18 session in approving the advance of funds to Verizon. “So, if one of the substations has a problem, it gives the other one the ability to accept the load. It is something that was always in place, but it was taken out for the bridge project, and it is going back in place. It is going in place – allowing the south substation to accept more load, to relieve the load on the north substation.”

The new poles, according to Jerome, who oversees the borough’s Electric Utility, will carry both electric and communications lines. The reason Verizon has to perform the pole setting, he explained, is because “we do not have the equipment or ability to do that.”

“We do not have a pole setter truck or auger/digger,” Jerome declared.

When Councilwoman Melissa Tettemer asked, “Why does Verizon have to be paid in full?”, Borough Solicitor David Serlin responded, “That’s Verizon,” with Jerome pointing out each pole and the materials for one cost somewhere between $4,000 and $5,000.

“That may seem outrageous for three poles,” Jerome asserted. “But they are higher, stronger and wider – which is what we need.”

Tettemer also inquired as to, “What

See UTILITY/ Page 15

On Sept. 20, when council went to authorize Verizon to “upgrade a telegraph pole for sports field lighting” for an amount not to exceed $12,500, Dewey asked, “So, ballfields are more important to the safety of our residents than the streetlights that are out?”

After Hornickel explained that the administration has been pressing JCP&L for repairs, the business administrator

See LIGHTS/ Page 15

Some roads, the mayor noted, on the list are well traveled, while others are not. University Avenue, a main thoroughfare in the area targeted, is “too far gone” for microsurfacing and will have to be repaved, according to Tompkins.

“We will evaluate it over the winter, to see if we want to continue with this or expand it,” said the mayor of the plan. “It is more of an evaluation, if anything.”

Dewey, however, again raised his earlier suggestion of “doing our driveway” first “because it gets a lot of traffic” and “everyone can see if it is a proven project.”

“I think $61,000 to do a road test … then, if it doesn’t work, we are out $61,000,” Dewey shot back.

Percy declared, in response, “I can assure you it will not fail.” He maintained each job has an assigned superintendent that is onsite during the application process.

“Our superintendents review every single road over winter, every week,” Percy maintained. “They drive them each week for three years. In the winters, we meet on Fridays, and they submit road reviews. If our company sees anything we don’t think is right, we send crews out often without even telling DPW. We stand by our work.”

Dewey asked Percy if Asphalt Paving

‘Crucial

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According to Tompkins, on one of the farms in question, there is a farmhouse built in 1820, while on the other, there is a farmhouse that was built in 1713, as well as a grave site.

The pair of redevelopment agreements, according to Detrick and Tompkins, would require the redevelopers to preserve the farmhouses as well as force them to take steps to locate and preserve the grave, in addition to locking in a commitment to provide “extras,” or concessions that the redevelopers would not otherwise be bound to if they just developed the property based on the current zoning.

“That is the difference,” Detrick declared. “We are kind of shooting ourselves in the foot by doing this (denying the pair of agreements). These agreements give us some things we asked them to give us. We can say, ‘We don’t want those things,’ but that does not, in any way, stop the warehouses!”

Tompkins noted that “working to preserve the 1820 farmhouse” is “part of” one of the agreements, while the other commits the developer to not only “trying to preserve” the “other 1713 farmhouse,” but to also “look for the grave.”

As was the case on practically every single issue of significance to come before the Pemberton council during the month of September, there was deep division amongst members of council on public display, with Republican Councilmen Dan Dewey and Joshua Ward adamantly opposed to approving the pair of redevelopment agreements, which led to some tense exchanges.

Ward declared that while he “understands why this is being added back on” to council’s agenda, “as everyone is well aware, I am completely against warehouse development in the township, especially when it comes to farmlands and wetlands.”

The Republican councilman pointed to page 158 of the township’s current Master Plan, adopted in 2009 and last amended in 2014, where it reportedly recommends that “only 140 acres be redeveloped to accommodate growth.”

Ward said that in believing he “did the math correctly,” the Greenberg Farm senior housing project in the works would develop 133.7 acres, the Seldat warehouse completed recently has comprised 36.5 acres, and the two Rockefeller sites will have a potential buildout of 118.5 acres for a “grand total of 286 acres,” which is “more than double” what the Master Plan had “recommended for sustainable growth.”

The Republican councilman than cited a Pinelands Preservation Alliance (PPA) report on “farmland destruction,” pointing out that it concluded “food insecurity is a

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messages that they did.

After the applicants were dismissed, most of the crowd departed to allow the board to proceed with its regular business, which included the reading into the record of a letter from a resident, who went on to describe concerns with the initial warehouse, including that it has allegedly created “just not a gully,” in her yard, but “a lake.” Others, during public comment, inquired about the need for inspections of the existing premise. Tompkins spoke of his being invited for a tour of the existing warehouse earlier this year, and having been impressed with the facility.

According to the published legal notice

growing issue as farmland continues to shrink.” The report, he said, also noted that it has become cheaper for developers to “build on undeveloped land, instead of building on brownfields,” with New Jersey becoming the “third most-threatened state” in terms of development on natural resources such as farmland.

Ward maintained that “some studies have shown farmland to be the best ratable” as it means “there are no children in school” as well as “no road impacts,” as might commonly be associated with a housing development, for instance, adding a “farm represents more profit.”

Ward also pointed to a newspaper article that “talks about chasing ratables,” which reported that “Warehouse development can look like a winner” with “officials often tempted” to approve such projects for “clean ratables” due to a lack for demand of government resources (schooling, etc.), but such redevelopment “can be at odds” with the community “because they may not want more trucks on the roads.”

All of this is why, Ward declared, he will be a “very ‘no’” in opposing the pair of Rockefeller redevelopment agreements.

Dewey, in response to the redevelopment agreements returning to the agenda, asked if the Rockefeller redevelopers have negotiated a “PILOT agreement” for the projects, or a Payment-in-Lieu of Taxes agreement, a point of contention with the Seldat warehouse recently built in the Birmingham section of Pemberton (see separate story), with the school district reportedly not seeing a financial benefit from that project as a result, all as it struggles with state aid cuts.

Gardner and Hornickel were both adamant there is “no PILOT” in place for the Rockefeller redevelopment.

When Dewey asked, “Do you have an estimate of the tax revenue for the township?”, from the projects, Hornickel answered, “I do not.”

“I read the letter that was written,” said Dewey in referring to Hornickel’s council correspondence. “If Rockefeller and Pemberton Township really wants this deal, then why didn’t we make a deal for them to renovate the two farmhouses, and then, give us the property?”

The redeveloper’s, Hornickel answered, are “not in the business of renovating houses.”

As later confirmed to this newspaper by the business administrator, while the redevelopers are to preserve the farmhouses, the township will undertake the responsibility to renovate them, with it noted by Tompkins on Sept. 20 that one of them has some apparent structural issues.

Dewey shot back on Sept. 20 that the money being secured through the deal will be gone through “like Grant took Richmond,” before declaring, “we are not good stewards of property in Pemberton” and pointing out that in “subdividing” the

ahead of the session, Pemberton-2 would like to subdivide an approximately 23.5acre tract in Birmingham into five newlysubdivided lots, with the subsequent development of each of the five newly subdivided-parcels” seeing the construction of “a one-story building” for a “total of five buildings, ranging in size and configuration from a 20,460 square-foot footprint up to a 34,245 square-foot footprint.”

• “Proposed Lot A” would be developed with “Proposed Warehouse 1,” according to the legal notice, with the structure to measure an aggregate of 32,578 square feet, inclusive of 29,578 square feet of warehousing space and 3,000 square feet of office space, and will include 63 parking spaces as well as 8 truck loading/docking spaces;

• “Proposed Lot B” would be developed with “Proposed Warehouse 2,” according to the legal notice, with the structure to measure

farms, the township “won’t be collecting taxes” where the farmhouses are located.

Hornickel, however, in retorting that notion, asked, “What is precluding us from leasing that property?”

In one of several September clashes between Dewey and Hornickel, the Republican councilman demanded that the business administrator “answer my question!”

“What is the township’s plan for the historical houses?” Dewey asked. “I don’t think, with what you are going to do there, that someone is going to hold a wedding with a warehouse 50 feet away!”

Tompkins, a one time running mate of Dewey, but who has recently been at odds with the fellow Republican on several significant issues, asked the councilman, “Do you really want to bulldoze these farmhouses?”, in pointing to their historical value.

“It should say they have to renovate the farmhouses!” Dewey shot back. “All kinds of money can be given to them to preserve farms! We should be the ones telling them what we want!”

Dewey further asserted, “I am dead set against warehouses!”

“I want farm grounds!” he demanded.

As became apparent during the session, despite a decision earlier this year by Pemberton council to create a township Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC), one apparently has not been formed yet or met. It was a major sticking point with Dewey,

“The AAC – we have to get it off the ground and stop this non-sense with warehouses!” somewhat forcefully declared Dewey.

McCartney, despite being a Democrat on the current 3-2 Democratic controlled council, has recently become a pivotal swing vote on major issues, having recently sometimes sided with the Republican councilmen. She interjected, “here’s where I see the problem.”

“We are supposed to represent the most people,” she said of the council. “I know people have come here consistently to say they don’t want this, but we also represent people wanting to sell their property. … Why do we not try to move forward from this to rezone, so we can stop accepting applications? That is moving forward. …’

All of the redevelopment, McCartney further recognized has been “wearing on the residents” and “us too,” noting that she is “getting tired of looking at all these redevelopment agreements.”

“How do we stop it?” she asked. “What is the next step? We are limited here with this. For further applications coming in, we need to actively be doing something ….”

When Gardner pointed to an earlier council discussion “looking at a subcommittee in limiting this,” McCartney declared, “We are moving in a good direction then….”

Dewey, however, was clearly unconvinced

an aggregate of 33,000 square feet, inclusive of 30,000 square feet of warehousing space and 3,000 square feet of office space, and will include 58 parking spaces as well as 9 truck loading/docking spaces;

• “Proposed Lot C” would be developed with “Proposed Warehouse 3,” according to the legal notice, with the structure to measure an aggregate of 34,245 square feet, inclusive of 31,245 square feet of warehousing space and 3,000 square feet of office space, and will include 65 parking spaces, as well as 6 truck loading/docking spaces;

• “Proposed Lot D” would be developed with “Proposed Warehouse 4,” according to the legal notice, with the structure to measure an aggregate of 33,200 square feet, inclusive of 30,200 square feet of warehousing space and 3,000 square feet of office space, and will include 80 parking spaces as well as 7 truck loading/docking

it was enough and tried yet again to convince his colleagues to vote down the pair of Rockefeller redevelopment agreements.

A “packed house,” as Ward recognized, mostly residents, attended the Sept. 20 council meeting to protest the ongoing development. It is a movement that has only gained momentum in recent months (see separate story), with it originating on the recent redevelopment initiatives in and around the Birmingham neighborhood, including the Seldat Warehouse.

“Birmingham,” Dewey asked. “How is your new neighbor?”

It was a question that resulted in boos and hisses from the crowd, and one that garnered a verbal reprimand from Gardner, who told Dewey, “This is not an open back and forth.”

“This room destroyed their lives by putting a warehouse there that should have never been put there!” declared Dewey of the previous decision made by the governing body when it was under absolute Democratic control. “You put a warehouse in a residential area!”

After referring to “villains,” Dewey alleged the warehouse developers are now “taunting all their properties,” or those of the Birmingham residents, “to get five more,” or five more warehouses (see separate story)!

Dewey charged that as many as 21 trees planted by the Seldat warehouse developer are now dead and the “weeds are higher than the dead trees,” as well as “people have water running through their yards” He also alleged that a manhole cover issue created by the project ended up costing taxpayers thousands of dollars.

“They are not good neighbors!” Dewey charged. “And they said they would hire 100 people, locally, and they are all subcontractors – they get 1099s and are bussed in and out, trucked in from Camden and Newark with 1099s! I don’t think that is being a good neighbor!”

Dewey, who by that point in the session was clearly very fired up over the matter, declared, “If I am wrong, next election, vote me out!”

Ward added “I agree with my fellow councilman, Mr. Dewey.”

“Right now, Burington County leads the warehouse race,” he said. “I am concerned, most off, that WCRE (a commercial real estate firm) predicts vacancies will hit hardest at warehouses in 2024, of more than 500,000 square-feet. Now these are 800,000 square-foot units we are looking at.”

Ward said the potential for warehouse occupancy to cool-off has his fearing “we are going to be sitting on empty warehouses” and that there is a risk the developer “is going to be filing for bankruptcy.”

“I am tired of seeing Pemberton Township being taken advantage of, as it has been for 75 years … I have not been alive for all that

See SUBCOMMITTEE/ Page 14

spaces; and

• “Proposed Lot E” would be developed with “Proposed Warehouse 5,” according to the legal notice, with the structure to measure an aggregate of 20,460 square feet, inclusive of 17,460 square feet of warehousing space and 3,000 square feet of office space and will include 56 parking spaces as well as 7 truck loading/docking spaces.

In each case, it was also noted in the published legal notice, the proposed lots will also be improved with associated site improvements, such as “stormwater management, ingress and egress driveways, internal roadways, parking, lighting, and landscaping.”

The buildings constructed on the property, it is added, “shall be for the principal use of light-industrial- and office-use, consistent with the GCLI standards.”

Cooper Declines to Further Address Allegations on Internet She Withdrew from 8th District Senate Race Due to Video, Lawsuit in Which She Is Named Police Chief Says ‘Nothing of a Criminal Nature’ Resulted from 2019 Visit to Her Home

By Bill B onvie Staff Writer

EVESHAM—Evesham Township

Councilwoman Heather Cooper, who is quoted in a report appearing in an Internet publication as denying that her eleventhhour withdrawal from the 8th District state Senate race had anything to do with either a lawsuit in which she has been named among the defendants or a four-year-old video recently circulated online, has declined an offer from this newspaper to further address online allegations to that effect.

Cooper has reportedly stood by her official explanation that her decision to abruptly suspend her campaign was due to a sudden health issue, although she never mentioned anything about it at the last Evesham Council meeting in which she participated and commented on other matters.

Evesham Police Chief Walt Miller, when asked by the Pine Barrens Tribune about the video depicting an encounter between thenDeputy Mayor Cooper and a member of the department outside her home in September of 2019, and whether there had been any official follow-up by the department, replied that the matter had been subsequently looked into “to see if there was any violation of traffic laws” involved and that “nothing of a criminal nature” had been found.

(Continued from Page 1)

charges from the U.S. Department of Justice, this time for allegedly having accepted bribes in the form of large amounts of cash (with which he is accused of literally lining the pockets of a government-issued jacket embroidered with his name), gold bars, home mortgage payments and a Mercedes Benz. Also indicted was his wife, Nadine, who is accused of having played a role in the alleged bribery scenario.

“This is not something I expected to do, but I believe New Jersey deserves better,” Kim maintained, after contending that he felt “compelled” to run against Menendez after the latter had resisted calls for him to resign (which have now come from just about every Garden State politician, including his fellow U.S. senator, Cory Booker, as well as more than half of the Democratic members of the U.S. Senate).

“We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our country’s integrity,” Kim declared. “I believe it is time we restore faith in our democracy, and that is why I am stepping up and running for Senate.”

In a subsequent statement explaining why he decided to do so, Kim, who was raised in Evesham Township and now lives in Moorestown with his wife, Kammy, and their two sons, noted that he has long said that “no one in America is above the law, regardless of their job title or personal politics,” which he called “the foundation of our justice system.”

“So, when elected officials of either party are accused of abusing the public trust … I take those charges very seriously, and I hope the judicial system works thoroughly and quickly to bring this truth to light,” Kim continued.

In the meantime, Kim added that he did not have confidence that Menendez “can properly focus on our state and its people” while also responding to the charges against him, and therefore, he should step down.

Kim has followed up that announcement by citing a poll released on Sept. 28 by

The three-and-a-half-minute clip, the origin of which was not revealed, showed a township police officer interacting with both Cooper and her husband, who reportedly had a used-car business, in regard to a complaint the department had received about vehicles on the couple’s property, which had what the officer alleged to be “fake tags.”

In the video, the officer can be heard telling her husband he had to make sure those cars weren’t stolen and that he was empowered to have them towed, if necessary.

At that point, Cooper intercedes, telling the officer she wants to know who the complainant was, which he says he can’t disclose. She then informs the officer that her attorney is on the phone with both his superior and the township manager, which would have been the thenrecently hired Rob Corrales (who resigned from Evesham Township just last month). When the officer appears to be surprised, pointing out that it was a Sunday, Cooper identifies herself as deputy mayor, and says she wants to make sure the report they received was a “valid call.”

The officer then explains that if a car has a “fictitious tag,” the police can legally tow it, after which Cooper asks her husband where the titles are to the cars at issue.

The civil complaint in which Cooper is

VoteVets, a progressive political action committee, that showed him holding the Senate seat for Democrats “against a generic Republican, whereas the indicted senator (were he to run for another term) would lose the seat, potentially costing Democrats the Senate Majority.”

Since launching his Senate bid, the congressman has also announced the first national endorsement for his Senate candidacy by the organization End Citizens United // Let America Vote (ECU // LAV).

“For the government to serve the people, policy can’t be decided by corporate PACs and dark money,” he declared, noting in what sounded like his first campaign speech for the Senate seat that he was “proud to have some of the strongest grassroots support in the country and to have never accepted a dime of corporate PAC money.”

“I’ll always stand shoulder to shoulder with End Citizens United / Let America Vote in working to root out corruption, enact meaningful campaign finance reform, strengthen our ethics laws, and protect voting rights,” declared the congressman. “Together, we can restore trust and integrity in government, return power to the people, and strengthen our democracy.”

In announcing her organization’s support for Kim’s candidacy, ECU // LAV President Tiffany Muller said it was once again “proud to endorse Andy Kim and we’re excited to make sure he gets elected.”

Since his first campaign, Kim “has been leading the fight to root out corruption and make government work for everyday New Jerseyans, not deep-pocketed special interests,” Muller maintained. “Now more than ever, in the face of galling allegations of rampant corruption, New Jerseyans deserve a senator like Andy Kim who is guided by decency, not greed.”

Not that potential competitors from within the ranks of Kim’s own party might not emerge to challenge his bid for that Senate seat. Among those who are said to have since expressed interest are 1st District Rep. Donald Norcross, a member of a powerful political family. Another wellknown figure – if not a current officeholder

currently named as a defendant, a copy of which was obtained by the Pine Barrens Tribune , was filed by Michele DeFranco, a former payroll coordinator of the Burlington County Special Services School District where Cooper is employed. The plaintiff alleged that she was first denied

a “reasonable accommodation” to work at home due to a pre-existing back problem and was terminated last year both because she made a claim for worker’s compensation benefits after being injured on the job and because she asked that her superiors

– who is reportedly being urged to run for that seat is Tammy Murphy, the wife of current Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, who, should Menendez resign before his term is up, would be obliged to appoint a temporary replacement.

For Republicans, Menendez’s current problems might now represent an enhanced opportunity to flip the Senate seat he has had a lock on for nearly 18 years, despite the previous corruption charges from which he managed to emerge unscathed enough to win re-election after a jury deadlocked. One who has indicated he may be “considering” a Senate run is 2nd District Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, a former Democrat whose office, when contacted by this newspaper, said he is right now focusing on more pressing matters such as trying to avert a government shutdown.

And Menendez, despite the widespread

calls for him to resign, has so far (as of this newspaper’s deadline) showed no signs of backing down from his stated determination to prove his innocence of the prosecution’s charges of having taken bribes from a trio of New Jersey businessmen in exchange for using his power and influence to “seek to protect and enrich” them and “to benefit the Arab Republic of Egypt,” as well to win a fourth term in the U.S. Senate.

“I am not going anywhere,” he has declared.

But in the potential competition to replace him among Democrats, Kim, whose experience included having served as a National Security Council official, a civilian adviser to U.S. military leaders in Afghanistan and a national security adviser in the Obama Administration, already has a significant head start, which includes soliciting contributions for his fledgling Senate campaign.

Photo By Andrew King

Evesham Township Councilwoman Heather Cooper.

Photo By Tom Valentino

U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, a Democrat now serving his third term as New Jersey’s 3rd District congressman, who has announced a U.S. Senate bid in the wake of senior Democratic Senator Robert Menendez being indicted for a second time.

B y B ill B onvie

Staff Writer

EVESHAM—Mary Lou Bergh, who succumbed to a lengthy illness on Sept. 22 after serving as Evesham Township’s municipal clerk and registrar for the past decade, was remembered this past week, by members of both the administrations for whom she worked, for the stalwart dedication she brought to her job.

Bergh, 70, was reported to have passed away at the home she had recently purchased in adjacent Mount Laurel Township, but not before having the chance to hear township council members express their heartfelt gratitude for her service to the community during a Sept. 13 meeting at which her deputy, Rebecca Andrews, was appointed acting clerk while Bergh was declared to be on medical leave.

Bergh was characterized to this newspaper by her sister-in-law, Carol Minton, as someone who “loved her family, loved her friends, loved her job, and loved public service.”

Bergh’s obituary describes her as having “cherished life’s simple pleasures, such as going to the beach and spending time with her dog,” and having been “known for her contagious laugh and great sense of humor, which brought joy to everyone who knew her.”

“Her greatest joy, however, was spending time with her family and friends, who will miss her dearly,” it continued.

In a memorial notice posted on the township’s Facebook page, Evesham’s Democratic Mayor Jaclyn “Jackie” Veasy noted how “despite recent health issues, Mary Lou still strived to be here serving residents and our municipal offices almost every day she could, up until just a few weeks ago.”

Veasy said Bergh would be remembered for “her dedication to helping residents,” as well as for “her strong belief in upholding all the responsibilities and duties she believed necessary for serving as township clerk and registrar.”

“She, also, always had tremendous praise for those she worked with in the clerk’s office throughout the years,” the mayor said.

Veasy recalled how Bergh, who lived in Evesham for 40 years, “could often be seen attending our various township events to enjoy time with her fellow members of the community” and was also very active in the Marlton Assembly of God.

Democratic Councilwomen Ginamarie Espinoza and Heather Cooper, in addition to Andrews, had also previously expressed their gratitude to Bergh, who was believed to be listening to the Sept. 13 meeting

File Photo

Former Evesham Clerk Mary Lou Bergh, who passed away on Sept. 22.

OCTOBER

OCT. 1

Train Rides Through the Woods of New Gretna

Location: Bass River Township

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

OCT. 2

Events and special promotions happening locally this month!

Campbell’s: More Than Just Soup

Location: Vincentown (Southampton Township)

Details: The Southampton Historical Society is presenting “Campbell’s: More Than Just Soup,” on Oct. 2, at Old Town Hall, 25 Plum St., Vincentown, at 7:30 p.m. Come out for this special presentation by Marisa Bozarth, Museum Curator, Burlington County Division of Parks. The program follows the company from its humble beginnings as a small canning company, through to becoming a multi-million-dollar global food company. Marisa will discuss Joseph Campbell and others who worked to make the company what it is today, as well as how Burlington County farmers played a role in its success. For more information, contact Kathy Rosmando at 609859-0524.

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

OCT. 3

Meet the Candidates

Location: Medford Leas (Medford Township)

Details: The Citizens Committee at Medford Leas is hosting a Meet the Candidate event for individuals running for Medford Township School Board seats. This event will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 3, in the Medford Leas Theater, One Medford Leas Way, Medford. The program will start at 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Linda Woolston, chair of the Medford Leas Citizens Committee, at 609-654-3614.

To

OCT. 12

Fire Prevention Night

Location: Shamong Township

Details: Indian Mills Volunteer Fire Company, proudly serving Shamong Township for over 80 years, will be hosting a Fire Prevention Night on Thursday, Oct. 12, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. There will be emergency vehicle exhibitions, live demonstrations, fire safety information, The Baloon Man!, Kona Ice truck, refreshments, Community Emergency Response Team, Office of Emergency Management, as well as community service tables. (Adult supervision requested for all children attending.)

OCT. 14

44th Annual Apple Festival

Location: Medford Township

Details: ShopRite of Medford is presenting the 44th Annual Medford Historical Society Apple Festival on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will be held at Kirby’s Mill, 275 Church Rd., Medford. Browse over 120 custom crafters, great food, apple butter, apple baked goods, signature apple cider donuts and specially made apple ice cream! Live music will be playing throughout the day. Admission is free. Parking available on Fostertown Rd. and Jersey Acres Farm, Church and Eayerstown Roads.

contact

NOV. 20 DEADLINE

2023 Annual Poetry Contests

Location: Medford Township

Details: Medford Arts is happy to announce its 16th Annual Juried Poetry Contest for Adults, and its 6th Annual Juried Poetry Contest for High School Students. Residents of Burlington County over the age of 18 may submit up to 3 poems per entrant to poetrycontest@ medfordarts.com with 2023 in the subject line. Include your name, residential address and contact number. High School students attending schools in Burlington County may submit up to 3 poems per entrant to poetrycontest@medfordarts. com with 2023 High School Poetry Contest in the subject line. Include your name, address, high school, grade and contact number. Submission deadline is Nov. 20, 2023. Celebration of Awards is Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. See medfordarts.com for more details.

PUBLISHING DATE: October 28 DEADLINE: October 24 •4p.m

609-801-2392

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responded, “That is no problem!”

For more than 15-minutes, Republican Mayor Jack Tompkins and Borders were seen conversing amongst themselves, and at times with the board’s staff and professionals, about what to do.

At one point, Borders asked for the patience of the crowd, with crowd members mostly donning bright orange T-shirts “No Warehouses” on the front and “Birmingham Is Not for Sale” on the back.

Ultimately, Borders announced that, “We are above our legal capacity for this room, at this time.”

Planning Board Attorney William Sitzler, in conjunction with Borders, then invited some in the crowd to leave if they wished, pleading for their cooperation to allow the board to carry on with the remainder of its “routine matters” on the agenda, “not involving these warehouse applications.”

“We cannot do anything tonight (with the room over capacity), so I leave it to all of you,” the planning board attorney asserted. “No one is going to change their mind, and resume, both warehouse applications.”

Members of the crowd, however, shot back, “Ask them to leave!”, before one man loudly shouted from the back of the room, “Birmingham is NOT for sale!”

Sitzler, appearing visibly frustrated, called the applicants to the dais, explained the situation, and asked for their understanding and cooperation in rescheduling the matter, and if they would be willing to depart. He noted it is “your decision to leave,” but “we would be appreciative if you were to reschedule, and your contingent were to come back on another day.”

“We determined that no one wants to leave,” Sitzler said. “Which, of course, it is their legal right to be here. We do not meet the legal requirements of the room; so, we

have to reschedule.”

In what was one of the more unprecedented moments to occur in Pemberton politics in recent history, the warehouse applicants and their representatives then packed up their belongings, including renderings and other charts, and walked down the center aisle, squeezing through the group of protesters in the back. They then left the premises.

As those associated with the warehouses began to file out, it led to clapping and some members of the crowd could be heard telling them, “get out and don’t come back,” “leave,” and “goodbye,” as well as “Birmingham is not for sale.” Others loudly celebrated, thanking everybody for having forced the adjournment of the warehouse applications, for now.

Originally on the agenda was Pemberton2-LLC, which has an application before the board “for subdivision and preliminary and final major site plan approval for five lots and five single-story warehouse/office buildings in the GCLI (General Commercial/Light Industrial District) zone,” and Rockefeller, which has an “application for preliminary and final major site plan approval in the GCLI zone.”

The Pemberton-2 project, according to a Sept. 15 published legal notice, entails “property formally identified as Block 797, Lots 1, 2.01, 2.04, 3.01 and 3.02 on the township’s tax map, and commonly known as 200 South Pemberton Road, and 294, 296, 314 A, B and C, and 316 Birmingham Road, Pemberton.”

The Rockefeller project involves a set of parcels on Route 206 (see separate story), with their application before the board involving the proposed project.

Borders, during the Sept. 25 meeting, after “adjourning the applications,” said “we have to find another location” to hold the hearings, should they be rescheduled, and would “separate” them so that two don’t fall on the same night.

While the Rockefeller project has been controversial, the Pemberton-2 project has

even been more so, given it would directly abut homes in the Birmingham community, and that the same operators are reportedly behind it as a 509,038 square-foot warehouse that was recently built on an approximately 30-acre parcel at 300 Birmingham Road.

Members of the Birmingham community have taken to numerous council and planning board meetings of late to contend that the projects have been a source of increased truck traffic, wildlife habitat changes and

flooding, as well as to complain that other promises have not been kept, such as with hiring practices. Additionally, residents of the community have been questioning how commercial industry is being allowed to infiltrate what they view as a “hamlet,” or residential neighborhood, despite the existing zoning.

It is why those in the crowd, as well as the T-shirts many were wearing, conveyed the

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

An intense discussion amongst Pemberton Township officials, including Mayor Jack Tompkins, Chairman Steven Borders, Director of Community Development Rosemary Flaherty and Planning Board Attorney William Sitzler about what to do with the Sept. 25 warehouse application hearings given an overflow crowd that presented a fire hazard.

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

Those gathered for a Sept. 25 Pemberton Planning Board meeting raise their hands that they do not intend to leave until the warehouse developers exit for the evening.

See BIRMINGHAM/ Page 15

FIRE

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shot,” with Gardner retorting, “What happened last week is what you said.”

Dewey, as the confrontation continued, asked if a checklist used by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) could be “dropped off” to the township, but Gardner shot back “it is not the one we use.”

“It would be nice if this stuff was shared with the business administrator, instead of discussed out in public, as it has been for the last couple of days!” Hornickel declared. “That guy (the employee driving the dump truck) has his rights, and nobody should be talking about him! And if you guys think there is a better checklist … then please, don’t try to embarrass us in a council meeting, just send it to us! We gave you the courtesy. That is all I ask.”

Ward responded that “nobody tried to embarrass anybody” and “nobody’s name was used at all.” (In government, discussion of a specific public employee by a governing body generally requires that it be done in closed session, unless the employee wishes to have a hearing held publicly, and all public employees must be notified prior to a discussion of their employment.)

Dewey could be heard contending that the Sept. 20 confrontation is simply a “setup.”

Dewey further maintained he “doesn’t know the kid,” before quipping that he, “probably has got more miles going backwards than that kid has going forward.”

The Republican councilman later told this newspaper that the confrontation occurred in front of about 35 members of the public. Some of those members contacted this newspaper to alert it to what happened, describing the confrontation and how they felt it simply crossed a line.

Dewey told this newspaper that he is now seeking a public apology from Hornickel and Gardner as he “doesn’t feel he did anything wrong by asking questions” about whether proper procedure and protocol was followed, emphasizing that he never, at any point, called anyone a drug addict, as he felt had been insinuated in the confrontation.

The councilman later contended to this newspaper that federal law requires a pre-inspection report be completed for a commercial truck of over 20,000 pounds for

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time … but I am going to be damned if I want to see that again!” Ward declared.

Amid the kerfuffle, Detrick asserted, “I have still not heard what we are going to do to stop the warehouses nobody wants!”

“This vote, tonight, is not going to stop the warehouses,” the Democratic councilman added. “I have not heard any vote to stop this on a legal basis.”

That is when Dewey shot back, “the right vote was back in 2021,” or when Democrats had full control of the governing body, and authorized in December 2021 a redevelopment plan for the Rockefeller parcels, setting the stage for the current warehouse development.

Gardner, in responding to the feelings of his Republican colleagues, retorted that despite protest during the Industrial Revolution, in the end, it caused some to earn a “profit” and “other citizens to live a better life.”

McCartney, however, who was on the fence about giving the OK to the pair of Rockefeller redevelopment agreements, asserted she wanted to “be very clear” that in recognizing “a lot of time was put into these proposals and contracts for redevelopment agreements,” she “firmly wants to have

each day that it will be in use. Additionally, Dewey maintained to this newspaper that when he was a supervisor of 75 people at Miller, a “pee test” was a requirement whenever there was an accident involving a vehicle “to make sure there was no drugs or alcohol involved,” adding such tests were “dictated to us by the insurance company.”

“You know, the federal government is in charge of the trucks,” Dewey contended to this newspaper. “This involves a dump truck. The kid has a CDL license, and he falls under federal law. He should have been drug tested. And I tried to explain to them that when you drive a truck, you got to constantly watch your mirrors and gauges and make sure you are not losing air pressure. And the most important thing is your nose. If you have an oil leak and smell something, or you can smell the diesel fuel, you have to stop that truck and check it.”

The point, according to the councilman, that he was trying to convey to officials is that there are requirements, including performing a pre-inspection, telling this newspaper, “you see, they don’t do preinspection checks.”

The bill to tow the dump truck and conduct an environmental cleanup, as well as the tow truck company selected for the work, was also the subject of the initial heated exchange between officials on Sept. 6, which appears to have contributed to the nature of the Sept. 20 confrontation.

Dewey, on Sept. 6, called the bill from Flynn’s Towing “outrageous,” even though he recognizes “a cleanup was involved.”

“I have been in the business for over 50 years, and as I am reading the bill, there is a lot of BS in here!” Dewey declared.

Additionally, the councilman maintained “with all the equipment we have, it (the dump truck) could have been dragged onto our trailer and brought up to our yard.”

“And the other question I have is if we have three towing companies in town, that pay taxes, why did we call Bruce Flynn (owner of Flynn’s Towing),” with the company at issue based in Eastampton, with secondary offices in Burlington.

Hornickel replied, “because none of them have an immediate heavy-duty wrecker, as far as we know.” But Dewey asserted, “That is not true! That is not true!”

“Well, let me put it to you this way!” Hornickel retorted. “When the Police

that much time also dedicated to the redevelopment committee going forward.”

She added that while she “doesn’t know” where the AAC stands at this time, the township “needs to spend time” on forming that group as well, with Gardner pointing out it is simply a “recommendation committee,” causing McCartney to retort, “which we should have,” and Dewey to maintain that it would still have the power to secure funding from the county and state for farmland preservation purposes so that, “We would still have these farms.”

The pair of Rockefeller redevelopment agreements were approved in a pair of 3-2 votes along party lines, with Ward and Dewey casting the dissenting votes. Passage led to loud boos and hisses, with Gardner quipping, “Thank you … thank you for that.”

McCartney, after the vote, pressed officials on how the council could go about forming the subcommittee. It was recommended by Township Solicitor Andrew “Andy” Bayer that a maximum of two councilmembers sit on it to conform to the Open Public Meetings Act, with him noting the mayor (part of the administration) and a Planning Board member, as well as private individuals could serve on it.

Creation of the subcommittee, he said, doesn’t require formal action of the council, but merely requires “consensus

Department vets towing companies, they vet them to do ordinary towing. They don’t vet them for environmental services, which was what we needed in this emergency situation. The truck caught on fire, the flames were going up in front of somebody’s home, on a street, by the wires, and there were fluids spilling out of the vehicle at the same time! So, it was not like we had the opportunity to shop for bids on this! This company knew exactly what needed to be done!”

Dewey responded, “it is not a matter of bids,” but a “matter of our taxpayers, who pay taxes to our town,” claiming, “Bruce Flynn does not even live in the township.”

“I dealt with Bruce Flynn before, and I would not want to play Liar’s Poker with him, I will tell you that!” Dewey added.

Republican Mayor Jack Tompkins, who, in 2022 ran on the same ticket as Dewey and Ward, but recently has appeared to be at odds with his then-Republican running mates on several key issues, recounted that when he served on council back in 2016, one of the towing companies cited by Dewey as a potential better option had advised they had “subcontracted with Flynn’s” for “heavyduty towing.” A second firm thrown about by Dewey, the mayor recalled, “used to do heavy-duty towing themselves,” but has since also gone to a subcontractor.

When Dewey pointed to a tow truck company in Pemberton that has “heavy-duty wreckers” on Pemberton-Fort Dix Road, Tompkins responded, “They don’t have a contract with us, councilman!”

“Well, if it is an emergency, I don’t think it should even matter!” Dewey asserted. “Especially, when you had your own equipment, and you could have done it yourself! And with him (Bruce Flynn), I would offer him a $1,000 a mile – that is all he deserves! That is a total rip off, that bill! But we got plenty of money, every quarter you get another bucket of it!”

Officials, on Sept. 6, could be heard sighing as Dewey continued to pepper them. After Ward inquired about whether an “investigation” into the incident would be conducted, Hornickel responded that the township would be sending a claim to its insurance company and the municipality “will be reimbursed for these expenses.”

“And an adjuster is going to try to figure out what has happened,” the business administrator maintained.

of the council.”

It appeared to be Pemberton council’s consensus to appoint Ward and Detrick, also a Planning Board member, to the group, with Detrick chosen because of his service to the board. Tompkins noted he would not mind serving on the subcommittee, and recommended Planning Board Member Rick Brown be appointed.

However, Township Clerk Amy Cosnoski noted of the Planning Board representation on the subcommittee, it is one the board really should make.

The whole idea of a subcommittee arose from remarks given by resident Mark S. Thomas, who, earlier in the Sept. 20 meeting during public comment, invited “council to place a moratorium on additional major development proposals,” listing the warehouse proposals among them.

“Our township has been besieged by a series of development proposals that have placed a serious burden on its ability to proceed with all of them in a prudent, deliberate and thoughtful matter,” declared Thomas in calling for a moratorium. “The reason there has been so many is because over the last 15 years, the township has adopted ordinances, variances and also taken advantage of Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) designation to make it easier to assign an area of redevelopment.

“… The culture of the township is

Ward, however, retorted, that when one wrecks a car, “you don’t say insurance takes care of it.” It led Hornickel to assert, “We don’t have reason to believe it is sabotage!”

Tompkins, in responding to the “vehicle check” issue, contended he paid a visit to the paving site the day before the blaze and noticed “one of our dump trucks was there, shooting oil against the fender of the truck” and “they were there figuring out what was going on.” The mayor contended he asked the “maintenance guys” how there could be such an occurrence “if you did a preinspection,” and it was found that an oil tube on the truck “got a small pin hole in it” that “developed on site.”

Ward, however, expressed his belief that the dump truck’s driver “should have been able to see a pressure drop,” before requesting to see the checklists used.

Democratic Councilwoman Elisabeth McCartney, in wanting to turn the page and become “forward thinking,” asked if the local heavy-duty towing company could be added as a township vendor for the future. Hornickel responded, “most certainly,” claiming he was on vacation when the fire occurred.

“We are playing Monday Morning Quarterback on this!” he declared. “This is not a common occurrence for us, to have an 80,000-pound dump truck burst into flames. I think the Public Works guys did what was prudent, under the circumstances, to get someone there as soon as possible, to have someone address a pretty frightening event for them. I don’t know that anyone was sitting there saying, ‘Should we call a local tow truck company and explain the situation?’ I think they just knew someone right then and there, who could address it. They were thinking public safety first, and I can’t second guess them on that!”

Payment of the bill at issue was approved in a 3-2 vote, along party lines, with Dewey and Ward voting in disapproval, with Dewey quipping, “I think you ought to get ahold of Flynn and tell him to do something with this bill – there is a lot of meat on that load and he is taking advantage of the township, and I think in the future, he should be barred from doing any towing for us!”

Ward noted he wanted to preface his comments on the matter by recognizing that “he heard the driver got out safely, exited the truck and everything is OK there.”

changing. Residents’ lives and sense of place are being placed at risk. Epidemiological studies will document the result of the development we are experiencing and its impact on public health. … Residents are also now coming to appreciate how Pemberton retained agriculture and the Pinelands, and these assets mean more to them then filling empty spaces with houses and warehouses. … While I fully recognize the challenges of funding, it is time for a comprehensive review of the Master Plan, and to involve residents, so it is equitable and represents a long-range view. We, the residents, are standing by to help the municipality with the process.

“I think what we are seeing is the inability of the residents to process this, in addition to the municipal bodies.”

Bayer ultimately answered the resident that “if the council were to implement a broad moratorium on all development, I think the township would receive an onslaught of lawsuits” and Tompkins said a moratorium could threaten projects locals have been looking forward to, such as redevelopment of the largely dilapidated Browns Mills Shopping Center. But through discourse, council agreed further discussion of redevelopment is warranted and Tompkins ultimately made the suggestion “to form a working group to look at that.”

UTILITY

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is wrong with the ones there now?”, with Jerome responding that the existing poles are “older and shorter.”

“With the portion of the circuit being brought further into the town, in order to accept that load and be safe, we need new, taller poles,” Jerome added.

The resolution authorizing the advance stated that “the borough has requested that Verizon remove three utility poles on Hough Street” and “install three, 45-foot Class II poles, and then transfer the existing facilities onto the new poles.”

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Michael P. Turner, president of Burton Trent Public Affairs, LLC, who is a spokesman for Pemberton-2, when asked for a response to what occurred on Sept.

LAWSUIT

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address certain questionable practices she discovered in the course of her work, which she claimed was a violation of the “antiretaliation provision” of state law.

The suit cites one alleged exchange DeFranco had with Cooper in which the latter is alleged to have told her, ‘“We don’t make accommodations for medical conditions”’ and that in regard to a preemployment physical DeFranco had at

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Systems had “any major failures,” to which Percy responded, “to my mind (recollection), no.” When a resident, Harry Harper, however, asked if the company would supply a “written warranty” to the township, Percy

LIGHTS

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asserted, “I take offense to the insinuation that the township administration does not care about the safety of the people!”

Dewey responded that he “didn’t say that ‘you didn’t care,’” but Hornickel shot back, “you implied it!”

The Republican councilman, in response, pointed to a “comment I made a few meetings ago” that if the administration “wants to get their attention,” or that of JCP&L to fix the streetlights, “don’t pay them.”

“They are not going to shut the electric off to the township!” Dewey contended. “They will come in and talk to you (if the bill isn’t paid)!”

The Republican councilman then raised a collision that occurred on Sept. 10 on S. Lakeshore Drive, declaring, “You had a guy who was hit on S. Lakeshore, on Saturday, with no shoulder, streetlights out – and a guy gets hit by a car!”

“Councilman, I would advise you not to comment on that because, probably, that accident is still under investigation and should not be discussed during open

It led a resident to ask the governing body, “Do you know where on Hough Street you are going to replace the poles?”

Jerome answered, “I do not,” but continued, “Probably on the south end.”

Later in the session, Councilman Steven Fenster raised concern with what he described as four separate power outages affecting the borough “in about a month.”

“Four in a month is not good, and might be indicative of larger problems,” Fenster declared.

Borough Administrator and Clerk Kathy Smick said that one of the outages was the result of a fallen tree limb, with Jerome contending the other outages were “probably” the result of something that occurred in Jersey Central Power and Light

25, told this newspaper “there is a legal process where the property owners, such as my client, also have rights.”

“We will see this process through to successful conclusion, as ours is an As of Right application,” Turner declared. (‘As of Right Application’ means that because of the township zoning already allowing

Virtua Occupational Health, at which the problem had been discussed, Cooper had maintained that, ‘“It’s not up to Virtua to tell us what accommodations we have to make.”’

These remarks, the suit claims, came despite the fact that on the few occasions the plaintiff was allowed to work remotely, she was “just as effective and productive,” and that other employees, including Cooper, routinely were allowed to work from home (Cooper, it claims, having been in the office so infrequently that she was jokingly referred to by the names of legendary creatures of whom there are infrequent reported sightings).

Cooper did not directly return calls and

answered, “There is no written warranty.”

Harper also pointed out that Percy stated the firm only keeps an eye on it for three years, when the representative just claimed it should last six to eight years.

Resident Perry Doyle Jr. also pointed out an apparent discrepancy in what Percy had told council, noting that by him stating “municipalities have done the same road

council!” sternly warned Republican Mayor Jack Tompkins, who was Dewey’s other 2022 GOP running mate, but has since been at odds with the councilman on several significant issues.

Dewey shot back, “It was in the newspaper, Jack!”

“We have our priorities screwed up!” Dewey maintained. “We are going to light up ballfields that are used a couple nights a month in town, but we have lights out throughout town!”

As the bickering continued, Dewey declared that he is, “Looking out for the safety of the taxpayers!”

Hornickel, also the township’s Police Department director, told this newspaper that he “can’t comment on an accident investigation that falls under the Police Department’s jurisdiction.”

As of press time, the Pine Barrens Tribune has not yet been able to confirm on the record what role, if any, the streetlight outages may have played in the crash, as determined by police. Police, in a press release, described the purported hit and run crash involving a pedestrian as still under investigation (see separate story).

The township sports field lighting

(JCP&L)’s territory.

“It was not a borough utility issue,” Jerome contended. “It was a transmission issue.”

Meanwhile, during both the August and September sessions of council, prayers were extended to Griffin, who reportedly suffered a fall during the summer.

Smick, on Sept. 18, confirmed that Jerome is serving in the capacity of acting mayor (at least for purposes of the meeting), and therefore, would only provide for tiebreaking votes while serving in the role (in Pemberton Borough’s form of government, the mayor only casts a vote when there is a need to break a council tie).

“Certainly, keep Mayor Griffin in your thoughts and prayers, as I am certain he can use everybody’s best wishes,” declared Jerome

warehousing as a permitted use for the properties in question, the applicant is not proposing anything where a variance is required.)

He confirmed that the developer’s intent to build five warehouses in Birmingham remains the same as it did earlier this year.

“I think there is a misconception as to

a message from this newspaper inquiring whether she would care to take the additional opportunity to respond to allegations posted online that political pressure over these issues was the real reason she dropped out of the race. But she did apparently ask political consultant Phil Warren, whose LinkedIn page currently lists him as a “public information assistant” for Burlington County and as a former campaign manager for Evesham Mayor Jaclyn “Jackie” Veasy, Cooper and Councilwoman Patricia Hansen, to call in her stead, and ask what questions a reporter wanted to put to her.

When informed that the paper simply wished to give Cooper a chance to go on

three or four times in the 20 years I have been at Asphalt Paving Systems,” it doesn’t equate to a six to eight year life extension, but rather five. It led Percy to acknowledge he “misspoke on that.”

Rather, what Percy said he meant to say is that “the Brooklyn Bridge has been done four times in the 20 years that I worked for Asphalt Paving Systems, and again, that is

project is being funded through a grant. Democratic Councilwoman Elisabeth McCartney asked about the possibility of charging the repair of the streetlights to the grant for the sports field project.

Hornickel responded “no,” it cannot be done, and that he believed the grant, specific for recreational purposes, is coming from the Green Acres Program, with 75 percent of the sports field lighting project being funded through a straight-out grant, and the other 25 percent being funded through a loan from Green Acres.

“As a refresher, council has already authorized the purchase of the actual sports field lighting equipment,” said a somewhat apparently exacerbated Hornickel, whose requests and initiatives have been heavily challenged at recent council sessions, particularly from the GOP side of the aisle. “So, if we don’t want to do it at this point, (Township Solicitor) Andy (Bayer), get ready to defend lawsuits!”

A resolution allowing the telegraph pole upgrade to proceed, which will enable the sports field lighting project to carry forward, passed by a 4-1 vote, with Dewey casting the lone vote of dissention and Ward noting that while he is voting in favor of the pole upgrade, he also agrees with his Republican colleague about the need to continue holding

on Sept. 18, who has been leading the recent council sessions in the absence of Griffin.

Griffin, reached on Sept. 27, told this newspaper that he “appreciates all the comments” about him and “appreciates all the concern with what has happened to me with my illness.” He added that he is “very happy with the borough” and that when he leaves office at the end of the year, he believes he will have “left it in good shape.”

As for the progress on the electrical circuits, he declared, “I am happy they are doing that” and that the local utility crews have “always responded and did what I wanted in a timely manner,” whenever he asked them to do something.

the size we are proposing for Birmingham,” Turner told this newspaper, pointing out that the five proposed warehouses are only in the range of 30,000 square-feet in size, with them not being nearly as big as the one previously built in the neighborhood. “The degree of misunderstanding with our proposal is substantial.”

record as rebutting the claims that the lawsuit and video were actually what brought about her decision to withdraw her candidacy, Warren dismissed their significance and indicated that she was unlikely to have any further comments to make on the matter.

Asked in what capacity he was speaking for her, Warren replied, “as a friend.”

Cooper’s last-minute replacement in the 8th District Senate race is retired special education teacher and former Pemberton Councilwoman Gaye Burton, who was voted the district Democratic party’s nominee despite not having been the favorite of either party leaders nor its two Assembly candidates.

just because of the sheer volume of traffic, with 250,000 vehicles going over it every day.”

“I have been working for municipalities in the 20 years that I have been here, and there are instances where roads have had to be done three times,” said Percy in trying to clarify his earlier statement.

See ROADBLOCK/ Page 16

JCP&L’s feet to the fire on the streetlighting.

Back on April 5, council accepted “Green Acres Program Funding” from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for the sports field lighting.

At the time, Democratic Council President Donovan Gardner explained that the township is seeking a $285,000 loan for the sports field project from Green Acres, plus is receiving a grant of $915,000. The township, he noted, would be responsible for (immediately funding) $20,000 of the costs, plus engineering fees of $36,000, in addition to some soil work.

“So, the whole project is about $1,262,350,” Gardner explained.

Council, also on April 5, approved contracting with ARH Associates, an engineering firm, for “construction services” for the sports field lighting, not to exceed $21,120.

“This project would be upgrading the field lights across the street, and installing them for the first time over at (the) Nesbit (Center),” Hornickel noted of the sports field lighting project plan. “But we are looking at about $300,000 of the township’s money between borrowing and what we are going to be covering versus a grant of $915,000.”

BERGH

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from home, for her years of service to the community and its residents.

Also paying tribute to Bergh in comments emailed to the Pine Barrens Tribune were two members of the previous Republican administration under whom she had been originally hired for the job, Former Mayor Randy Brown and Former Councilman Robert DiEnna.

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Microsurfacing, Percy explained, “goes down 3/8 inches thick and dries to an asphalt surface.” The “very durable material,” he said, is “made up of crushed granite, sand aggregation, and crushed aggregate.” It is put down at one-and-a-half miles per hour and one can walk on it after 20 minutes, and drive on it after one hour. A single application, he maintained, goes for about $4 a square yard or is “25 percent of the cost” of asphalt paving.

“You can improve more lane miles of roadway with the same amount of money,” Percy declared. “It maintains the longevity of paving. You can stretch the budget. There are lower impact times.”

He added microsurfacing is “considered a green construction process up against milling and paving,” as microsurfacing operations use “40 percent less primary energy, 50 percent fewer resources, and 45 percent less greenhouse gas emissions” as one is not having to continually truck in materials.

Sparta Township, Percey maintained, “is

Describing Bergh as a “dedicated employee who loved the town,” Brown said he knew “the moment we hired her that she would put everything she had into her work and our community.”

“Her contribution to the Evesham Township Clerk’s Office will always be remembered,” he declared. DiEnna cited Bergh’s “legacy of professional, high-level, collegial, and exemplary performance and achievement on a consistent basis,” adding that she would be “fondly remembered and sincerely missed.”

similar to Pemberton in that DPW does its own paving.” That town, he contended, gets $1 million annually for its roadwork and then puts about $500,000 toward two-inch overlay and the other $500,000 toward microsurfacing.

The superintendent of Sparta, he further contended, was able to do 2.96 lane miles of repaving for $506,000 last year, while it did 22 roads with a single application and three roads with a double, covering 11.2 miles, “for almost the same amount of money.”

“We are exploring ways to extend the lifelines of our roads at the cheapest possible amount of money to spend,” Tompkins declared. “We are trying to be stewards of our tax dollars.”

Gardner interjected, “not the cheapest, but cost effective.”

Dewey, however, continued to maintain a test run should be done at the municipal building. It led to strong pushback from Hornickel.

“This driveway out front is not a candidate for the sealant,” Hornickel asserted. “We just repaved it two years ago – we completely repaved that parking lot, and then, back in the spring, we paved the back. If we didn’t repave it, sure, maybe that would be a good place. But our DPW director went out with

Bergh, a Garden State native, began life as Mary Lou Palmer outside of New Brunswick on a now-closed military base, Camp Kilmer, and attended Burlington County College. Prior to her service in Evesham, she was employed with the municipal clerks’ offices of Washington Township (Gloucester County) and Medford Township. She also served on the Municipal Clerks’ Association of New Jersey Legal Defense Fund.

She was predeceased by her husband, Edward P. Bergh, a retired police sergeant. Survivors include her sisters, Barbara

this gentleman and identified the roads that met the criteria, and those are the roads we are asking to do the sealant on.”

Percy, during his presentation, noted one longtime customer of Asphalt Paving Systems is the City of Vineland.

“Vineland looks to spend their money pretty wisely, and they have had a long-term mayor down there, and I don’t think they are flagrantly wasting money down there by doing this program,” said Hornickel in continuing to rebut Dewey, with whom he clashed on multiple fronts publicly in September. “We are not bringing an idea we don’t believe in and saying let’s try it out! This is a well-established firm that has been doing it for decades.”

Dewey, however, continued that $61,379 is “a lot of money for a test.”

“I think you ought to find a road to do a test on, instead of putting $61,000 into something, and then, if it does not work, say, ‘Oh yeah, it doesn’t work. I don’t think you should run a town that way! It should be proven before we test it!”

When Gardner called for a motion on the resolution authorizing the contract, initially there was silence. Ultimately, Democratic Councilman Paul Detrick

Shipman and Annette Kuhl; her stepdaughters, Leslie E. Voiro and Amanda C. Brown, and several step-grandchildren.

A visitation will be held on Monday, Oct. 2 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Marlton Assembly of God, 625 E. Main St., Marlton, followed by a funeral service beginning at 11 a.m. Burial will follow at Brig. General William C. Doyle Veterans Cemetery, in Wrightstown. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at www.lls.org or to Samaritan Hospice at https://www. samaritannj.org/giving/donate-now/ .

made a motion to award the contract to Asphalt Paving Systems. However, it apparently failed to receive a second (with the township Clerk’s Office later telling this newspaper that in Pemberton’s form of government, a council president cannot second a motion), and therefore, died for a lack of motion. Democratic Councilwoman Elisabeth McCartney’s silence allowed the two Republican councilmen, recently at odds with Tompkins, their 2022 running mate, to be victorious.

After the measure died, Gardner blasted those opposing the microsurfacing.

“This is me speaking personally – another program going down the drain,” he said.

He then went to move on, but quickly returned to what just occurred, adding, “I know there is more cost in repaving, with time, effort, closing the road, inconvenience to traffic in the township, etc., versus possibly a one day (affair) with microsurfacing.”

Recently, the administration, with some success, has been taking measures that die for a lack of motion and returning them to a council agenda for a second or even third try, but it remains to be seen whether that strategy will be deployed with this as well.

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CRASH

(Continued from Page 5)

Safety Unit, according to the press release, and anyone who may have witnessed this collision or may have additional information is urged to contact them at 609-894-3310.

This collision became the subject of a fiery, recent council meeting, as a councilman pointed to a number of streetlights out throughout the township (see separate story), though there has been no confirmation that streetlight outages played a role in the crash.

We arelooking for an individual who wouldbe interestedinapart-time position at our frontdesk.

Harper, who also attended council’s Sept. 20 session, called it “great” that JCP&L will “perform electrical utility upgrades to the sports fields,” but pointed out that “back in May” there had been initial council discussion about having fixtures throughout town changed to LEDs and repairing the streetlights in town

“You can start this program and save the town some money,” the resident maintained. “It is $1 per light. You can go street by street. You can start saving money and spend it somewhere else that is more useful!”

Hornickel responded that “we don’t have any ability, as a township, to touch JCP&L property” and that the streetlights are “their property.”

“While it might sound nice that you can buy them for $1, it is not going to cost us $1 to get them installed!” the Pemberton business administrator maintained. “JCP&L will charge us.”

Hornickel added that Tompkins “ordered” an “inventory” on the streetlights to ascertain which ones are out and they have since been “reported to JCP&L.”

The issue of streetlights was raised yet again when council entertained authorizing JCP&L to perform “electrical utility upgrades for sports field lighting” for $67,436.60, a “refundable” cost.

When the business administrator was yet

again asked about replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs, he responded that “generally speaking, LED bulbs are more energy efficient” and “consequently, that translates to less revenue for JCP&L (and a savings to the township).”

He also noted that there is a program, from what I am told, in which the BPU (Board of Public Utilities) is going to require all utility companies to convert to LEDs, believing the program may start as soon as next year.

“For them, streetlights are a loser,” he told council, with McCartney asking the business administrator to find out how much it would cost for the upgrades if the township pays for them.

The authorization for JCP&L to do electrical utility upgrades for sports field lighting passed, 5-0.

Dewey, however, raised the issue of streetlights again during his “council comments,” claiming the township paid “$21,000 last month for lights that don’t work in the township.”

The Republican councilman was also critical of purported lighting outages in the Browns Mills Shopping Center, owned by the township after use of eminent domain and a court verdict, with the business administrator noting this past month the revitalization project is continuing to move forward and the developer remains committed to seeing the project through.

“I want to address administration!”

declared Dewey in a somewhat fired up fashion. “You got only two lights working in the shopping center, from the old drugstore to the Dairy Queen! You only got two lights there at the Dairy Queen and the Laundromat. It is dark!”

Hornickel responded that it “sounds like we may need to adjust the timing.”

“If someone falls in the potholes there, you are going to have problems!” Dewey shot back.

Hornickel had explained to the council, amid all of the ruckus, that the township had been advised by JCP&L that they are about a month behind on making repairs to streetlights.

“There has been an increase in streetlight outages reported in our Central New Jersey service area, which includes Pemberton,” JCP&L Spokesman Chris Hoenig told this newspaper on Sept. 25. “Crews are assessing outages as they come in, but storms and emergency repairs do take priority. After assessing whether it is a fixture or line issue, the appropriate orders are put in. Line issues take longer, and in some areas (where there is underground service), it may take specialized equipment to pull new lines rather than repair old, unprotected lines.”

Hornickel, following the pair of September council sessions, told this newspaper that he now “can’t speak for JCP&L – perhaps they are in favor of the LED lights if the bulbs are more dependable, last longer, etc.”

Hoenig, when asked about the Pemberton business administrators’ earlier comment that “for them, streetlights are a loser,” responded, “I would not say that we favor the current bulbs.”

“Our rate review filed with the BPU back in March included a request from us for a provision to sunset our sodium vapor fixtures and change over to LEDs,” Hoenig said. “Up until now, the fixture cost for the municipality has been higher with an LED (more expensive fixtures than sodium vapor), but the extra initial cost has been mitigated by the lower rates given the lower consumption of LED bulbs. That review is still pending with the BPU.”

Hornickel, while acknowledging that the township Police Department performed the recent township inventory on streetlights (noting it was not asked of Public Works because

that particular agency does not have a night shift), when asked for a specific count of how many currently don’t work in town, responded, “I don’t have the stats on the number of lights not working or the reasons therefore.”

But after this newspaper filed an OPRA request for the inventory and its findings, it learned, from an answer to it, that between July and September, 194 streetlights were found by police to have issues or out in town. This newspaper, upon receiving the OPRA response, subsequently put the question to Pemberton officials whether 194 streetlights are currently out.

“The Police Department conducted the survey over the summer and sent the list to JCP&L,” Hornickel replied. “The list appears to indicate that 194 streetlights are either not functioning, have blown bulbs or perhaps are not set to turn on. However, we can’t confirm whether JCP&L has taken action on them as they’ve been reported, or that that amount is current. All we can confirm is that the Police Dept. reported 194 light poles with deficiencies over the period they conducted their survey.”

Hoenig, after being presented with the list this newspaper received from the township, took it to the local district lineshop manager.

“We received a list from the town on September 13,” Hoenig told this newspaper on Sept. 28 after discussing the situation with the line-shop manager. “Crews immediately began assessing the lights to determine what required bulb replacement, what required line work and what required fixture replacement. Through the assessment process, it was determined that many of these lights will require traffic control, which we are still working with the town to arrange. We will address as many of these as fast and as safely possible, but will require the assistance of police and a crash truck for traffic control.”

On Sept. 25, this newspaper observed numerous streetlights out of service in the area of Lake Valley to the Pemberton Bypass, to the strip with the former Burlington County College campus and municipal building.

The County Clerk started sending out Vote-By-Mail ballots this week.

PRO-TAXPAYER: Fighting to cut taxes and government waste to ease the burden on residents.

PRO-POLICE: Standing with police, cracking down on crime, and confronting the fentanyl crisis.

PRO-PARENTS: Opposing radical school curriculum and Trenton’s cuts to education funding.