Pine Barrens Tribune Dec. 3, 2022 - Dec. 10, 2022

ADDING TO THE ‘HONOR ROLL’

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON BOROUGH—A municipality’s “long history of recognizing its veterans” has repeated itself once again as the names of 57 veterans have been officially added to the “Pemberton Honor Roll,” joining some 370 others among four plaques that comprise the patriotic monument in Pemberton Borough recognizing both the service and sacrifice of local servicemembers, both past and present.

“Pemberton Borough has a long history of recognizing its veterans and paying tribute to them,” declared Robin Mosher, a former borough councilman who has maintained the Honor Roll for about the past 15 years, during a recent dedication ceremony for the latest additions, necessitating a newly-installed third plaque for the monument. “And we are here to continue that tonight with the addition of 57 new members to the Pemberton Borough Honor Roll.”

In recounting “just one of the many

Ceremony

stories” of those added to the Honor Roll, either former or current residents of Pemberton, Mosher pointed to the one published about Pfc. Allen J. Gifford, of Pemberton Township, who served during the Korean War and became the recipient of a Silver Star, the third-highest military combat decoration that can be awarded to a member of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Gifford, who had been a medical aidman of Medical Company, 19th

VETERANS/ Page 6

Southampton Township Urges Administrative Law Judge, BPU to ‘Deny’ Petitions Seeking Hikes in Wastewater and Water Fees

Local Officials Refer to Proposed Increases as ‘Considerable’ and ‘Dramatic,’ Demand Hearing be Switched to In-Person Session, All While It Has Been Postponed to January

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—As residents of multiple communities in Southampton Township face the prospect of a “considerable” and “dramatic” increase in both water and wastewater rates, as proposed in a pair of petitions filed by Pinelands Water and Wastewater (with all township taxpayers on the hook for a proposed rise in public fire service fees), respectively, Southampton Township Mayor Michael Mikulski has now written a letter to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU), as well as an Office of Administrative Law (OAL) judge overseeing the dockets, expressing the municipality’s “vigorous opposition” to the petitions, urging them to “deny” the requests.

The letter, issued ahead of a virtual public hearings on the matter – now apparently “rescheduled” from Dec. 8 to Jan. 12, 2023, still beginning at 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively, was read aloud by the mayor during a Nov. 22 Southampton Township Committee meeting that saw a crowd large enough that there was overflow extending out into the hallway of the municipal building – on Thanksgiving week to boot, with most people reportedly in attendance after being troubled by the filings and the process to provide their public comments to the BPU and OAL.

“Understand we had zero to do with this,

Names of 57 Veterans of ‘All Wars,’ Either Former or Current Pemberton Residents, Added to Borough’s ‘Very Patriotic’ Honor Roll During Recent Dedication

Photos By Douglas D. Melegari Pemberton Borough Honor Roll.

by Zallie’s ShopRite of Medford

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

SHAMONG—The Shamong Township Committee intends to soon livestream its meetings to the public “going forward,” and also allow for the remote option of public participation via Zoom, it was revealed during a Nov. 1 governing body session.

The governing body agreed to award $10,722.22 to Haverford Systems, Inc. to upgrade the municipality’s sound system to be compatible with virtual technology, as well as add two cameras for the purpose of providing a visual during livestreaming, with one focused “on the audience” and the other focused “on the dais,” according to Township Administrator and Clerk Susan Onorato.

The “upgrades,” as Onorato put it, are being “funded through American Recovery Funds we received,” or what is funding from the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) approved by Congress following the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Previously, the township committee, as reported by this newspaper, committed to offering a hybrid meeting format following the resumption of holding its meetings inperson (after the COVID pandemic had forced the township committee to go allvirtual with its meetings), but in using the township’s current sound system, which is about 15 years old, according to Onorato, “it was just an epic fail every time.”

The township committee ended up temporarily ditching its remote option for attendance and participation in governing body sessions.

But as Mayor Timothy Gimble maintained on Nov. 1, “it is still something we would like to include,” noting that when COVID forced everything to be done online, it “caused one thing” – revealing the convenience such remote technology could provide to those unable to attend meetings in-person.

The mayor, in recognizing that “a lot of people don’t come to our meetings,” indicated his hope that livestreaming will boost participation, as well as the community’s involvement in finding out what is happening in town.

“We are going to have it (the new system) have cameras, where you can go online and watch the meetings going forward,” said Gimble of the upgrades. “We are trying to be transparent, and include anybody who wants to be involved.”

One update that the residents who were unable to attend the last two township committee meetings here could have learned if they had that remote access, including one held on Oct. 4, is that the much-anticipated, controversial roundabout slated to replace the two-way stop intersection of Willow Grove and Stokes roads, also known as the intersection of County Routes 648 and 541, notorious for serious accidents, is “still in the preliminary engineering phase,” Onorato reported.

The county, she added, has advised the township that it needs to first complete an “archeological study” before it can come up with the “final design plan.”

“They are still more than a year out,” Onorato said. “To be continued.”

The archeological study, she revealed, needs to be conducted on farmland adjacent to the proposed site for the roundabout, but county officials have been “waiting for the crop to come off the field.”

In another update pertaining to roads in town, Township Engineer Joe Hirsh reported that the municipality “finally got New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) approval to go out to bid” for Phase III improvements to Grassy Lake Road. Approvals had already been received in early September, he added, for Phase IV

of the project.

“So, we are ready to get those out to bid during the next couple of weeks,” Hirsh said. “We have an overlapping, alternate bid, meaning they (the phases) can both get bid (by the same contractor).”

Hirsh “promised” the governing body that Phase IV would be the last one needed to completely resurface Grassy Lake Road “all the way to Atsion Road.”

Grassy Lake Road, prior to the commencement of paving, had long been considered the township’s roughest road.

“It’s about time,” declared Hirsh of the town moving into the final phases of the paving project.

Onorato later revealed to this newspaper that the township also recently received NJDOT grand funding to begin resurfacing Atsion Road.

“The residents of Shamong continue to be well represented by the Shamong Township Committee and township staff, who continue to do an outstanding job balancing limited funding while minimizing the impact upon our resident’s tax payments whenever possible,” she said in making the announcement. “To help in this process, we recently were awarded a NJDOT grant of $226,340. These funds will cover construction costs for work to be completed on a section of Atsion Road next year.”

She added that “the really good news” about having received the state funding is that “the grant will fund this project, not our residents!”

The township committee decided on Nov. 1 to also amend a bond ordinance previously adopted on April 5, “authorizing 2022 road improvements,” by appropriating the sum of $1 million and authorizing the issuance of $900,000 in bonds or notes “for financing of said improvements.”

Onorato explained that the township committee’s action is similar to that of one taken “six or seven years ago,” in which the township bonded $1 million for its local road program.

“We are mobilizing a company to come out and do a large road program, as opposed to nickel and dime work,” she declared of the latest decision.

The 2022 road improvements, Gimble noted, represent “year seven of a 10-year program to finally bring Shamong’s roads out of the stone age,” with him pointing out that before the program was started, “our roads had not been touched in 40 years.”

As for the roads to be targeted through year seven of the project, Onorato later told this newspaper that the “township is focusing on the roads in the worst condition first.”

Sponsored by Zallie’s ShopRite of Medford

Pemberton Boro’s Municipal Clerk and Administrator of 23 Years Officially Retires, Numerous Other Personnel Changes Take Effect

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON BOROUGH—Following a quarter-century of service to Pemberton Borough, including 23 of those years spent as the municipality’s borough clerk and administrator, Donna Mull has officially retired from working at the Pemberton Borough Municipal Building.

That being said, however, she has not yet retired from public service altogether, having been elected last month to a threeyear term as a Republican committeewoman in nearby Woodland Township.

Still, there were plenty of goodbyes to go around in Pemberton Borough, a town with

a population of 1,365 people as of the 2021 U.S. Census, where Mull has been a familiar face to borough residents since being hired back in 1997.

Mull and Pemberton Borough Mayor Harold Griffin, also a Republican, were often seen working in tandem during Pemberton Borough Council meetings of the last decade.

“Donna … I’ve known for many years,” said Griffin in sending Mull off to retirement from her day job during a recent Pemberton Borough Council meeting. “… Other than my wife keeping me straight, this one here usually corrects whatever I have started.”

Evesham Adopts Ordinance Paving the Way for Township

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

EVESHAM—It’s no secret that the New Jersey Pine Barrens are home to a number of once thriving but now defunct communities where people raised their families and pursued their livelihoods in industries such as bog iron. But while those towns and villages may have long since vanished, there are remnants that remain—including their burial grounds.

One such forsaken necropolis may now be given new life, so to speak, by the Township of Evesham, thanks to area historians bringing it to the attention of the Evesham Township Council, which adopted an ordinance at its Nov. 22 meeting authorizing the acquisition of this particular property “via condemnation/eminent domain for historical preservation purposes.”

The ordinance noted that the township “has attempted to determine who the current owner of the property is and has been unable to do so due to the fact that the last recorded deed transfer occurred on July 30, 1884,” and was “prepared to pay the sum of $125,000 from its Open Space Trust Fund in order to acquire the property.”

The now abandoned cemetery contains “about a dozen prominent and visible headstones,” with other markers obscured by undergrowth, local historian John Volpa told the Pine Barrens Tribune in a subsequent phone interview. He described the site as once having been part of a small African-American settlement of about 40 homes dating back to the 1830s that also included a church and a school, all of which are long gone.

But people continued to be interred there well into the 20th Century, Volpa noted, as indicated by the grave of a World War I veteran who had died in 1926 and another having been placed there as recently as the 1950s. The veteran’s headstone, he added, was well made, whereas some of the others appear to be homemade concrete affairs, and

some merely rusted metal markers. (Aside from the fact that it is within the township, the approximate location of the cemetery is not yet being revealed until measures can be taken to preserve and protect it.)

However, despite being referred to at the meeting by Deputy Mayor Heather Cooper as a “burial grounds of fallen service men and women” with the ordinance providing an opportunity to “potentially help connect them with their families,” the property is “not a veterans’ cemetery,” according to Volpa, who chaired the “Past, Present and Future Subcommittee” of the township’s Human Rights Committee that first made local officials aware of the site and its historical significance.

Volpa credited two other area historians, Connie Evans, of the Evesham Historical Society, and Paul Schopp, with having initially brought the cemetery to his committee’s attention, adding that another historian, Dolly Marshall, who works at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, has volunteered her services to further research it.

Prior to the ordinance being introduced and approved, he said, it was visited by Cooper and Deputy Township Manager for Public Property Erin Knoedler.

Township Manager Rob Corrales, who directed this newspaper to Volpa during a Nov. 30 phone interview, said the cemetery had first come to light while the township was researching its role in the Underground Railroad of pre-Civil War days, and that the ordinance would pave the way for Evesham’s taking ownership of the site, a search of records having failed to find any descendants of the original owner. But until that happens, he said, the status of the property will remain in limbo, and “there’s not much we can do with it, as it is not yet ours.”

While it’s “not that uncommon” to find the ownership of a private tract of land has become dormant for decades, he added, “it’s not something that happens on a day-to-day basis, either.”

to Acquire Long-Abandoned African-American Cemetery

Photo By Andrew King

Donna Mull is all smiles as she officially retires from Pemberton Borough government after 25 years of service, with 23 of those years spent as borough administrator and clerk. At left is her replacement, Kathy Smick, while Mayor Harold Griffin looks on at right.

Fixture of 20 Years in the Local Fitness Industry to Open Gym in Village of Taunton Forge That Treats Its Guests Like ‘Family’ Anytime Fitness Franchise Will Have Team of Certified Personal Trainers Leading Various Training Programs, Feature Talks about Medical Topics

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD—For Sue Gallagher Holton, who is known locally as “Sue”, the owner of the all-new Anytime Fitness franchise, which is set to open its doors in the Medford Township-based Village of Taunton Forge Shopping Center come January, “motivation is the spark that lights the flame,” and, she added, “it takes discipline to keep the flame burning.”

Sue, who previously owned the National Personal Training Institute for 15 years, where she ran a certification program for personal trainers, in addition to serving as a personal trainer for many area gyms, told this newspaper she never actually had a “goal” of opening a gym.

“Then COVID happened,” Sue explained. “I was out of work for about six months and people were banging down my door, asking to train with me.”

Six days a week, Sue recounted, she would train people on her porch “for literally 10 hours a day.” The demand, she noted, got to the point that she “had to turn people away.”

That is when Sue says she found her calling to open a gym.

“I was overwhelmed with people who really wanted to come in and train,” she said. “I just felt that I could help many more people if I opened a gym and created an atmosphere where everyone feels good to work out.”

At Anytime Fitness, Sue, who has been a fixture in the local fitness industry for 20 years, will lead a team of certified personal trainers, providing one-on-one training, partner training, and small group training.

Available services will also include sportsspecific training, kids training, corrective exercises, balance training, as well as strength and conditioning.

“It absolutely amazes me – the amount of loyal and dedicated clients I continue to train,” she maintained. “I have the knowledge, the compassion, and the ability to tend to everyone differently based on their individual needs and this is what makes my training personal and different from others.”

Sue emphasized, to this newspaper, that the Medford location of Anytime Fitness will be a “friendly, welcoming, and unintimidating environment,” with her already having built a reputation in the community for helping her clients establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle, while still having fun and feeling comfortable.

She maintained that she will continue that approach at Anytime Fitness, while also being able to provide all the benefits

of a “full-service, state-of-the-art facility.”

“I missed the whole gym setting, and I missed smiling at people and knowing people’s names as they walked in, and making sure they smiled when they walked out,” she said in reflecting on when gyms were temporarily closed statewide because of COVID. “I was able to do one-on-one training, but I wasn’t able to train everyone. I decided it was the right time to open a gym and took the steps necessary to reach that dream because there is nothing more rewarding than helping people physically and emotionally feel great.”

The Medford location of Anytime Fitness, she pointed out, will be a “full-service gym” that is open 24/7.

While she “likes all the gyms” in the Medford area, Sue told this newspaper she would “like to offer more of a family atmosphere” with her enterprise. She wants to make guests “feel like they are part of a family.”

“I want the feeling of really running a

Question of Who Is Responsible for Long-Existing Pipe

Hazard

Plaguing Marlton Lakes Is Aired at Evesham Council Meeting

By Bill B onvie Staff Writer

EVESHAM—The question of who should be responsible for correcting what has been described as a safety hazard posed by a submerged pipe in a lake used for recreational activities by residents of the Marlton Lakes subdivision is now reportedly being studied by Evesham Township officials after the secretary of the private community’s civic association raised it at the Nov. 22 township council meeting.

The association secretary, Tracy Wilhelm, repeatedly emphasized that while it might not be urgent with winter coming on, she felt that the only way to bring the situation to the township’s attention was to appear before the council in person, inasmuch as the association’s recent correspondence with township officials did not appear to have succeeded in generating any action.

“I wanted to make you aware that we have not had any communication from anybody regarding the next steps, what the plans are, and if there are plans, or if they are doing anything to address the situation,” she maintained. “So, we’re here to ask for your support, so we can open the communication lines and work together on a resolution.”

The problem, Wilhelm explained when contacted by the Pine Barrens Tribune , appeared to stem from a decades-old stormwater pipe extending from Lakeshore Drive to Flamingo Lake, the latter which residents use for such aquatic activities as swimming, fishing and kayaking, as well as skating in winter. The pipe, she said, which reportedly dated back to the 1960s has corroded to the point where it has jagged edges that have reportedly inflicted injuries on unwary individuals (despite its being outside the designated swimming area), as well as a dog, and has been a purported constant source of complaints conveyed to the council going as far back as 1982.

“This has been an ongoing problem,” she said. “There have been letters to the township over the years about injuries, mostly cuts. I don’t know whether stitches were involved.”

But the township, she maintained, had continued to take the position that the pipe was the association’s responsibility, or perhaps the fire department’s—that is, until earlier this year when the association was able to produce an easement for a stormwater drainpipe it had been given by

the municipal government.

That, along with yet another report of an individual allegedly having injured themselves on the pipe earlier this year, she maintained, resulted in the township putting up a warning sign and some temporary fencing, but that is currently deteriorating.

“We’re not here to cause aggravation,” Wilhelm contended. “If there is anything we can do to help facilitate (a correction), that is what we want. But we are not going to be ignored.”

And, if necessary, she added, “we will keep coming back month after month” until the problem is resolved.

Township Manager Rob Corrales responded by informing Wilhelm that he had set up a meeting with the fire department regarding “the question of who owns that pipe and whose jurisdiction is that pipe under.”

“I will have to have a discussion with the fire chief and our engineers again,” declared Corrales, adding that there had been some previous meetings with the fire department’s deputy on the subject in which he had been involved.

Wilhelm replied such a discussion is appreciated “because we’ve spent thousands of dollars for our attorney to contact people with no response,” adding that they had been attempting to resolve the situation for six months and “we are sort of nowhere again.”

Asked by Deputy Mayor Heather Cooper, whether he had looked at the pipe in question, Township Engineer Tim Staszewski said that since the association had expressed its concern, he had gone out to the site with Department of Public Works employees and confirmed the existence of a submerged stormwater pipe that discharges into the lake, but couldn’t tell whether that particular pipe was the problem, since “there is also a suction line for the fire department at the same location.”

The latter, in the view of some who inspected the situation, appeared to be “more the issue of concern than the stormwater pipe.”

Wilhelm, however, told this newspaper that her association thinks the stormwater pipe is the culprit, since the fire department’s line is smaller.

Whatever the case, however, she said she would continue to bring this up at meetings until something is done to remedy the hazard, since doing so has produced “the only traction we’ve gotten.”

Photo Provided

Sue Gallagher Holton, who has been a fixture in the local fitness industry for 20 years and has started an Anytime Fitness location at the Medford Township-based Village of Taunton Forge Shopping Center.

When Did Christmas Lights Become So Popular?

Holiday lights are now everywhere come the holiday season. Private homeowners tend to hang the holiday lights outside their homes around Thanksgiving weekend and keep them up through New Year’s Day.

Though it might seem like a tradition without a deep history, decorating a Christmas tree with electric lights can be traced all the way back to the nineteenth century.

In 1882, Edward Johnson, who was a friend and colleague of the man who invented light bulbs, Thomas Edison, replaced candles, which had traditionally been used to briefly light Christmas trees, with light bulbs.

But at the time of Johnson’s innovation, the high cost and relative infancy of light bulbs ensured the idea did not catch on. And though United States President Grover Cleveland used electric lights to illuminate a Christmas tree in the White House in 1895, it would be another eight years before General Electric would begin selling Christmas light kits. Those kits cost $12 in 1903, which equates to several hundred dollars today.

The first outdoor Christmas light shows started to become popular in the 1920s, and this is the same time when commercial sales of Christmas lights picked up.

In the 1960s, GE’s decision to begin manufacturing Christmas lights overseas helped reduce the price of outdoor lights even further, thus paving the way for the tradition of decorating home exteriors with string lights during the holiday season to take a firm hold. And that tradition remains wildly popular today.

4 Gifts for the Busy Professional On Your Holiday List

The life of a successful professional can be hectic. Demands at work force many professionals to work long hours, and those days could be even longer for remote workers. In fact, a 2020 study of 2,800 workers by the staffing firm Robert Half found that 70 percent of workers who transitioned to remote work due to the pandemic now work on the weekends. The survey also found that 45 percent of workers indicate they now routinely work more hours during the week than they did prior to the pandemic.

With so much on their plates, busy professionals may not have time to shop for products that can make their lives a little easier. That makes the holiday season a perfect time for people to consider what to get the hardworking professional on their shopping list. These four gifts can each make it easier for busy professionals to handle long days at the office.

1. Portable Phone Charger

Modern professionals rely on their smartphones to check and send work emails, keep track of their busy schedules and answer calls from colleagues, among other things. But those phones are only useful when their batteries are charged. Portable phone chargers are lightweight and easy to use, making them ideal for on-the-go professionals who need to keep their phones charged all day long. Professionals who spend lots of time in their vehicles may love a solar-powered portable charger, which ensures their phone batteries stay charged even when they forget USB cables at home.

2. Wireless Headphones

Though some models can cost of hundreds of dollars, a reliable set of wireless headphones can be found for as little as $50. These headphones can be especially useful for professionals who work from home, as many are designed to cancel out ambient noise, making it easier to participate in Zoom calls or other meetings even if the kids are being rowdy right outside a home office door.

3. Cleaning Service

Few chores are less appealing after a long day at the office than cleaning a house. Many cleaning services offer weekly or monthly packages, and professionals would undoubtedly appreciate someone taking this timeconsuming task off their to-do list. Ask a relative or two to pitch in and help pay for the service if it’s beyond your budget.

4. Slow Cooker

Slow cookers allow users to put everything in a pot in the morning and then arrive at night to a ready-toeat, homecooked meal. These can be especially valuable to professionals who work long hours and don’t have the time to prepare a meal from scratch at the end of a workday.

Whether it’s portable tech, some help keeping their homes clean or a device designed to simplify homecooking, various gift ideas can help make busy professionals’ lives a little less hectic.

Experiential Gifts for Seniors

Holiday shoppers know that, seemingly every year, there’s one person on their shopping list who’s hard to shop for. Seniors may fit that bill, as many have already accumulated a lifetime’s worth of goods and gadgets. That’s why experiential gifts can be such a good fit for seniors come the holiday season.

Experiential gifts are wildly popular. In its 2021 Winter Holiday Shopping Report, the market research firm Mintel revealed that nearly half of individuals surveyed for the report felt that experiential gifts are superior to tangible items. Seniors who already have everything they need might be even more enthusiastic about experiential gifts, which may encourage them to get out of the house or pursue passions they’ve long had a passing interest in. This holiday season, shoppers can consider these experiences as they look for something new and unique for the seniors on their shopping lists.

Biplane Flight

Few experiences are as exhilarating as a flight in an open cockpit biplane. Biplane flights are unique to each company that offers them, but some planes can accommodate two passengers (in addition to the pilot), making this an

ideal gift for senior couples who aren’t afraid of a bird’s eye view. The length of a flight depends on shoppers’ budgets, but no matter how long seniors are in the air, they’re sure to return to the ground having enjoyed a truly unique experience.

Hot Air Balloon Ride

If riding shotgun with a pilot in a tiny plane is more adventure than your favorite senior may be seeking, a hot air balloon ride may be more suitable. Hot air balloon rides provide a truly stunning way to experience idyllic settings and a calm way to take to the skies on a beautiful day. Rides tend to last around an hour, but companies typically offer various packages and may even let shoppers customize rides for their loved ones.

Theatre Tickets

The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been easy for anyone, but seniors were among the groups most vulnerable to serious infection if they caught the virus. As a result, many seniors strictly adhered to social distancing guidelines prior to getting vaccinated. Now that seniors are eligible to be fully vaccinated and even receive two rounds of booster shots, a trip to the theatre can reignite their passion for live entertainment and make for a memorable night out.

Cycling Tour

Modern seniors are among the most physically active demographics. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that, within months of the pandemic being declared, adults age 65 and older averaged 100 more minutes of physical activity than the next closest cohort.

A cycling tour can make for a perfect gift to active seniors. Tours may be designed to visit local places of historical significance, idyllic natural settings or local eateries. Wherever the tours ultimately end up, they’re sure to put a smile on active seniors’ faces.

Experiences can make for the perfect holiday gifts for seniors who have it all.

Fire Safety Protocols to Keep in Mind When Holiday Decorating

Decorating the interior and exterior of a home is a beloved holiday season tradition in millions of households. Such decor makes it easy to dive into the festive nature of the season. Many people could not imagine a holiday season without decorating their homes, and it’s vital that celebrants do so safely. Fire safety is especially important during a time of year when string lights and potentially dried out trees feature so prominently. These fire safety tips can ensure this holiday season is safe.

Buy the Safest Lights

It might be tempting to buy the most inexpensive lights, especially given all the extra costs already associated with the holiday season. However, safety should be the utmost priority when buying new lights. Testing laboratories such as CSA, Intertek and UL certify products to ensure they’re safe for use. Products that aren’t certified should be avoided.

Use Lights And Cords Where They’re Intended to be Used

The packaging on lights will indicate if the product is intended to be used indoors or outdoors. It’s vital that individuals decorating their homes with lights pay attention to these labels. Never decorate the exterior of a home with interior lights, and vice versa. Extension cords made for indoors also should not be used outdoors and vice versa.

Be Especially Careful With Candles

Candles should only be burned when adults are in the room and should always be extinguished before leaving the room or going to bed. When burning candles,

place them on heat-resistant surfaces that are beyond the reach of curious kids and pets. Never place candles within arm’s length of Christmas trees or houseplants, including poinsettias.

Ask An Electrician to Inspect Exterior Outlets

Ground fault circuit interruptor (GFCI) outlets are designed to prevent electric shocks and reduce the risk of electrical fires. Most areas now require new homes be built exclusively with GFCIs, which are recognizable because they feature two buttons between the outlets. But older homes may not be equipped with GFCIs, particularly with exterior outlets. GFCI installation is not an especially expensive job, so homeowners should ask an electrician to inspect their interior and exterior outlets and replace non-GFCIs with GFCIs.

Do not pinch light cords. Stringing lights can be a hassle, but cords should never be pinched in doors or windows or beneath interior and exterior furniture. Doing so increases the risk of damage to the cord, which in turn increases the likelihood of fire.

Avoid Overloading Circuits

Overloaded circuits pose a significant fire hazard. When plugging in lights, choose outlets that aren’t already occupied by devices and other electronics. If need be, unplug appliances like televisions and devices while lights are on and plugged in.

When decorating this holiday season, celebrants are urged to do everything they can to reduce the risk of fire in their homes.

Craft An Entire Day Around Christmas Tree Shopping

Though retailers may begin playing holiday tunes shortly after Halloween, for many people, no date on the calendar marks the beginning of the holiday season better than the day they pick up their Christmas tree.

There are many different ways to acquire a Christmas tree. Some people prefer artificial Christmas trees that can be stored and taken out each year. Others make a yearly expedition to a tree lot or a Christmas tree farm to find the perfect fir or spruce.

Historians believe a man named W.V. McGallard planted 25,000 Norway spruce seedlings at his Mercer County, New Jersey farm in 1901, essentially establishing the first commercial Christmas tree farm. By 1908, customers could visit the farm and choose trees for $1 each. McGallard helped create an entirely new industry that now accounts for 350 million trees being grown and sold in the United States every year.

Selecting a Christmas tree may not take more than an hour or two, but there are ways for families and other tree shoppers to maximize their time spent looking for a tree.

Bring Refreshments

Couple Christmas tree shopping

with picnicking if the weather is amenable. Pack some foldable chairs into the vehicle (sitting on the ground on a blanket may be too cold) and bring along thermoses of coffee or hot cocoa. Snacks like granola bars, Christmas cookies or other filling treats can keep everyone satisfied and energized while they shop for a tree.

Pair Tree Shopping with a Trip To See Lighting Displays

Find the tree lot or tree farm and then scope out potentially scenic spots to view holiday lighting displays nearby.

Neighborhood Facebook or other social media groups often tout homes that put up eye-catching displays. Ask around for addresses and plan your own tours.

Plan a Night Out

Everyone may be tired and hungry after a long day of Christmas tree hunting. Plus, it’s typically a good idea to wait some time for boughs to open before decorating. Use this opportunity to dine out and return home ready to decorate. Make it a regular occurrence that Christmas tree shopping is followed by a family meal at a favorite restaurant.

Watch a Classic Film

Many different holiday movies are broadcast this time of year and each enhances the Christmas spirit. While putting up the tree, play a favorite film in the background. What better way to enjoy decorating your own tree than by watching Charlie Brown adorn his meager evergreen at the same time?

Make a day of selecting and putting up the Christmas tree each year. Doing so can enhance the holidays and make for an entertaining way to spend time together as a couple or family.

Tips to Prepare to Host Holiday Guests

They’re back! Family, friends and acquaintances are once again taking up residence on cots and fold-out sofas across the country as loved ones gather to celebrate the holiday season. That’s welcome news nearly three years after a pandemic first restricted such gatherings. But hosts must ask themselves: Am I ready to host house guests?

Travel is a big component of the holiday season. According to a 2021 survey by The Vacationer, a travel tip and vacation guide, nearly 63 percent of Americans age 18 or older planned to travel for at least one holiday in 2021, with most traveling in December. That marked a 37 percent increase in travel from a year prior. Holiday travel for 2022 may be even higher as families adapt to life during the pandemic.

As individuals get ready to host holiday guests, here are some strategies to maximize space and make guests feel comfortable.

Discuss Plans in Advance

Every traveler is different. Some people thrive on making lists and following itineraries. Others fly by the seat of their pants. It’s reasonable to ask potential house guests how they envision their visit, including if they plan to stay long and if it will include sleeping over. This way you can make accommodations accordingly, particularly if guests request to borrow a vehicle or want to see the sights.

Create Some Extra Privacy

While some homes are equipped

to handle guests comfortably, smaller homes may not be equipped with such luxuries. Folding screens can be used to create a barrier and add some privacy in open spaces where guests will be staying.

Stash Away Travel Samples

Travel-sized soaps, shampoos and lotions can make guests feel more welcome. Stock up at the grocery store or pharmacy and leave them in the room where guests will be staying.

Stock up on new linens. Treat guests to fresh fluffy towels and new bed linens, especially if it’s been awhile since you have restocked these items.

Ask About Food Preferences

Your guests may not want to munch on kale chips and tofu hot dogs apart from the holiday meal. Don’t push your food restrictions on others. Ask guests what they typically eat and then fill the pantry and refrigerator with some of the items they mention. When guests need snacks, they’ll have familiar foods on hand.

Be Mindful of Bedtimes

Consider guests’ preferences about bedtimes. While you may be a night owl, some guests may hit the hay much earlier, particularly older relatives or those with young children. If need be, make an effort to be quiet when kids or early birds are staying over.

Hosting for the holidays requires a little creativity and flexibility. All that effort is well worth it when loved ones have a good time while staying over.

How to Make Christmas Eve Special for Kids

Christmas Eve is viewed differently by different people, even those who live under the same Santaready roof. Adults may see Christmas Eve as crunch time when they must prepare food for the next day or set up presents for their children to open in the morning. Children, on the other hand, are focused on Santa’s visit and little else.

Parents naturally want to make Christmastime as special as possible for their children, and that may involve ensuring that Christmas Eve is just as memorable as Christmas Day. The following are some ways to impart more magic into Christmas Eve celebrations.

Attend Mass at Midnight

Practicing Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas. On Christmas Eve, churches often hold celebrations that may include late-evening or midnight masses that celebrate the birth of Christ when the calendar switches over to December 25. While it does make for a late night, it can be thought-provoking for kids and a unique experience unlike any other.

Bake Fresh Cookies

Children like to leave out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa. That makes Christmas Eve a perfect time to whip up a fresh batch of cookies.

Explore different recipes to come up with a unique offering each year.

Read a Christmas story

Watching television or looking at a tablet or mobile phone before bed can be too stimulating when it’s time for children to wind down for bed. Choose a holiday tale or tales that can be read as a Christmas Eve bedtime story. Reciting the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas (‘Twas the Night Before Christmas)” is a great way to set the Christmas Eve mood.

Make a Batch of ‘Reindeer Dust’

Why should Santa’s reindeer be left out when it comes to receiving treats? Reindeer dust, made from a combination of oatmeal, rice cereal, dried fruits, and glitter (if desired), is purported to attract Santa’s reindeer and provide them a nibble at the same time. Plus, it’s generally safe for other animals in the yard to eat.

Go Caroling

Caroling may not be the norm, but some families may want to revive it. Close-knit communities can organize family-centric caroling opportunities and roam the cul-de-sacs and other pedestrian-friendly areas singing popular songs.

Christmas Eve is a great time to embrace various traditions that help to make the season even more special.

VETERANS

Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, according to the article cited by Mosher, served in Taejon, Korea in 1950. That is when a convoy of trucks just north of the city, according to the report, was “subjected to heavy small arms fire and suffered many casualties.”

The medical aidman was said to have come to the aid of wounded soldiers on one of the trucks, and “when it became hopeless to continue in convoy,” he “continued on foot carrying a wounded man,” noted Mosher in reading aloud the piece about Gifford’s service and the later honor bestowed to him for his heroic actions.

When Gifford observed a group held up by intense fire, he again reportedly “went to the aid of the wounded in the face of fire, and with utter disregard for his own safety, administered first aid and endeavored to evacuate them singly to a safer position.”

Mosher noted that Gifford, a survivor of the Sunchon Tunnel Massacre, was ultimately wounded and captured, and held a Prisoner of War (POW).

The monument caretaker later provided this newspaper with a couple newspaper clippings pertaining to Gifford’s service in the Armed Forces, with one noting that Gifford, a prisoner of the North Koreans, was “one of 21 American prisoners who survived the brutal massacre by Communist soldiers near the Sunchon railway tunnel.”

Upon his release, he was flown to Japan

for treatment at a U.S. Army hospital, before being flown again to a hospital in California, with one newspaper clipping from 1950 reporting that a photo had since emerged of him appearing to show him “fully recovered.”

After reading aloud all the names of the new additions for the Honor Roll, Mosher asserted, “Thank-you for your service,” a sentiment also expressed by Pemberton Borough Mayor Harold Griffin during the ceremony, part of a Pemberton Borough Council meeting, which was attended by many local veterans, along with their families.

According to Mosher, the last time the Honor Roll had been updated was back in 2018. This latest update, he noted, includes names of local “veterans of all wars,” from “World War II right up to present day,” including some who are deceased.

Mosher told this newspaper that he “regularly keeps a record of the names of residents, either former or present,” who are veterans, to be added to Honor Roll, and “when I get enough names,” he traditionally holds a ceremony or updates the monument.

He said in the interview that he had collected around 15 names for the latest update, but “was looking for a few more,” and that is when he collaborated with Simone “Si” Marino, who is the head of the Veteran’s Association for the Hearthstone retirement community, which is located in the borough. According to Mosher, Marino – whose name is among the 57 just added to the Honor Roll – contributed “about 30 some names to add to list.”

Following the latest updates, according to Mosher, there are 427 names on the Honor Roll.

Mosher explained to this newspaper that the maintenance of the Honor Roll, located on Hanover Street in the borough, as well as gathering and adding names to it, is a “constant thing” that he undertakes, including placing flags and flowers at the site, with it having a special meaning to him as he grew up in a “military family.”

His father, Ralph F. Mosher, he noted, retired as a chief master sergeant in the U.S. Airforce, having held the highest-ranking non-commissioned officer position for a number of years, though he had declined to take an official position in Washington, D.C.

Robin Mosher noted that while he and his family lived in Pemberton Borough for “most of our lives,” his father had met his mother in England, after having lived in

VETERANS/ Page 12

(Continued from Page 1)

Photo By Andrew King

Robin Mosher, a former borough councilman who currently maintains the Pemberton Honor Roll, during a dedication ceremony, reads aloud the names of 57 Pemberton veterans just added to the monument, while recounting the story of Pfc. Allen J. Gifford, a local Sunchon Tunnel Massacre survivor, all while Councilwoman Andrea Martin looks on.

Photo Provided

Ralph F. Mosher, a retired chief master sergeant in the U.S. Airforce, and father of Robin Mosher.

Photo Provided Robin Mosher’s oldest grandson and disabled vet, Sgt. William Mosher.

Photo By Andrew King

Veterans and their families attend a dedication ceremony for the addition of names to the Pemberton Honor Roll.

Photo Provided Pfc. Allen J. Gifford, as depicted in a newspaper clipping from 1950, who became the recipient of a Silver Star.

Photo Provided

Veteran Charles E. Bickler was “surprised” this past weekend after his daughter took him on a “short trip to show him how he has been memorialized” on the Pemberton Honor Roll.

See

PETITIONS

and we are as much against it as you are,” Mikulski told the crowd, comprising mostly of senior citizens on fixed incomes from the LeisureTowne retirement community, one of the communities that would be directly impacted by the proposed rate increases, with the township also having a sewage service contract with Pinelands Wastewater for Vincentown Village. “To the extent that you want to yell at us, you can, but you are preaching to the choir. We are equally as against this as you are. We will continue to fight against it as well.”

Serving as a major point of contention is the scheduling of virtual public hearings on the pair of petitions instead of in-person sessions held locally, and the state’s purported unwillingness thus far to reportedly change the venue.

The rate increases, as Committeeman Ronald Heston pointed out, are exclusive to Southampton, which he estimated has a population where senior citizens comprise about 35 percent, many of whom are limited with their knowledge of technology, such as a Zoom platform, with some area seniors even reportedly lacking access to an internet connection altogether, or a computer.

“When you say ‘Zoom’ to our community, they start talking about how fast the cars are going,” Heston declared. “The Zoom platform is foreign to senior citizens.”

The Nov. 22 township committee meeting was perhaps representative of that point, with only six individuals attending via Zoom, compared to some 100 people who attended the governing body meeting in person.

Mikulski, in recognizing the access challenges that have been brought to the township’s attention, in his letter, which was also copied to Jacob S. Gertsman, the administrative law judge assigned to oversee the hearings on the pair of petitions, wrote, “the township seeks an IN-PERSON HEARING WITHIN OUR BORDERS so that our residents will be able to join me in voicing their opposition to this dramatic and unnecessary rate increase.”

The portion of the letter in all caps was also bolded, with Mikulski asserting in the correspondence it is “further disheartening” that “no public hearings will be held in Southampton Township.”

Zoom, he declared, “fails to give adequate due process to the residents, especially Southampton’s senior citizen communities, which seek to express their concerns to the BPU in a face-to-face environment.”

As previously reported by the Pine Barrens Tribune, Pinelands Water, a subsidiary of Middlesex Water Company, filed a petition back on Sept. 7 requesting of the BPU “an overall increase in water revenues of $609,576, or approximately 64.22 percent above the

adjusted annual pro forma revenues for the 12 months ending Dec. 31, 2022,” as well as to “make other revisions to the company’s tariff.”

As currently proposed, the existing rate of $3.247 per thousand gallons of water for the “quarterly general metered service,” to include “all consumption,” would rise to $5.334 per thousand gallons of water.

Additionally, the “facilities charge” would rise across the board, with a household that has the smallest meter of 5/8-inch seeing their assessment for it increase from $39.39 per quarter to $54.71 per quarter, while a household with the largest meter of 2 inches would see the assessment for it increase from $314.52 to $516.66.

That means, according to the petition, a residential Pinelands Water customer with a 5/8-inch meter, who uses 11,900 gallons of water per quarter, will see their bill increase from $78.03 to $128.18 per quarter.

Another petition, this one requesting a rate increase for Pinelands Wastewater, also a subsidiary of Middlesex Water Company, was filed with the BPU on the same day as the one for Pinelands Water, requesting “an overall increase in wastewater revenues of $417,160, or approximately 26.76 percent above the adjusted annual pro forma revenues for the 12 months ending Dec. 31, 2022,” as well as to “make other revisions to the company’s tariff.”

As Mikulski pointed out in his letter, the company envisions realizing this increase in revenue by, first, raising its rate for service under contract from $11.61 per thousand gallons to $14.72; and second, increasing its service charge for the quarterly general metered service from $92.92 per quarter to $117.79 per quarter. The mayor noted the proposed rate increases would be implemented “alongside” an increase in the Volumetric Charge, which is proposed to rise from $7.0613 per thousand gallons to $8.9513 per thousand gallons.

In maintaining that the impact of the proposed rate increases for wastewater alone would be “considerable,” Mikulski pointed to Pinelands Wastewater’s petition that contains a remark noting that “a residential customer sending 11,900 gallons of wastewater per quarter would see their bill increase from $176.95 per quarter to $224.31 per quarter.”

“I am ashamed of the BPU!” angrily declared Heston during the Nov. 22 Southampton committee meeting. “How dare you, as members of the BPU, accept a rate increase of nearly 65 percent for water knowing full well you are not going to grant 65 percent! You should make them come in with a true number, and not ask for a bogus number.

“And the number for sewer is some 27 percent, and that is not talking about the fire hydrants that almost represents a 100 percent increase. This has to be looked at!”

According to the petition filed by Pinelands Water, the company is seeking an increase in the annual rate assessed for public fire service, from $469.72 per hydrant to $771.61

per hydrant, a charge that ends up being covered by all township taxpayers, with the municipality, as previously told to this newspaper by Township Administrator and Clerk Kathleen D. Hoffman, currently having a total of 98 fire hydrants in the company’s service territory. Additionally, Pinelands Water is seeking rate increases with respect to the quarterly charges assessed for the meters involved in the “private fire service.” All of this would amount to an additional $29,400 being passed on to township taxpayers.

Mikulski, in his letter, pointed out that “like so many others across New Jersey right now, the residents of Southampton Township – including all the company’s customers – are struggling with historic inflation, supply chain issues, and other persistent impediments to their financial bottom line.”

“The company’s petition to dramatically increase its rates for wastewater services could not come at a worse time for its customers,” he wrote.

Dorothy “Dottie” Bartolino, a resident of LeisureTowne, in noting that “all of us have been on a mission, calling the BPU, judge’s office, and Pinelands Water,” told the township committee on Nov. 22 that “we are campaigning for our livelihoods” due to the current economic conditions, making the observation that “so many in our community are hurting” at present.

In a claim that could not be verified by this newspaper, one township resident reported to the township committee that when she reached a representative at the BPU, that person “threw out a 40 percent increase,” instead of what is currently proposed in the water petition. Other residents, however, reported that they could not even get someone from the BPU to call them back.

Heston, in response to the concerns expressed by residents, revealed that he had gotten into an “argument” with a BPU section chief representing the agency at the League of Municipalities’ convention held in Atlantic City a week prior to the latest Southampton governing body meeting.

Heston charged that when he first approached the section chief wanting to “discuss the rate increase in Southampton Township with Pinelands Water,” the BPU representative initially responded, “‘Oh no, we don’t regulate Pinelands Water.’”

“And I said, ‘That’s funny, they scheduled a hearing before you,’” recounted Heston of the exchange. “‘Do you want to see the legal notice?’ He said, ‘Huh?’, and I said, ‘I happen to have it with me to be sure you knew there was a hearing.’”

Ultimately, according to Heston, the BPU section chief acknowledged “‘I guess we do’” regulate the utility company, but only after an aide accompanying him stated, “‘Southampton Township – they are a Clean Community; we represent them, and I remember them.’”

The purported exchange, Heston revealed,

“went downhill from there” as he claimed he “demanded a public hearing in LeisureTowne,” and offered that “the township committee will make arrangements to host it.”

“The chief said, ‘We only do Zoom meetings, and you are not going to like it, but we are not going to change it,’” Heston recounted. “And that was the ‘attitude’ presented to me that we are not going to change it.”

Heston claimed that he shot back at one point, in referencing the last petition that necessitated a hearing, filed in 2019, that “Of course, your law judge almost fell off the chair last time when 150 people showed up.”

Heston also expressed his dismay in apparently learning from the section chief that there is a “catch” to wanting to speak during the virtual hearing, which he says purportedly entails an individual having to first submit a letter making such a request “to speak at the public meeting.”

“Otherwise, they will not turn you on (an individual’s audio and/or video),” he warned, noting that the letter has to be sent to the mailing address for such correspondence contained in one of two legal notices announcing the filing of the petitions and public hearing – Hon. Jacob S. Gertsman, ALJ, Office of Administrative Law, P.O. Box 049, Trenton, NJ 08625-0049 and/or Hon. Carmen Diaz, Acting Secretary, BPU, 44 South Clinton Avenue, 9th Floor, Trenton, NJ 08625-0350 (any written correspondence should contain the OAL and BPU docket numbers: WR22090555 and WR22090556).

There is a secondary issue that has been raised from this issue – certain regulated firms and governmental agencies meeting a statutory obligation to publish required ‘legal’ notices designed to inform the public of critical public information by simply publishing such notices in paid circulation newspapers, despite this free, established newspaper, for example, being far more widely circulated and well-read in the affected communities.

Longtime LeisureTowne and township political activist, Evelyn “Evie” Doherty, who has been leading the charge against the pair of latest petitions, told the township committee on Nov. 22 that what concerns her, in part, is that “if we don’t get a meeting in Southampton, we will never get another meeting here again.”

“I am very concerned that is going to happen,” she declared, with several governmental agencies and private businesses, including those regulated by the government, seemingly moving towards the use of remote meeting options following the COVID-19 pandemic, in which they became replied upon to conduct business.

While Mikulski, an attorney in his day job, recognized “government agencies are still leaning toward COVID” responses, pointing out that in some counties in the state, court is still held remotely, Doherty maintained that citing COVID as enough of a concern

to warrant a virtual meeting is a “farce in my opinion.”

“I looked at the latest statistics, and there are 1,000 cases of COVID compared to 9,000 cases of flu,” Doherty contended. “And COVID is no longer the COVID of three years ago.”

Mikulski noted that the local 8th District GOP delegation has also written a letter to both the administrative law judge and BPU expressing similar concerns to that of Southampton, in addition to having requested a “meeting with the governor’s office to specifically talk about this rate increase as well.” The mayor told the public that if and when that meeting is held, he is expected to be invited to attend.

Senator Jean Stanfield, as well as Assemblymen Brandon Umba and Mike Torrissi, wrote that “we wish to convey our opposition to this proposed rate hike, which would hit seniors and our most vulnerable families the hardest at a time when many can least afford it.”

The local 8th District GOP delegation further wrote that “because the petitions impact residents located wholly within the borders of Southampton Township, and because many senior residents feel they are unable to participate fully in a remote virtual hearing, we are additionally requesting that the BPU hold an in-person public meeting within Southampton Township to ensure that their concerns regarding the petitions can be heard.”

Peter Peretzman, a spokesperson for the BPU, when queried about the reasoning behind a virtual public hearing and whether the venue will change in light of the pushback, responded on Nov. 29, “Hearings in these matters are being conducted by the Office of Administrative Law, which determined that the hearings will be conducted remotely.”

“Questions regarding hearing format should be directed to the OAL,” he added.

So, this newspaper took its questions to the OAL, and on the morning of Nov. 30, Candice Hendricks, a spokeswoman for the OAL, phoned this reporter, maintaining, in part, that the decision to hold a virtual public hearing was arrived at by the “parties in consultation with the judge.”

When asked if holding virtual public hearings was the routine way the OAL now conducts such public hearings, as well as

if COVID concerns played any part in the decision to go virtual, she repeated that the decision was arrived at by the “parties in consultation with the judge,” asserting that she had “no further information to provide.”

Peretzman, in confirming that the public hearings that were rescheduled to Jan. 12, 2023, noted the hearings will “include a telephone call-in option for those who do not have computer access.”

“Further, any interested party may file written comments, which are taken under consideration in the same fashion as any comments offered verbally at a public meeting,” he added.

It is also noted in one of the legal notices that in “order to encourage full participation in this opportunity for public comment,” requests can be submitted to Pineland’s attorney, Jay L. Kooper, for “needed accommodations, including interpreters or mobility assistance.” But those requests, the legal notice notes, must be made at least 48 hours prior to the hearing either by phoning Kooper at 732-634-1500, or writing him at 485C Route 1 South, Suite 400, Iselin, NJ, 08830.

Bernadette M. Sohler, vice president of corporate affairs for Middlesex Water Company, who is also a spokesman for the firm, when asked if the utility would like to place its “legal” notices outlining the petition filings as “public” notices in the Pine Barrens Tribune as a courtesy to residents so that they have access to the public information, replied, “As for where the legal notices are published, we publish public hearing notices in full accordance with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and the Office of Administrative Law’s regulations.”

Sohler, when this newspaper presented to her the letters penned by Mikulski and the 8th District GOP delegation and asked for a response, replied, “Pinelands has no comment on the letters submitted.” While she acknowledged the date of the public hearing had been rescheduled, she did not address a question as to why it had been done.

Peretzman, in also being presented with copies of the letters and queried about their contents, replied, “the petitions involving Pinelands Water Company and Pinelands Wastewater Company are currently under consideration” by the BPU, and therefore, “as is our practice and procedure, we will not be commenting on any ongoing legal proceedings, including these two proceedings.”

The BPU spokesman, however, when given an opportunity to dispute Heston’s account

of the purported argument at the League of Municipalities Conference, did not do so.

Mikulski revealed he has also requested a “meeting with our representative at Pinelands Water,” and through his letter, also presented an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to the state’s Office of Administrative Law and BPU for “all documentation submitted by the company to advance this need for a rate increase.”

He noted in the correspondence that the township “strongly disagrees with the company’s claim that the dramatic increase in its charges for wastewater service is necessary for the company to continue providing safe, adequate, and proper service to its customers.”

“Documentation supporting this claim, as well as proof that such a dramatic increase in rates is necessary to alleviate the alleged impairment of the company’s financial integrity, should be made available to the public before the BPU assigns the company’s claim any right for the purposes of making a final determination on the petitions,” Mikulski demanded.

Sohler, a couple of weeks ago, had told this newspaper that the reasons for the increase request are contained in the petitions and supporting testimony, and then provided the URL of https://www.middlesexwater.com/ customer-care/regulatory-filings/ .

It was in visiting the website on Nov. 27 that this newspaper first found that the date of the public hearing had been changed from what was listed in the original legal notices, to Jan. 12, 2023, with a Zoom link still provided and the session still listed as a “virtual public hearing.” No explanation is provided on the website for the change in dates.

In addressing the need for an increase in water rates, G. Christian Andreasen, Jr., president of Pinelands Water and Wastewater since 2020 (previously serving as vice president of operations from 2005 to 2020), in written testimony to the BPU, wrote the “increase requested is necessary to address capital investment,” maintaining that since its last petition in 2019, there have been “cost increases for labor, benefits and other expenses as well as adjustments for other changes which are known and/or reasonably anticipated to occur.”

More specifically, he wrote, Pinelands Water invested approximately $1,368,534 in its utility plant “not currently recognized in the rates,” and beginning from March 31 through the end of this year, the company will have invested approximately $1,583,840 in its

utility plant.

“This utility plant investment includes service upgrades required for both regulatory compliance and to ensure continued reliability of the system,” Andreasen testified.

As for the need to increase wastewater rates, Andreasen, in a second document of written testimony provided to the BPU, wrote that it was also a matter of addressing “capital investment,” and that labor, benefits and other expenses have also gone up for the wastewater company.

Since the last rate proceeding, he added, through March 31 of this year, the company invested approximately $488,629 in its wastewater utility plant that is “not currently recognized in the rates,” and by the end of this year, the company plans to invest approximately $1,153,985, including in “service upgrades required for both regulatory compliance and to ensure the continued reliability of the system.”

Doherty, in speaking to the township committee on Nov. 22, contended that “one of the things that bothers me,” is that in reviewing the financials of Middlesex Water Company, its “stock is selling for $92 a share, with a $1.17 share dividend being paid.”

“This company is not losing any money,” she declared. “So, it is very hard to understand why this is happening.”

She further maintained that it seems as though there is “redundancy with their management,” maintaining that if the firm was to “do away with its overhead, there would be a savings found.”

Mikulski, in his letter, which appeared to be met with satisfaction by the residents attending the Nov. 22 township committee meeting, wrote, “In sum, Southampton Township strongly urges the BPU to deny” the filed petitions, maintaining they would impose a “substantial financial hardship” on its Southampton customers, “especially when coupled with the lack of a clear need to raise rates by the degree to which the company has proposed.”

The mayor, during the Nov. 22 township committee meeting, urged residents to call the governor’s office, maintaining that while “Mr. (Governor Phil) Murphy probably won’t get on the phone,” if the switchboard operator there gets 30 some calls a day, there will likely be some movement towards action on the issues.

He added that the township, while recognizing there is ongoing inflation, is “going to argue basically anything over a single digit increase” is unacceptable.

Find Us On

together, which she always does,” Haines declared. “Hopefully, it makes you appreciate retirement. We know you left us in the most capable hands possible because that is what you do. It is a retirement you deserve.”

Haines also gave some advice to Mull in that “the only thing I found beats retirement is being a grandparent.”

Mull often had tense exchanges with resident Diane Fanucci, a regular borough council meeting attendee who frequently questions many items and happenings in the municipality.

But both will soon share several things in common – serving their first, full term on a governing body (beginning in January) as retirees from their day job, with Fanucci having recently been elected as a Republican to the borough council following her retirement (from the Pemberton School District).

“Donna – kudos,” Fanucci said. “Anytime I needed an answer for something, you went and got it. And I am sure that is what you do for everyone else here. As a recently retired person, you are going to love it (post-retirement life).”

Also given a sendoff from borough hall was Deborah “Debbie” Villari, a longtime administrative assistant for the borough.

Mosher called her a “dedicated, loyal employee” who is “going to be missed,” in also wishing her “good luck” and hoping that she “enjoys retirement.”

“Congratulations to Donna and Debbie,” said Karen Mulligan, another regular borough council meeting attendee and resident of the municipality. “You have all been so wonderful. Every time that I come over (to borough hall), with so many questions that we have in Hearthstone (a local retirement community), you’ve been very patient. You have answered them. And it has been over 16 years since I have moved here. And we are going to miss you a lot.”

CLERK

Griffin, who has served as the borough’s mayor for the past nine years (having previously served as Pemberton Township’s mayor as well from 1963 to 1969 when he lived in the township), recounted when he had an advertisement placed “for fixing” a softball field around the time that he assumed the role of borough mayor.

He ran the ad, he noted, when Mull was vacationing in Florida, and all didn’t quite go as planned, he explained.

After having to “redo” it, “ever since then, I never do something by myself,” he said to laughter from those gathered in borough council chambers to see both a Pemberton Honor Roll dedication ceremony (see separate story) and Mull’s sendoff. As he later put it to this newspaper, from then on, he has always made sure everything is

“approved the way it is required to be.”

“She may not know it now, but we will absolutely, most definitely miss Donna,” declared Griffin during the council meeting.

“I thank her for the nine years that I have been here.”

Robin Mosher, a former borough councilman of 33 years, asserted that he “remembered when we hired you back in 1997, or a Century ago, and then two years later, you took the position you are in now.”

“For 21 years, I served alongside you … and there were good times, and bad times, as we both know,” Mosher said. “With that in mind, as your good friend, I would like to wish you the best in your retirement. I hope it is happy and long. Love you and good luck, Donna.”

Borough Council President Bonnie Haines revealed that Mull’s last month on the job “has been the definition of Murphy’s Law,” or the observation that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

“For every loose end she tried to tie up, it unraveled behind her, but she pulled it all

Kathy Smick, who previously served as the borough’s deputy clerk and tax collector, took over Mull’s position as borough clerk and administrator on a “permanent” basis last month. She led her first meeting on Nov.

21 without issue.

Kim Johnson, who previously served as the borough’s court administrator, filled the vacancy left behind following Smick’s promotion, and is now the borough’s deputy clerk as of Dec. 1.

But in lending credence to Haines’ earlier remark, borough council in October appointed Rachael Wall as the borough’s administrative assistant, a position that had previously been given to Megan Harding.

Johnson has also been appointed to serve as the borough’s Utility Department clerk, Planning Board secretary and recycling coordinator, while Wall has also been designated the borough’s technical assistant to the construction officer and code enforcement secretary.

Smick, this month, was deemed the borough’s fund commissioner for the Burlington County Joint Insurance Fund, while Wall will serve as the JIF’s local claims and safety coordinator, as well as an alternate fund commissioner.

Smick, Johnson and Wall were given a loud round of applause by those in council chambers recently following their appointments, as well as Mull as she closed her final meeting of her borough career.

“I just want to thank the mayor and council for having me for 25 years,” said Mull as she said goodbye to borough residents for one last time. “Most of the time it has been a pleasure. Sometimes not (particularly during a budget crunch). Thanks to everyone in town. It has been a pleasure working for everybody, and working with you too, (Borough Solicitor) David (Serlin).”

Griffin, in a later interview with this newspaper, in pointing out that Mull will now serve on the Woodland Township Committee, declared, “I know she’ll do good there too.”

The borough council, at the start of its latest session on Nov. 21, accepted the Oct. 17 resignation of veteran Pemberton Borough Police Department secretary Sharon Dotson, with no reason given publicly for her departure.

Photo By Andrew King

Pemberton Borough Council celebrates the retirement of Borough Clerk and Administrator Donna Mull, as well as veteran administrative assistant Deborah “Debbie” Villari, in addition to the promotion of Kathy Smick, who previously served as the borough’s deputy clerk and tax collector, to the position of borough clerk/administrator. Pictured from left to right are Councilman Robert Brock, Smick, Councilwoman Melissa Tettemer, Villari, Mayor Harold Griffin, Mull, Council President Bonnie Haines, Councilman Nick Conner, Councilwoman Andrea Martin and Councilman Terry Jerome.

AUTOMOBILES/TRUCKS

HAULING

LAWYERS

CRANBERRIES FOR SALE

FURNITURE REPAIR

WINTER CLEANUPS

VETERANS

the grandchild having retired as a U.S. Marine following tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan. His oldest grandson, he noted, is now a “disabled vet” who resides in Wisconsin.

Thanksgiving Day Crash Leaves Two Dead in Pemberton Twp.

61, was pronounced dead at the scene.

both

and Germany for a number of years while stationed overseas.

A childhood moment he still remembers like it was yesterday, he said, is when his father, a young airman at the time, held him up on his shoulders as President John F. Kennedy visited Berlin and landed there in a helicopter. The president, he recounted, “was waving right at me.”

“It wasn’t too much longer, just a short time later, that we were listening to Armed Forces radio, and while Gunsmoke was on, we heard that JFK had been assassinated,” Mosher recalled. “It was at 8:30 at night there when he was assassinated back in the states.”

Robin Mosher’s oldest grandson, Sgt. William Mosher, is another inspiration behind what the former councilman currently does to maintain the Honor Roll, it was told to this newspaper, with

MEETINGS

“It is hard for everyone to understand that in some cases a road that is 30-40 years old is in better condition than one that is 2025 years old,” she maintained. “That being said, our Public Works staff and township engineer have inspected and prioritized most of the roads in our community in need of repair. The result is an internal draft list, which is more like a long Christmas wish list at this time. Like many households during the holiday season, we will need to

FITNESS

family-owned gym,” Sue emphasized. “I want everyone who walks in that door to leave with a smile. I want to personally get to know them, reach their individual needs, and make them feel good.”

COVID, she said, “definitely” had an impact on people’s physical health and fitness, observing that the majority of people she knew from her last gym setting had “gained 10 to 15 pounds” in the period of time since she last saw them before the lockdown was instituted.

“While it has been a tough couple of years for a lot of people,” Sue emphasized to this newspaper the importance of returning to the gym, if one hasn’t already, and working out daily.

“I firmly believe there are positive effects from exercise on mental health,” she said. “I notice, with myself and my clients, an overall improvement with mood, self-esteem, while noting that it also lowers stress and anxiety levels. Exercise definitely gets your serotonin going and the positive results are infinite.”

Maintaining physical fitness and wellbeing “comes with being a trainer,” with her pointing out, “myself – I like to work out four days a week.”

“Again, motivation is the spark that lights the flame,” she declared. “It takes discipline to keep the flame burning. It all

However, Robin Mosher emphasized to this reporter, in light of sharing his story behind his efforts at maintaining the Honor Roll, that the monument isn’t about him, but is for “all those veterans who live around here, or live in proximity to the base (Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst).”

“We have a lot of dedicated veterans around here, who are proud of their service,” Mosher declared. “And this is very patriotic.”

One local veteran, Charles E. Bickler, was reported to have “started sobbing” this past weekend as his daughter, Dorinda Rose Mial, “surprised” him with a “short trip to show him how he has been memorialized” on the Honor Roll, with a picture of Bickler later posted online showing him standing in front of the new plaque that now comprises the monument, installed in late October.

decide what we can and cannot afford (in deciding what) to include in the 2023 budget, including this new bond funding.”

Gimble, during the latest township committee meeting, maintained that officials “are pretty sure,” however, that the new bond funding “will get us to 90 percent of our roads being up to date in Shamong.”

“These are residential roads for the most part,” he said. “Then, after this maintenance program concludes, we won’t have to sit here and bond for millions and millions of dollars. Each year, moving forward, we will make improvements to our roads and will be up to date. I think we did a good job managing this process.”

goes together. You have to work out, but you should have fun while doing it. We only get one life to live and we all have the power to live fuller and healthier lives.”

Sue’s husband, Dr. James J. Holton, a well-known Medford area physician who has been practicing medicine in the community since 1988, currently in practice on Main Street at Medford Station, known as the historic train station, will also be giving talks on varying medical topics on a regular basis at the Medford Anytime Fitness location. Topics will be determined by members, according to Sue Holton, but will focus on “preventative health and commonly encountered medical problems.”

Sue Holton, who is “absolutely ecstatic” about being able to open a business in her hometown of Medford, having been an athlete at the township’s Shawnee High School, is currently conducting a “presale” on gym memberships. The cost is $21 bi-weekly, or what amounts to just $42 per month. Currently she is offering “half-off” the enrollment and security fee, requiring $25 down. “Pre-sale is the lowest the gym membership will ever be.”

By becoming a member of the local Anytime Fitness, she said, if one goes on vacation, their key fob will work at any location nationwide.

“I will tell you what – Taunton Forge –I couldn’t ask for a better spot, as it pulls from Medford and Marlton,” Sue Holton declared. “I couldn’t ask for a more perfect location or a more perfect community.”

PEMBERTON—Two people from Atco (Waterford Township) have died, authorities confirmed, after a vehicle apparently struck a tree in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township on Thanksgiving Day.

The single-car crash, according to Chief Jay Watters, of the Pemberton Township Police Department, occurred around 1:52 p.m., on Nov. 24, in the 200 block of PembertonBrowns Mills Road, near the intersection of Browns Mills Avenue.

When police arrived on-scene, he said, they observed a 2009 White Toyota Yaris was “off the roadway of Pemberton-Browns Mills Road, eastbound, which appeared to have struck a tree.”

The operator of the vehicle, Forest Finch,

The passenger of vehicle, Marjorie Finch, 60, was flown to Cooper Hospital in Camden, where she died the next day as relayed by the hospital, according to Watters.

“A preliminary investigation revealed that the Toyota, operated by Forest Finch, was traveling eastbound on Pemberton Browns Mills Road, then exited the roadway into the eastbound grass shoulder and collided head on with a tree,” said Watters of what police know so far about the crash.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the department’s Traffic Safety Unit. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash, or who has any information about it, is being asked to call 609-894-3310.

This event will be taking place virtually using Zoom. Register online at capitalhealth.org/events and be sure to include your email address. Zoom meeting details will be provided via email 2 3 days before the program date. Registration ends 24 hours before the program date.

Holistic Approach to Anxiety and Depression

Wednesday, December 7, 2022 | 6 p.m.

Location: Zoom Meeting

Depression and anxiety affect nearly one in five Americans, but you don’t have to navigate these challenges alone. Join DR. CHRISTI WESTON, director of Outpatient Psychiatry at Capital Health, and VICTORIA PENA-CARDINALI, licensed clinical social worker, for an informative conversation about the prevention and treatment of depression and anxiety using a whole-person approach that supports physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wellbeing. Nancy McCormack, a registered yoga instructor and certified yoga therapist from the Capital Health Wellness Center, will end the class with a demonstration of gentle yoga stretches.

@capitalhealthnj

If you need medical attention and your doctor’s office is unavailable, visit us 24 hours a day, seven days a week at Capital Health at Deborah – Emergency Services.

Located on the Browns Mills campus of Deborah Heart and Lung Center, Capital Health at Deborah Emergency Services is a satellite emergency department that offers ambulance and walk-in patients hassle-free access to top quality care. Physicians and clinical staff at the 10,000 square-foot, 12-room facility provide a wide range of medical services with seamless access to Capital Health and Deborah if additional treatment is necessary. If you are experiencing signs of a stroke or heart attack, call 911.

Visit capitalhealth.org/deborahSED to learn more.

CAPITAL HEALTH AT DEBORAH – EMERGENCY SERVICES

200 Trenton Road, Browns Mills, NJ 08015