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1 AGE S SE E P

SE E PA GE 16

Vol. 6 – No. 27 ♦

The News Leader of the Pines

♦

April 30 - May 6, 2022

DEP Expounds Benefits of Its Effort to Restore 10,000 Acres’ Worth of Atlantic White Cedars

A COUPLE’S DELIVERANCE FROM A FORETOLD FATE

Trees Help in Flood Control, Purification of Groundwater; Project to Use No Tax Dollars By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

WOODLAND — Once upon a time, back when European settlers began putting down roots here, New Jersey was home to approximately 125,000 acres of pristine Atlantic white cedars, a large portion of which were located in the Pine Barrens, where they provided a thriving habitat for various forest animals that was 15 degrees cooler in summer and the reverse in winter, as well as serving as a protective barrier against floods and a filtration system to help assure the purity of groundwater. Unfortunately, these majestic evergreens, which can survive for a millennium under the right conditions, have been decimated over the years, according to New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) officials, due to serving as a source of the “cedar shakes” that have long been popular with builders, in addition to being threatened by the encroachment of salt water into coastal tributaries brought about by climate change, such as occurred a decade ago with Superstorm Sandy. The resulting shrinkage of the cedar swamps that once proliferated hereabouts has diminished the state’s Atlantic white cedar population to about a fifth of its original size, said NJDEP representatives who escorted journalists on a guided April 21 tour of four sites in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest containing both still living and

Photo Provided

Eugene Aleksashenko and his fiancèe, Anna Tomash, in front of the Medford residence, along with a Ukrianian flag, where Eugene’s mother Olga Aleksashenko and her partner, Boris Kazansky, reside.

The Story of How Two Ukrainian Refugees Found a Safe Haven in Medford Began Back in 2014 When the Mother of One of Them Had a Premonition that Russia Planned to Lay Waste to Their Country, Convincing Her to Leave

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

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MEDFORD—If Eugene Aleksashenko and his fiancée Anna Tomash appear to be among the luckier refugees to have fled Russia’s merciless assault on Ukraine that began more than two months ago, that was largely due to what was perhaps a classic illustration of the early 19th Century proverb, “Coming events cast their shadows before them,” in the form of a chilling premonition experienced years earlier by Eugene’s mother, Olga Aleksashenko, a trained geophysicistturned-professional psychic.

The couple’s deliverance from the death and devastation that has recently befallen their native land was one described to the Pine Barrens Tribune by their host here in Medford Township, Boris Kazansky, an American of Ukrainian-Jewish descent who has been Olga’s partner for the past four years, and who also acted as a translator during a phone interview with her. The stage for their story was set back in 2014, the year Ukraine’s Kremlinsupported president, Viktor Yanukovych, was overthrown in what was known as the Maidan Revolution, and the country’s Crimean Peninsula was subsequently

annexed by Russia. At the time, Olga, the daughter of prominent geophysicist Ar nold Kulinkovich, was living in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, having given up a career in science to become a practicing medium and herbalist, when some distinctly disturbing “visions” caused her to reconsider the course of her own existence. What she envisioned was her country being laid to waste and left largely in ruins by a Russian attack sometime around the end of 2021, mental images accompanied See HAVEN/ Page 8

See CEDARS/ Page 10

INDEX Business Directory...................................14

Marketplace..................................................... 16

Events......................................................12

Mother’s Day Guide................................. S1

Job Board.................................................16

Worship Guide..........................................13

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

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Page 2 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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State Police Confirm Body Discovered During Retreat Preserve Wildfire; Firefighters Answer Concern About Why Fire Was Left to Burn Itself Out

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—Authorities made a gruesome discovery at the site of last month’s 50-acre wildfire in the Retreat Preserve, located at the rear of the LeisureTowne retirement community in Southampton Township, as well as off Ridge, Retreat and New roads in the municipality. “We did find a body,” Trooper Brandi Slota confirmed to the Pine Barrens Tribune on April 20. “It is still under investigation.” Slota told this newspaper that an autopsy found the victim “suffered from smoke and soot inhalation,” but that “it is unknown the manner of death because it is still under investigation.” No additional details were released by Slota, including the gender of the victim. The issue was brought to the forefront at an April 19 Southampton Township Committee meeting when Tom Haluszczak, an attorney who had resigned last year from the LeisureTowne Board of Trustees, asserted that he had a question “about the recent fire and, for lack of a better word, dead body.” “People have called me to ask questions up and down my block,” said Haluszczak, who requested of the governing body a “cursory statement” about what happened and the present state of the investigation. “I am an attorney – I don’t know. The fact is – I don’t know what to tell them. There seems to be a paucity of information about the whole event.” Haluszczak noted that “most of us who lived through the fire aspect of it” were “turned away all day.” “It was a pretty unnerving situation,” Haluszczak declared. “It burned for days.

Photo By Andrew King

Firefighters seen protecting homes in LeisureTowne on March 19 after a wildfire developed. The smell was there for days. Again, we had this event occur and no one really knew what happened or why it happened.” Haluszczak called the “other element to it” both “disheartening” and “concerning.” Mayor Michael Mikulski, in response to the resident, pointed out that he met with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS)’s scene commander the day of the incident, “and the reason why people were turned away for so long was never because of any imminent danger to the houses … but more because of the winds.” “It was just out of an abundance of caution,” maintained Mikulski of why access to homes in the rear of LeisureTowne was limited during the initial hours of the incident. See WILDFIRE/ Page 13

Tabernacle Memorial Day Parade to Return After Pandemic Hiatus; Committee Explores Former Squad Building Sale, Sign Law Changes Committeewoman Pushing for Changes to Save Town Money, Support Businesses Says She Won’t Seek Re-election, Citing Dissatisfaction with Way Town Is Being Run

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

TABERNACLE —A fter a two -year hiatus due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Tabernacle Township’s Memorial Day Parade will return this year. The municipality’s governing body, at the urging of Committeewoman Nancy K. McGinnis, is also now exploring the sale of a former Tabernacle Rescue Squad building, as well as changes to a sign ordinance, among other things, though the committeewoman has confirmed to this newspaper she will not seek another term on the Tabernacle Township Committee. Mark L eMi re, chai r man of the municipality’s Recreation Committee, received Tabernacle committee approval on April 11 to have the township tradition return on Saturday, May 28. “We will hold a public parade on Saturday, May 28, leaving from the Seneca High School parking lot, going down Carranza Road, stopping at the cemetery (Jr. Mechanic’s) and then ending at the township building, where there will be a benediction as well as a speaker or two, in addition to the playing of taps and laying of wreaths,” LeMire said. Two new housing developments in the municipality have been built out quite a bit since the pandemic began in March 2020, Seneca Reserve and Monarch Woods. “It should be a great event,” LeMire declared. “I think we got 100 new homes in town, so I suspect it will be nice to have them, (the new residents) who weren’t here for last one. Hopefully, we will get a lot more participation.”

File Photo

A past Tabernacle Township Memorial Day Parade. Joh n Harbou r t, who was re c ently chosen as the permanent replacement for Robert Sunbury as municipal emergency management coordinator (with Phyllis Wor rel l, who was acti ng mu n ic ipal emergency management coordinator for a brief period of time during the transition returning to the role of municipal deputy emergency management coordinator), was tasked with preparing an “emergency incident plan” for the parade due to the event’s public safety planning and logistics requiring “more sophistication.” Harbourt, who attended the April 11 governing body meeting, said the parade also had the approval of both the local fire and EMS chiefs. Staging of the parade is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Seneca, 110 Carranza Road. The parade is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., leaving from Seneca, according to announcement on the Tabernacle Township See PARADE/ Page 7

Saturday, April 30, 2022

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♦ Page S1

THE First MOTHER’S DAY C

elebrations of mothers date back centuries, but the American holiday has its roots in the post-Civil War era.

EARLY CELEBRATIONS

Ann Reeves Jarvis had served as founder of Mother’s Day work clubs that were meant to educate women in her West Virginia community in the proper care and feeding of children. After peace was declared in America, these clubs helped heal lingering divisions as mothers of soldiers on both sides reclaimed a sense of fellowship and community. Elsewhere, abolitionist Julia Ward Howe composed the Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870, asking them to unite against war. Her hope was to create an annual Mother’s Peace Day, to be celebrated on June 2. Temperance activist Juliet Calhoun Blakely and the duo of Frank Hiring and Mary Towles Sasseen were also working separately to organize their own local events.

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Ann Reeves Jarvis’ daughter, Anna, continued the effort after her mother died in 1905. Anna began by seeking financial backing from a Philadelphia departmentstore owner in the hopes of organizing the first official Mother’s Day, which would now focus on the sacrifices made in raising children. The long-awaited first celebration, in May 1908, was based in a local Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, but also saw large gatherings at each of John Wanamaker stores. The younger Jarvis then started a letter-writing campaign to get Mother’s Day

added to a national calendar that she said too often focused on male achievement. Many individual churches, towns and even states had begun to celebrate the holiday annually by 1912. All of it led to President Woodrow Wilson’s 1914 signing of a measure that established the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

INCREASING COMMERCIALIZATION

Like many holidays, Mother’s Day became increasingly commercialized. Jarvis had conceived of the day as one for personal celebrations with family. Before long, however, the holiday also inevitably became associated with floral arrangements, candy makers and confectioners, greeting card companies and merchant sales — and this deeply upset Jarvis. By 1920, she could be found openly denouncing the holiday she’d once championed, urging others to follow the commemoration back to its simple origins. She filed a number of lawsuits trying to stop retailers and other groups from using “Mother’s Day” in promotional materials, losing her personal wealth to attorneys fees. Anna Jarvis actually lobbied the federal government to remove Mother’s Day from the calendar before her death in 1948.

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Page S2 ♦

INVOLVING THE Kids

t’s tempting to take over present buying, meal making and craft creations in an effort to turn Mother’s Day into an unforgettable moment. But the love and imagination of children can turn any gift into something to be cherished for a lifetime.

WHAT THEY’LL LEARN

A child’s messages of love, and the innocent, often humorous way they look at life will mean more to mom than they could ever imagine. Encourage children to be themselves, even if they’re simply writing their own personal thoughts on a store-bought greeting card or in a florist’s message box. Along the way, they’ll come to understand how important they are to their mom, while continuing to grow more confident in expressing their own unique point of view.

FUN WAYS TO CELEBRATE

Small crafts like hand-painted garden rocks, fingerprint hearts or paper-flower bouquets are both timeless and easy enough for even the youngest of kids to imagine and create. Looking to get beyond the usual craftmaking or gift-buying ideas? Consider using modern media to create something that’s hip and new. Tablets and laptops often come with installed home-movie editors where you can combine movies and photos from your phone. Look for shots of mom spending time with family, then choose a favorite song for the soundtrack. Recorded messages to mom

complete things. Can’t pick just one song? Make your mother an online playlist with favorite tracks she’s loved throughout her life, sprinkling in soundtrack songs from movies you’ve watched together and some of the latest ear worm hits of today. Soon you’ll be singing and dancing your way through Mother’s Day. It’s the modern-era equivalent of a mixtape.

WHY IT MATTERS

Mother’s Day provides us with an annual opportunity to show how much mom means. But sometimes children, especially the younger ones, aren’t completely aware of everything that goes into mothering. So take a moment to discuss all of the things she does, both seen and unseen, on this special holiday. Take this newfound knowledge and put it into action by chipping in more regularly with chores. Kids will be relieving moms of some weekly tasks, while also learning important lessons about responsibility. Loving and respecting your mom shouldn’t be reserved for a single day in May.

Saturday, April 30, 2022

MOTHER’S DAY Traditions

other’s Day typically begins in America with greeting cards and flowers.

In fact, spending on flowers increased by 4% year over year in 2021 — the largest leap in any category. Yet greeting cards remain the most-bought item. Here’s a look at how we celebrate Mother’s Day. Greeting cards were purchased by 72% of those shopping for Mother’s Day gifts in 2021, followed by flowers at 68%. This one day accounts for 26% of all holiday-related sales at floral shops. Next on the list of Mother’s Day spending in 2021 was a special outing (49%), followed by gift cards (47%) and clothing or accessories (40%). Two in five moms said they were happy with receiving a card, according to a 2021 YouGov poll. Some 36% said they were hoping for a floral arrangement. Onethird wanted a special family experience, while about a third were in favor of things like keepsake gifts, chocolate or something handmade. Keep in mind, however, that one shocking poll by Zagat found just 4% of moms wanted to be served breakfast in bed. More than half (53%) said they’d prefer to go out and eat. Most gifts were purchased online last year, with the estimated per-mom spending at roughly $220, according to the National Retail Federation. That figure has been growing steadily for years, and

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represents a $16 jump from 2020. In all, American spent some $28 billion last year on Mother’s Day, almost $1.5 billion more than in 2020.

AROUND THE WORLD

Not everyone celebrates mom in May. In fact, Mother’s Days are held on every month of the year internationally, save for July and September. Norway, Africa and the Middle East celebrate earlier, in February and March. Argentina, Panama and Indonesia honor mothers in the fall. Beyond the typical cards, gifts and special outings, mom are also serenaded by mariachi bands singing “Las Mananitas” in Mexico. Jasmine is commonly given in Thailand, where the holiday coincides with the birthday of Queen Sirikit. Carnations are the flowers of choice is places like Australia and Japan. Mother’s Day is actually held over three days in Ethiopia, where they’ll also celebrate the conclusion of the autumnal rainy season.

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Saturday, April 30, 2022

THE Best BREAKFAST IN BED

ake up early this Mother’s Day if mom is typically the one who toils in the kitchen to feed everyone. Breakfast in bed will get her special holiday off to a great start.

EARLY PREP MATTERS

First, consider what she loves for breakfast, rather than what dad or the kids prefer. You’re thanking her for the many sacrifices she makes every day for your family. So, you’ll want to make sure it’s something she especially loves. For the biggest surprise, consider a make-ahead dish so that there’s not a lengthy — and perhaps noisy! — preparation period that might awaken her too early. Oven-baked French toast is a relatively easy option. You can also try biscuit cups, breakfast wraps or an old-standby like pancakes. Make sure everyone knows where everything you need to prepare things is located in the kitchen. If possible, pull out needed kitchenware.

IDEAS FOR THE BIG DAY

♦ Page S3

If you decide to cook first thing on Mother’s Day, keep it simple. Whatever you make needs to be prepared quickly and — perhaps most importantly — quietly. So if you’re a true amateur around the stove, consider an easier task like scrambled eggs rather than a more complex omelet. If you’re more of a pro in the kitchen, try something trendier like substituting egg whites — or something more culturally specific, if it applies. Worried that any

activity in the kitchen will wake her? Sneak out for a run to the local farmer’s market or bakery for something fresh and tasty.

PRESENT IT WITH FLAIR

How it all will look is a big part of the surprise. You don’t want to serve her a plate

of runny eggs and burnt toast. So take your time with plating the meal, then decorate around the plate with flowers, herbs or slices of fruit. Buy a tray with four legs, if you don’t already own some. Consider selecting one with a design that you know mom will

love. (If you plan out far enough, you could provide an extra surprise by getting the tray customized by a local woodworker with a special message or dates.) Find linens to place over the serving tray, adding a splash or color or patterned flair.

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Page S4 ♦

❀ 2022

IF BEING A MOM Had A Salary I

t’s impossible, of course, to place a monetary value on what moms do for their families. Still, if you tried, here’s a guess about the kind of salary they might make.

SIX FIGURES

One expert pegged the number of jobs the average mother holds at 18, when you factor in everything they’re typically responsible for. That would garner wages of about $116,000 in 2021, according to Insure.com — up from almost $94,000, because of increasing responsibilities related to the pandemic. Salary.com factored in their roles as both chief operating officer and chief financial officer for the family, and placed moms pay even higher: $184,820. Time spent on those two responsibilities alone doubled to more than 20 hours per week since the pandemic began, according to Salary. com’s evaluation.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS

The U.S. Labor Department’s American Time Use Survey found that stay-at-home moms with a child under 18 spent almost 6.5 hours per day on household tasks and child care. Almost half of that time was devoted to the child, while housework and food-related tasks took up nearly four more hours. The

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rest was the day was devoted to running errands and odd jobs around the house. Multiply the number of hours moms spend on these tasks by the typical hourly wage for those who work professionally in these industries, and you get a rough idea about how much she might make. For instance, the Labor Department places the median hourly wage for daycare workers at $11.57, so moms would make about $29.62 per day when spending 2.56 hours a day in child care. Using these same calculations, moms would make more than $41 a day if they were paid the same as chefs, too.

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SAYING THANKS

We live in the so-called gig economy, where more and more people are working multiple or hybrid jobs. Moms have always worked that way, wearing a closet full of hats. They are the family CEO, the academic advisor and the accountant. They are the daycare teacher, the dietitian, the event planner and the executive housekeeper. They’re the interior designer, the judge and magistrate, and the tailor. They’re the life coach, the photographer and the plumber. And unlike all of those workers in corporate settings all over the world, most moms do it all for a simple “thanks” — and that’s what Mother’s Day is really for.

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IF YOU’VE Lost YOUR MOTHER

or many, Mother’s Day is a time for recalling someone who is no longer with us. Here’s how to honor your mom after she’s gone.

TELL HER STORY

Make sure you mother is never forgotten by telling her story to the next generation. You may also find solace in reaching out to some of your mother’s other family and friends to learn new things. Their stories can then become part of yours.

WRITE TO HER

You always bought her a card for Mother’s Day — so why break with tradition? Writing down your thoughts and feelings, even in just a few brief words, can be therapeutic for those with deceased moms. Share as much or as little as you’d like. Just make sure it’s from the heart. Once you’ve finished, sign it as you always did — with love.

PAY YOUR RESPECTS

♦ Page S5

In Peru, Mother’s Day traditions include stops at local cemeteries, where the graves of moms who have passed on are cleaned and then decorated. Incorporate this idea into your own holiday by visiting your mother’s final resting place. Bring an arrangement of white carnations — the traditional flower of remembrance — and other appropriate mementos that remind you of mom. If you’d like, say a few words, or perhaps read a favorite poem. Just being there can sometimes bring great comfort.

RETURN TO HER RECIPES

Did your mother have a special dish or meal that she always served on major family occasions? Why not strap on an apron and cook like she once did? Share this special meal with friends, family members and neighbors. Whether it was a homemade soup, a Sunday roast, cake or pie, returning

to these heirloom recipes will bring cherished memories rushing back.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

Remember that how you spend this holiday is completely up to you. Perhaps you want to perform some special act of appreciation, or spend time with family and

friends. Or maybe you’d rather have a quiet day alone, working on some home project or perhaps gardening. Whatever you choose, work to avoid guilt, in particular early into your time apart. Respect your own feelings on a day that can be associated with such acute pain for those left behind.

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Shamong Man Says Cannabis Operation Proposed for Industrial Park Abutting His Residence Threatens to Take Away ‘My Slice of Heaven’

Medford Mayor Was Told of Action To Be Taken Against Carns Family Prior to Firewood Purchase from Sibling and Mysterious Payment Delay

Proposed Redevelopment Plan Unveiled for ‘Murphy’s Pit’ Sets Parameters for Future Solar Facility, But Also Does Allow for ‘Secondary Cannabis Use’

Second Email Uncovered Reveals That Deputy Mayor Asked for Investigation into Resident’s ‘Outbuilding’ One Day After That Person Questioned Proposal to Ban Commercial Vehicles; Other Emails Show Probes into Social Media Posts

By Douglas D. Melegari

is a potential decrease in property values, as well as for the potential for light pollution, security issues and a foul odor. “I know there is going to be security,” said the father, who moved from Toms River to Shamong with his family. “But, sorry, the last thing I want is security guards walking in my backyard, looking. That is not why I moved here. I moved away from an environment where I used to have to worry about police and people around me constantly.” His rear bedroom, he noted, would be located only 20 feet away from the proposed facility. “That light is going to be shining in my bedroom window,” he said. “It is taking away from my quality of life; my slice of heaven. I will literally have a light shining into my bedroom window.” Heim also declared that he is “not going to allow people to come on to my property, looking to break into some place to make a quick buck.” He maintained that there have already been some suspicious incidents and “odd behavior” in the area involving slow moving vehicles, people turning around, and a drone being flown, some of which the New Jersey State Police have been called to investigate. “I don’t think it is the right place where you have families,” concluded Heim, who noted he choose to live in Shamong because of the open farmland and its location “away from the hustle and bustle,” emphasizing he loves the community in which he currently lives and “the plan is to live here the rest of my life.” The Shamong committee didn’t have much to offer in response to Heim, except for Mayor Timothy Gimble expressing concern about the suspicious activity Heim described happening in his neighborhood. “I moved to this town because it is community-based,” Heim noted. “I can trust my neighbor is going to look after my kid. I did not have that where moved from. I don’t want to have to look to move anywhere.” This newspaper previously reported that two other firms, LexiCann NJ, LLC, planning to open a cannabis cultivation and/or manufacturing facility on an approximately 20.6-acre parcel located at the intersection of Old Indian Mills Road and Route 206, as well as Legacy Cultivators, LLC, seeking to establish a cannabis growing and processing operation on a 4-acre site, located at the intersection of Stokes and Willow Grove roads, “across the street” from the Shamong Township Municipal Building, had received letters of support from the Shamong governing body in December See CANNABIS/ Page 10

Staff Writer

SHAMONG—A Shamong Township man whose rear bedroom would only be some 20 feet away from a proposed “marijuana growing facility,” as he called it, on Park Drive (an access road for an industrial park accessible from both Willow Grove and Stokes roads), has put his “concerns” about the proposal on the record, asking the Shamong Township Committee on April 5 to “think thoroughly where to put it in town.” However, as this newspaper previously reported, the industrial park is one of the areas the municipality changed the zoning for in 2021 to allow for cannabis operations, and Pure Cultivation, LLC, which has applied to receive a “micro-cultivation” license from the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC), already received a prerequisite letter of support from Shamong Township on Feb. 1, in addition to having recently closed on a real estate transaction for 13 Park Drive in late January. Michael Rudderow, vice president of finance and operations for Pure Cultivation, previously revealed that he and his family are planning to erect a nearly “18,000 square-foot building with phased-out construction” on the parcel, which Township Solicitor Doug Heinold previously revealed is currently a 10.75-acre “empty lot” used for “outdoor storage.” “We are applying for a micro-cultivation license, which limits our space to 2,500 square-feet of total grow canopy,” Rudderow previously noted. Running somewhat parallel to Park Drive is Burnt House Road, with Christopher Heim, a resident of the latter, pointing out that it is an area “where there are probably three or four families with children.” “I am concerned if it is going to be allowed to happen in that area where there are probably three or four families with children,” he declared. “It is not the right location for it.” Heim noted that he is “not against putting it in town” and believes cannabis businesses will “help bring revenue in” to the town, but that he “thinks there needs to be a thoughtout process of where we put it.” The father of a 7-year-old child, who currently also lives with his wife on Burnt House Road, declared he is “very concerned” if the firm should be “allowed to be put in right next to my property.” “I can’t have it next to my seven-year-old son, with him asking, ‘What is it?’” Heim said. “He is already asking, ‘Do I have to be afraid?’” Among the other specific concerns he cited

Photos By Douglas D. Melegari

David and Brian Carns, co-owners of Cornerstone Tree Service and co-caretakers of Carns Family Farm, pose tough questions to Medford Council in April pertaining to the municipal Zoning Office.

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD—The mayor of Medford Township, Charles “Chuck” Watson, was given a heads up by the highest ranking non-elected township official that the municipality was about to pursue a zoning action against the Carns family, just a little more than a month prior to the elected official purchasing two cords of firewood from a Carns family sibling and then apparently delaying payment to him in a mysterious fashion, with a check only arriving in the mail after this newspaper contacted the mayor some two months later. The email, in which Township Manager Kathy Burger provided the mayor with the heads up, was obtained from the municipality through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request, but had already been uncovered by another OPRA requestor and given to the Carns family, which in turn turned it over, along with other emails obtained by that requestor, to this newspaper. And just weeks after David Carns alleged to this newspaper that he and his family has been the subject of both harassment and retaliation on the part of the township, one of the emails provided to this newspaper, from 2019, shows that Burger emailed Watson and Deputy Mayor Frank Czekay the names and addresses of two residents who spoke out against a proposed, stricter commercial vehicle prohibition during a council meeting the night before, with Czekay, w ith i n 45 m i nutes of bei ng provided the information, then requesting an investigation into an “outbuilding”

belonging to one of the individuals. David Carns, who co-owns the firewood stand, and a tree service in the municipality, as well as is a co-caretaker of the Carns Family Farm, with his brother, Brian, the latter who operates a farm stand at the farm with a friend, confronted township officials on April 19 with the contents of the emails, with the former contending the latter exchange “looks like you are looking for dirt on the homeowner.” Brian Carns, during the exchange, declared at one point that he had “no respect” for Burger after reviewing the correspondence. But that’s not all that was contained in the emails revealed through the OPRA requests, with the heads up exchange also showing that Burger took an October 2021 Facebook posting of Medford 08055 Facebook group administrator Joe Maggelet – one in which he recommended to members Heather Lou Carns (sister to David and Brian) pet sitting, boarding and dog grooming services – and provided it to the mayor, stating that Township Zoning Officer Beth Portocalis would be “sending a letter” due to the sister “running a boarding and grooming business” on the farm property. The OPRA requests contain yet another email in which Portocalis took a Facebook posting (that Brian Carns says he made in jest, and many understood it at that time to be simply a joke), one that offers to take in recycling at the family farm during the recycling crisis of 2021 due to a Coronavirus pandemic labor shortage, and emailed it to the then-township fire chief, Thomas Thorn, appearing to do so because of Brian Carns See MAYOR/ Page 5

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Purported Tree Hazards at Hartford Trails, Revealed on Social Media by Local Tree Service Co-owner, Force Closure ‘Until Further Notice’ Tree Service Says It Committed to Volunteering to Address Safety Issues, But That Township Zoning Officer Put ‘Anger’ Over Safety, Blocking Help; Town Maintains It Didn’t ‘Facilitate Any Work,’ Was Never Told of Danger

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD—Popular trails that run through Hartford Crossing Mountain Bike Park in Medford Township, accessible from both Church and Hartford roads, were closed this past Monday “until further notice” over concern about tree “hazards,” and it was not immediately clear, as of press time, when they might re-open. But that’s only part of the story, as this is yet another development in the apparent, growing saga between the Carns Family (whose siblings co-own a tree service and a firewood/farm stand, as well as co-caretake a farm) and the township. That is because Brian Carns, co-owner of Cornerstone Tree Service (with his brother, David), posted in the Facebook group Medford 08055 on Sunday, April 24 that “about six weeks ago we met with a group of individuals who are overseeing the Hartford Crossing bike trail,” offering the company’s “labor, equipment and fuel” at “no charge” to “label” trees, “open up the trails,” and remove “any trees that are a hazard for anyone currently using the trail,” but contended that municipal Open Space Coordinator Beth Portocalis, who also serves as the township zoning official, “stepped in and is now blocking our efforts to make the trail an enjoyable, and more importantly, safe

place for the residents to use.” In that posting, Brian Carns posted two photographs of apparent dead trees, including one that is leaning, and maintained that “while doing our initial walk through of the trail, it was indeed found that there are trees at this moment that are creating a hazard and should be removed as soon as possible before someone gets hurt.” This newspaper has been reporting since March that the Carns have been the subject of numerous township zoning and code enforcement actions, many of which have been signed off on by, or involved, Portocalis, to the point that the Carns have alleged that they are being harassed and they are the subject of retaliation (see separate story). “Well, it looks like Beth Portocalis (Medford Zoning Official who also oversees parks and recreation) is so blinded by spite for us she can’t see past her own nose,” Brian Carns wrote. “… Beth if you are reading this, which I am sure you are, I would just like to say it is a shame that you are so angry with us that it now really looks like you are possibly putting that anger over the safety of anyone currently using the Hartford Crossing trail.” The remarks of Brian Carns reverberated across local social media and caused a major firestorm, apparently angering dozens of residents, several of whom were already upset See HAZARDS/ Page 6

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Health and Fitness Club That Offers Customers 24-Hour Gym Access Hopes for Zoning Change So It Can Open in Village of Taunton Forge Gymnasiums of Up to 6,000 Square Feet Are Currently Permitted Use in Area, But ‘All’ of Former Rite Aid Unit Comprising 8,840 Square Feet Must Be Filled

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD—A 24-hour health and fitness club franchise is reportedly eyeing The Village of Taunton Forge in Medford Township for a location, but the shopping center currently undergoing revitalization is seeking a change in a local zoning ordinance requirement to seal the deal in time for a deadline. An Anytime Fitness franchise, it was revealed during an April 5 Medford Township Council meeting, is interested in establishing a club in a vacant building unit that was previously occupied by a Rite Aid store, which relocated to a detached, new unit at The Village of Taunton Forge in October 2017. However, according to Robert Kingsbury, a Medford-based attorney representing the prospective club franchisees, Susan and Dr. James Holton, the vacant unit is 8,840 square feet and a local zoning ordinance currently permits gymnasiums in the commercial area of Taunton Boulevard and Tuckerton Road, where the shopping center is located, that are a maximum of 6,000 square feet. Kingsbury, in pointing out that the shopping center and nearby area was previously declared by council as an Area In Need Of Redevelopment, which essentially established new zoning requirements to promote such redevelopment, declared that 6,000 square feet is “apparently a holdover from the Old Community Commercial Zone.” “It (the maximum permitted square footage of a gym) wasn’t changed with the redevelopment plan,” Kingsbury explained. “We have already met with the mayor (Charles “Chuck” Watson) about this. We are asking if there is anything that we need to do to push this along because we have a deadline to meet.”

Kingsbury explained that “we need to have an approval” by Sept. 1 of this year, “and we need to fill all of it,” or the 8,840 square foot vacant unit. “So, in order to do that, we are asking the township to amend the redevelopment ordinance to accommodate that square footage,” Kingsbury said. Watson, in response to the attorney, said that “we discussed it as a council already” and it “does not have a problem changing the ordinance.” However, he noted, any change to the redevelopment ordinance must also be approved by the Pinelands Commission given the shopping center’s location in the Pinelands. “I know our solicitor (Timothy Prime) was reaching out to Pinelands,” Watson added. “Unfortunately, just to change that number, it has to go for Pinelands approval. So, we are looking at what we can do with that. We are actively working on it and looking at alternatives to speed it up.” Some of those possible alternatives, the Medford mayor contended, the council “will be talking about later.” He noted April 5 was the first council meeting since the Taunton and Tuckerton Redevelopment Subcommittee meeting in which there was discussion about the matter. It is noted on Anytime Fitness’ website that it is “the first franchise on all seven continents, with over 4,700 territories sold and 4 million members worldwide.” The company, in encouraging people to become franchisees, puts the initial investment required to open a location between $98,430 to $523,824. If the Medford plan comes to fruition, it would be the second local location for Anytime Fitness in this newspaper’s coverage area, with one presently open in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township.

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‘Suspicious’ Apartment Fire Leaves One Dead, Another Injured

PEMBERTON BOROUGH—A deadly April 20 inferno that occurred around daybreak at an apartment in Pemberton Borough has reportedly also displaced 19 people, and is being investigated as a “suspicious fire,” according to New Jersey State Police. One male victim, according to New Jersey State Police Spokeswoman Trooper Brandi Slota the day of the incident, was airlifted to an area hospital with serious injuries. “There is one confirmed fatality,” she added after this newspaper inquired about a television station report that a 22-year-old man died in the

MAYOR

(Continued from Page 3) noting “our plan is to burn most of it.” Portocalis, who notes that she was emailing Thorn at the request of Burger, received a response from the then-fire chief that “it is not permitted,” prompting officials to reportedly take further action, with Brian Carns maintaining the county and state was called to their farm the following day. And, in the wake of David Carns coming forward to this newspaper a couple weeks ago alleging harassment and retaliation on the part of the township, as well as speaking out along with his brother at council meetings, the brothers have provided this newspaper with more, new letters from Portocalis that not only his family has received, but ones now being sent to customers of David and Brian Carn’s tree service. Officials have been somewhat reserved in their public response thus far to the growing controversy, to the dissatisfaction of many residents as evidenced at a recent council meeting as well as in area social media groups, though Burger last week at a council meeting quipped she felt as though she was “on trial” in the wake of tough questions posed by David and Brian Carns, with Township Solicitor Timothy Prime later writing to an individual last week in correspondence obtained by this newspaper that the township would no longer be commenting on the matter because it is “now a legal matter.” Thus far, this newspaper’s numerous inquiries to Burger and Portocalis about this particular situation, dating back to March, have gone unanswered. However, there are some emails included in the OPRA requests indicating that some of the matters being pursued have been the result of complaints filed by neighbors to the Carns, as well as anonymous individuals. “Chuck, Beth shared the attached with me and will be addressing the numerous commercial vehicles being parked at the farm,” wrote Burger to Watson on the morning of Jan. 6. “Only one commercial

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Motorcyclist Dies in Washington Twp. Crash on County Route 542

incident. The identification is pending.” According to Slota, during the preliminary investigation of the blaze at 53 Egbert Street, “it was determined that this was a suspicious fire.” “The cause and circumstances are currently under investigation,” she said. Slota, when reached again on April 25, said there was “no new information at this time.” One television station reported that as many as 19 people were displaced from the apartment, located across the street from both the Pemberton Borough Municipal Building and Pemberton Borough Police Department.

WASHINGTON —A t wo -veh icle crash April 24 on County Route 542 in Washington Township has claimed the life of an Egg Harbor motorcyclist. According to New Jersey State Police Spokeswoman Brandi Slota, State Troopers responded to the crash at milepost 8.4, with a release noting it occurred around 1:25 p.m. “A preliminary investigation revealed a Jeep Wrangler was traveling eastbound on County Route 542, and a Harley

Davidson motorcycle was traveling westbound on County Route 542,” she said. “In the area of milepost 8.4, the driver of the Jeep executed a left turn, at which time the motorcycle overturned and impacted the right side of the Jeep.” Steven L. DeStefano, 60, the operator of the motorcycle, was killed as a result of the crash, Slota noted. No additional details on the crash were released.

(sic) is allowed. This picture was obtained from the Carns Family Farm Facebook page. It also appears that the sister, Heather Carns, is running a board and grooming business on the property. “I wanted you to be aware that Beth will be sending a letter as they tend to reach out to you or post disparaging remarks about the township.” A PDF file that Burger attached to the email, with the subject, “Zoning Issues,” contains an Oct. 1, 2021 Facebook posting from Maggelet, who wrote to group members, “I highly recommend Heather Lou Carns Canavan, the owner of Yuppie Puppies for pet sitting, boarding and groom. They’re licensed, insured ...” Also included with Maggelet’s Facebook posting was a photograph of a dog that appeared to enjoy the service with its paws in the air. A l so i nclude d i n t he PDF wa s a photograph from the Facebook group for the farm, with some of the commercial vehicles at issue seen parked on the parcel. The origin of the included Facebook post and photograph is not clear. It was on Jan. 18, as previously reported by this newspaper, that Watson had two cords of firewood from David Carn’s firewood stand at the Carns Family Farm delivered to his house – a transaction confirmed by this newspaper. David Carns previously explained to this newspaper that he traditionally does not deliver firewood to any of his customers, but had made one of “very few exceptions” for the mayor given that he had helped his family out in allowing their firewood stand to be opened in 2021, quelling a dispute between the parties just before Watson faced a re-election challenge. (At one time, David Carns had threatened to challenge Watson in a GOP primary). Payment, David Carns previously noted, for his firewood is due upon receipt, but that after being asked by Watson to pull around back on his property and deliver the firewood that he purchased, the mayor told him that he had “‘to go’” and would “‘square up in the next couple of days.’”

Text messages previously published by this newspaper showed that David Carns attempted to collect payment from Watson numerous times, but to no avail, with the mayor at one point noting that the lack of payment is “very much unlike me.” It was only after this newspaper queried Watson about the non-payment that the Carns received a check in the mail – in late March. It was also after the first of many actions involving the Carns was taken by Portocalis. Watson, during an April 5 council meeting, told David Carns that he was “sorry” for the belated payment. But reportedly unbeknownst to the Carns at the time was the existence of the Jan. 6 email from Burger that gave a heads up to the mayor of some of the pending zoning action to be taken over the tree service’s trucks as well as the grooming business – an email that was sent ahead of the firewood transaction. “So, Jan. 18, I deliver you two cords of firewood,” said David Carns, while pointing to the mayor sitting at the dais during an April 19 council meeting. “You are aware I am having these commercial truck problems at my farm. Then you take delivery of these two cords of wood and tell me you are going to catch up with me for payment. And you don’t – for two months you are dodging. I deserve an answer here as to what is going on!” David Carns, while holding up a copy of the email, contended that there is “something very suspicious” going on and “it is backed up with these emails.” “So, I feel like I deserve an answer, my family deserves an answer and the residents deserve an answer,” David Carns declared. “Can you please explain to me – you are aware they are looking at commercial trucks on a Facebook page, and you and I are talking about a delivery of firewood. You don’t see that being an issue, and then you don’t pay me?” Watson replied that he “did pay” and “apologized.” “It was after ‘the reporter’ called you!” David Carns quipped. “There was two months of me asking you for payments! Do you know how weird it was of me asking the mayor about my money? Do you know how uncomfortable it was?”

Watson, at that moment, reiterated his apology. “OK, but I think the whole thing, because it is out now, is why you are apologizing,” David Carns said. “Because something is not right here! We are not getting a fair deal over at the farm.” The “Carns Family Farm Facebook page” that Burger referenced in the Jan. 6 email to Watson, David Carns pointed out, is actually a private, member-only Facebook group in which members of the Carns family restrict its access. “That is a closed group, so maybe at the next meeting I would actually like to get an answer as to who saw the trucks on the Carns Family page,” declared David Carns, pointing out that Watson is a member of the group, before asking if it was the mayor who might have actually provided the photograph of the commercial trucks to Burger. Watson replied, “It wasn’t me,” and then when David Carns asked if Burger remembered sending the email, the township manager replied, “Yes.” “Who was talking about commercial trucks on the …?” asked David Carns, before being cut off by Burger, who asked the mayor, “Am I on trial, sir?” Wat s on , howe ve r, d id n’t a n s we r, prompting Burger to declare, “I am not going to sit here and have a debate!” “Your information is on this OPRA request!” asserted David Carns as he held up the documentation while looking at the township manager. “Don’t try to duck this!” Watson reminded David Carns that he is “supposed to be addressing council,” but David Carns continued to hammer away at the township manager. Burger never left a table next to the dais, however. “Alright, she is part of the problem here, so I am going to address her because I do think a lot of my problems go back to her!” David Carns declared. “She is the township manager – I am asking a question. Why is she sending an email to you about commercial trucks that she or Beth saw on the Carns Family Farm Facebook page, which is a closed group? And I think I deserve an See MAYOR/ Page 9

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

Employees of Medford Township’s Department of Neighborhood Services block off an access point on April 25 to Hartford Trails.

HAZARDS

(Continued from Page 4) with what has been happening during the last several weeks involving the Carns. Even known GOP Mayor Charles “Chuck” Watson administration loyalists, as well as Republican party faithful, publicly expressed their indignation over the political “mess,” while others called for the “news” and “every (television) station” to be contacted. Others wrote that they would be contacting the municipality first thing Monday morning demanding answers over the lingering hazards and volunteer refusal. “Hey Medford, it appears your employees are out of control and acting crazy,” wrote one person who is a faithful Republican who has penned many past letters to this newspaper defending the GOP. “Handle it.” That comment alone garnered 13 likes. Several people called on Portocalis to resign her position, with one individual asserting “she has too much power.” “C’mon Beth,” wrote one man. “Do the right thing, get the trail safe for all and then resign your position ‘on Medford council.’” Another woman, appearing quite incensed, declared what was pictured was, “A danger indeed.” “It is interesting that you are all calling Beth and (Township Manager) Kathy (Burger) attack dogs and you are fighting them,” the woman continued. “Who controls the chains? MAYOR! They sit in silence and do not answer you because they are GUILTY. Do not be fooled. The council sets the rules, the employees simply follow them.” Yet another person, in maintaining, “I’d like to have a conversation with this Beth” with “perhaps my father,” claiming that his dad was “a former Medford Mayor,” said

that perhaps the latter “could teach her a thing or two!” “Unreal how this nonsense goes on!” the person further declared. Even a known advocate in nearby Woodland Township weighed into the political fray in Medford. “You just placed the township on notice of a real/perceived defect that may be (a) dangerous condition to the public as a result of an individual public official’s personal bias,” she wrote. “This individual is a liability to the township. Your company saw the issues at the invitation of those individuals working to create the park, even though you were willing to donate your time and resources? She is the problem and the township needs to address her obvious personal bias. Time to bring it ALL out of the shadows and into the light.” By mid-morning on Monday, April 25, Medford Department of Neighborhood Services vehicles were already reportedly observed at the trail site, with some of the department’s workers observed with chainsaws in hand. At 1:57 p.m. that day, a Nixle emergency notification was sent to residents advising them that, “Hartford Trails between Hartford Crossing Baseball and Hartford Road Softball will be closed until further notice.” As nearby Lenape High School dismissed its students for the day, this newspaper observed township workers blocking the access points to the trails with orange construction fencing, as well as installing red signage and red reflectors. The township, in a “full” Nixle emergency notification, wrote that the trails were being closed “until further notice” due to “potential safety concerns.” “Until such time as the trails can be evaluated by a licensed arborist who is

Saturday, April 30, 2022

qualified to perform tree risk assessment and any hazards are removed, the area will remain closed,” the notice continued. “Township crews are taking steps to close all access points in an effort to protect the public from any safety hazards.” In an official township statement on the matter emailed to this newspaper by Burger the following day, on April 26, it was explained that Hartford Trails is a project that was “conceived and originated” from members of the township Environmental Affairs Advisory Committee (EAAC) and other Medford residents and businesses. Through the years, the statement noted, township officials and the EAAC have “worked together to create and maintain the trails.” A few years ago, according to the statement, members of the EAAC had reached out to Cornerstone Tree Service, “who did volunteer to assist with clearing the trails along with other community volunteers,” and that after the EAAC recognized “several months ago” that “another cleanup and trail maintenance was due,” a couple of its members “reached backout to Cornerstone Tree Service to ask if they would be interested and available to assist with this project.” “To that end, two members of the EAAC, accompanied by David Carns, met at Hartford Trails on Sunday, March 20, 2022,” it was stated. “During this walk through, neither EAAC member was told by Mr. Carns that there was any imminent danger from trees that could potentially fall. At no time did the EAAC, the township or Cornerstone Tree Service facilitate any work to be completed at this site.” It was contended that the township was only “first made aware of potential ‘hazards’ on the trail” through “Brian Carn’s April 24, 2022, Facebook post” in the Medford 08055 Facebook group. “David Carns, the licensed tree care operator, never advised any member of the EAAC, or any township official, of said hazards,” the township maintained. However, given “the township has an obligation to investigate any hazards once made aware of same,” it was noted that Burger “requested the director of Neighborhood Services inspect the trails on the morning of Monday, April 25.” “The director found hazards on the trails and the trails were ordered closed while the Neighborhood Services staff addressed certain hazards and the township’s vendor for hazardous tree removal was contacted to handle the trees the staff was unable to manage,” the statement concluded.

Sell It in the Classifieds!

David Carns, when contacted by this newspaper on April 26, and asked if he didn’t advise the EAAC members of the hazards as the township alleged, declared, “That’s not true!” “I took pictures of them,” David Carns pointed out. “Listen – there were dead trees with mushrooms growing out of them right on the trail. We are not clearing the woods out. We were talking about trying to make things safer. There were dead trees along the trail, and we talked about going in to try to improve the trail.” The “original reason” there was even a meeting out there, he pointed out, “was to “improve the trail.” “I got out there and it was pretty apparent there were dead trees,” David Carns said. “I took a photo of one leaning over the trail as well as another one with a broken top over the trail. Another was leaning towards the trail. And I can tell you there were ten other dead trees next to the trail with mushrooms and stuff. And then when we talked, I told them we will get in here in a couple of weeks and get rid of them and take care of the safety issue stuff first.” W h ile David Car ns ack nowledged that he “doesn’t know if he used the word ‘hazardous,’” in his discussion with the EAAC members he met with, “the only reason I was out there was not to remove healthy trees,” pointing out “the trees were dead.” “It was pretty quickly apparent there were some safety issues out there,” he maintained. “Now, did I make that clear to those two (EAAC members) that ‘Oh my gosh, someone is going to get hurt out here?’ No! But there are ‘dead’ trees next to the trail and we talked about the plan to make it safe. We weren’t talking about materials, just the safety stuff.” David Carns indicated to this newspaper that it was obvious the trees were a hazard, pointing out that one of the trees had a couple of hangers, while one, a foot away from the trail, was 50 feet tall with dead limbs. “What do you call that?” he asked. David Carns ended the interview by maintaining that he had been given the “green light” by the EAAC to proceed with the volunteer work a few weeks ago, but that it was during a visit made by Portocalis to one of his commercial tree jobs (one of two the subject of recent controversy) when the open space coordinator allegedly told him not to move forward because she “‘had to check with the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection).’” “I am going to go to the attorney general!” David Carns declared. “And you can quote me on that!”

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(Continued from Page 2) website. At the Jr. Mechanic’s Cemetery, a VFW ceremony is scheduled. At the second ceremony to be held at the current Tabernacle Town Hall, 163 Carranza Road, there will also be a prayer recited along with a 21-gun salute to honor the nation’s fallen. Any organization is welcome to place a wreath, according to the township. Veterans, patriotic families, floats, military vehicles, decorated bicycles and classic cars are “welcome and encouraged to participate,” according to the posting on the Tabernacle Township website. Following Tabernacle-committee approval of the parade, Committeewoman Nancy K. McGinnis suggested the municipality “put American flags down our portion of Route 206 during Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Veterans Day” to both display patriotism and recognize the occasions. Her suggestion, however, received no comment from her colleagues, though at a subsequent April 25 township committee suggestion, Township Administrator Maryalice Brown said the flags can’t be placed along Route 206 because it is a state-maintained highway. She revealed that she had received “special permission,” however, to put U.S. flags alongside County Route 532 by the town hall and that the flags were on order. McGi n n is, i n par ticu lar, has also continually urged Tabernacle-committee action on the long-vacant, former Tabernacle Rescue Squad building at 81 Hawkins Road. She has pointed to natural gas bills in the wintertime as high as $800 a month for the unoccupied building – one previously shot down by township administration as a viable alternative for a temporary town hall

(as the current one has been ruled unsafe for occupancy) because of what was said to be cost-prohibitive work that would be involved in preparing the facility to open as a municipal building. On April 25, in approving the bill’s list for that evening, McGinnis pointed out there was yet another $600 natural gas bill, after the governing body was previously told the heat would be shutoff in the facility. Brown said she hadn’t yet spoke to the individual responsible for shutting the heat off, but would get to it. As the Tabernacle committee continues to make “great strides,” as Mayor Samuel Moore III put it on April 11, in building a new town hall, possibly at 144 Carranza Road should a potential land acquisition be successful, the governing body also took action on April 11 to move closer towards potentially resolving the vacant building issue, approving $3,500 in appraisal work for 81 Hawkins Road. McGinnis, last month, also asked that the Tabernacle committee amend a signage ordinance that is apparently preventing both the local school district, as well as businesses in town, from displaying LED signs with programmable messages and images that rotate or change every so often (commonly in 15 to 60 second intervals). “Back in the fall, the committee received letter from the Tabernacle Township Board of Education asking that the sign ordinance be changed to allow their sign to be changed throughout the day so to communicate messages,” McGinnis pointed out. “They were told ‘apply for a variance’ and the ‘fee may not be waived.’” McGinnis declared that with the “state of the economy being what it is” currently, the Tabernacle governing body “should be doing everything in our power to help the schools and businesses in our town,” or those who “pay taxes, employ residents and support

local organizations.” “Adjac ent tow ns of Southampton, Shamong and Medford townships all allow signs to change,” McGinnis pointed out. “We should at least put our businesses on the same footing as our neighboring towns. Our sign ordinance is out of date and should be changed now!” Sunbury, who remains in the position of elected Tabernacle committeeman and is seeking re-election this fall, asserted that he “agreed” with McGinnis, calling the ordinance “too restrictive.” “Businesses that have signs should be allowed to have changing messages on them,” he added. Com m itteeman Mark Hartman, in expressing “this definitely needs to be changed,” noted that the municipality should have an ordinance that recognizes the modern technology of today, with Moore declaring, “We got to get up with the times!” However, in Tabernacle, the amending of such an ordinance requires the input and recommendation of the township Land Use Board, which just held a meeting, causing McGinnis on April 11 to inquire about any recommendation or conclusion. Moore, who sits on the Land Use Board as a Class I member, said that the information was passed along and that the public body decided to “pull some of the ordinances from surrounding communities” to make any new sign ordinance in Tabernacle “comparable” as well as “to see what would work best for Tabernacle and what would get Tabernacle up to the times.” McGinnis, in offering on April 11 yet another suggestion for the Tabernacle governing body to entertain, said she was in communication with new Public Works Director Kevin Worrell, “asking for his help identifying different areas of town that we can beautify, areas like the town hall entrance, entrance to parks, and entrance

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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to the firehouses,” and believed “resident landscapers could sponsor an area and provide for material and labor in exchange for an advertising sign.” That suggestion, however, did not solicit a response from her colleagues. On April 25, however, after McGinnis brought it up again, and Brown pointed to the lack of a consensus, Sunbury claimed there actually had been a consensus to move forward with it, and the committee affirmed to move forward with the beautification efforts. But another of McGinnis’ suggestions on April 11 that did have a committee consensus that night was to “have the Building Inspector’s Office open until at least 7 or 8 o’clock once a week.” “I think this should be changed for our residents,” declared McGinnis, who recently pressed Construction Official Tom Boyd about the prior existence of evening office hours during an employment hearing, the exact circumstances of which have still not been revealed, but also involved other township employees. “Does anyone agree with me?” Sunbury, who replied that he agreed with McGinnis, asserted that Township Administrator Maryalice Brown “should look into what are the appropriate hours and make a recommendation” as it is “kind of an operational/personnel issue.” “I think it was open in the past one night (a week) until 7 o’clock,” he acknowledged, with Brown stating that she would take care of the matter. According to a spreadsheet maintained by the Burlington County Clerk’s Office, Su nbu r y, who is r u n n i ng u nder the Burlington County Republican Committee slate for a June GOP primary, will run together with William Sprague. Hartman, appointed to the governing body earlier this year after a committee See PARADE/ Page 13

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Pictured from left are Boris Kazansky, Olga Aleksashenko, Anna Tomash and Eugene Aleksashenko.

HAVEN

(Continued from Page 1) by a voice (a phenomenon she claims to have experienced at various times since the age of 10, which led to her decision to embark on a career as a clairvoyant) detailing what she believed was a plan by Russian President Vladmir Putin to “divide Ukraine into three separate parts and wipe it as a sovereign state from the face of the Earth” by incorporating it back into Russia and sending its remaining inhabitants against their will to Siberia, then moving ethnic Russians into the country to replace them. These forebodings, she said, were so powerful and frightening that they not only convinced her to leave Ukraine three years later (something she had no previous intentions of doing) with her daughter Kseniia, for the United States, but to recommend to her clients that they emigrate as well. A number of them, she says, especially younger ones, actually heeded the advice, and have contacted her in recent weeks from various countries where they’re now living, including Canada and New Zealand, to thank her. But others, according to Kazansky, have also called to let her know “how sorry they are that they didn’t listen” and to seek her advice on what they should now do to keep themselves and their families safe. Among those who didn’t act on her war ning was her son, Eugene, 32, a videographer, who with Anna, 21, a

university student preparing for a career in business hospitality, was living in an apartment facing Ukraine’s largest airport, Boryspil International, in a Kyiv suburb, which on Feb. 24, the very first day of Putin’s actual invasion of Ukraine – one that either by chance or design corresponded with the eighth anniversary of the latter country’s first day of independence from Russian influence (not to be confused with its official “independence day” from the former Soviet Union in 1991) — became a target of Russian missile strikes. Up to that point, said Kazansky in his role of interpreter, despite the buildup of troops along the border, “the invasion, when it came, was a shock.” “They really didn’t expect it—not at all,” he asserted. But what Eugene’s mother had presaged immediately came back to him – and the sudden realization that she had been right may well have helped saved his and his companion’s lives, since “when Russia attacked Ukraine, the first missiles landed in that airport.” At that point, their host recounted, “they ran to the balcony and saw other missiles coming and exploding, so they knew immediately this is the war.” The couple proceeded to grab some documents along with their 21-year-old cat, Persy, jumped in their car (a mini-Cooper Countryman that they had fortunately filled with gas the day before) and made an immediate decision to drive all the way across Ukraine to its western border with Slovakia because they thought it would be the safest place

to facilitate a quick departure. But even at that initial stage in the war, the roads were blocked with “an incredible amount of traffic,” turning what should ordinarily have been an eight-to-ten-hour drive into one requiring 24 hours. Along the way, he continued, “they saw electric-powered cars abandoned by their owners, either because the charging stations weren’t working or because they were overcrowded, and it was impossible to stand in line for hours and hours under those circumstances.” But then, he contended, the country was largely unprepared for the invasion from a logistical point of view. Finally, just short of the border, the couple’s own vehicle stopped running, forcing them to go the last four miles or so on foot. Upon reaching the checkpoint, they passed through a special line created for pedestrians and were accommodated in a makeshift shelter in what appeared to be a gymnasium that had been hastily set up for Ukrainian refugees (although they were unable to take Persy, a cat of whom Eugene was very fond, who had to be left with friends). There, the stranded and now carless couple joined hundreds of other fleeing Ukrainians, for ming what Kazansky described as “already a refugee crisis.” Being admitted to that facility, however, proved to be a stroke of good fortune, as they were invited by a fellow Ukrainian whose car was still running to accompany him on a drive to Portugal to join his wife and two children, who Kazansky said had already flown there to be extended a presidential greeting as the first refugees of the war to arrive in that country (by the time of the invasion, Portugal had a sizable Ukrainian immigrant population, and had admitted more than 31,500 refugees as of April 18). Upon arriving in Portugal after traveling across several European countries, Eugene and Anna got another lucky break when they were taken in by what Kazansky described as “very hospitable Portuguese woman” who provided them a room and allowed them to stay for free for a month in a small resort city two hours north of Lisbon, which was a real boon given that they had no real funds to speak of. It was then that they heard the announcement at the end of March that President Joseph R. Biden would allow up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the United States, with an emphasis on those with relatives already living here – an advantage that Eugene already had given his mother’s having relocated here in 2017 following her presentiment of the invasion. Resettling in the U.S. was also something that both Olga and her partner were ready to assist the couple in doing. But there was only one hitch – while it sounded very magnanimous, for most Ukrainian refugees, the U.S. State Department had no real GUTTER

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practical mechanism in place to enable them to do so, he maintained, as they first needed a visa and could only obtain one at an American embassy or consulate that had someone who spoke Ukrainian on the staff, which most lacked, the only one being in Warsaw, Poland. As Kazansky soon discovered, however, there was still the option of having them enter the U.S. via the Mexican border – a process that he said was complicated by the fact that there were no direct connections available and thus involved a circuitous route with stops in Amsterdam and Mexico City, and for which both purchasing tickets without benefit of a visa and finding available flights “wasn’t an easy thing.” After having managed to navigate that complication, Olga and her partner flew to San Diego, and rented a car, only to find that they had to leave it on the U.S. side and cross the border into Tijuana on foot because the car rental companies forbid taking their vehicles into Mexico. Then arriving via taxi at the airport, Kazansky said, they saw a group of Ukrainian volunteers with signs, reading “‘Ukrainians you’re welcome here, we’re ready to help,’” and a little table set up with sandwiches, and he and Olga finally managed to meet up with Eugene and Anna, whom they escorted to the border, then returned to the American side to wait for them to be cleared to cross. But t h at bu re au c r at i c hu rd le, he recounted, required the couple to wait in line for 17 more hours without being able to leave because they would lose their place, something he characterized as the worst part of their ordeal since fleeing their apartment. “T h e c ond it ion s we r e c r u e l ,” h e contended. “Because the Americans were not ready to accept so many people.” (This past week, the Biden Administration announced that it was going to make it easier for Ukrainian refugees with sponsors to fly into the U.S., but that in order to be eligible for the expedited process, which would be made available via a web portal, Ukrainians must have lived in their home country as of Feb. 11., and will be required to undergo vaccinations, biometric screening and background checks before being granted admission. In addition, the administration also said that the business of allowing them to be processed at the southern border would be abruptly ended, an announcement that reportedly threatened to leave hundreds stranded who had already arrived there or were on their way.) “After we finally met them on the American side, we drove them to San Diego, where they were very nicely treated by the owner of a pizzeria, who, when he found out they were Ukrainian refugees, offered them pizza for free, and us as well, and said any Ukrainian who comes to my pizzeria, I will See HAVEN/ Page 12

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Medford Mayor Charles “Chuck” Watson.

MAYOR

(Continued from Page 5) answer!” Burger, at that point, kept exchanging glares with both Watson and David Carns, but did not respond. A substitute solicitor did not say anything during the grilling. “I a m a t a xp aye r!” Dav id C a r n s continued. “You work for the people here! That’s how you get paid, from the residents. There should not be this wall of silence here! The questions are just going to get harder! “I think I deserve an answer, no?! Are you just going to give me a … face and be like, ‘whatever?’” A man can then be heard shouting from the

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

audience, to whom Watson declares, “There won’t be any shouting here.” David Carns, meanwhile, continues to press for an answer. “This is a question about the township manager sending the mayor (an email) about commercial trucks at my farm, off of a Facebook page,” David Carns maintained. “Not a ‘complaint,’ because that is what you keep saying, ‘Well if the neighbor complains, we have to investigate.’ That is not what this is – this is you and Beth looking on a Facebook page!” It was in June 2021 when the county was struggling to pick up recycling. At that time, Portocalis, apparently at the behest of Burger, took a social media posting written by Brain Carns and contacted the then-township fire chief about its contents via email with the subject line, “Burning of Recycling.” “Tired of recycling not getting picked up?”

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Brian Carns wrote in Medford 08055. “Bring it down to the Carns Family Farm. Our plan is to burn most of it and bury the rest, depending on which is easier. Just our way of helping the community we love so much.” The post, which Brian Carns maintained was made in jest, was met with humor in the local Facebook group. But it was apparently no laughing matter for local officials. A screenshot of it was sent to Thorn on June 1, with Portocalis writing, “Tom, Kathy suggested I run this by you. See Facebook post by Brian Carns offering to burn recycling at their farm since the county is falling behind on collections. Would this even be permitted???? Thanks.” A little more than an hour later, Thorn responds, “It is not permitted.” The next day, Portocalis thanks Thorn for the response, ending her email with, “If you are called out, can you please advise so we can follow-up accordingly.” “So, you guys take complaints so seriously,” said Brian Carns, who raised on April 19 the email exchange between Portocalis and Thorn. “Kathy loves complaints. I think you thrive off of them, OK? We are up here right now. Are you guys actually looking into any of ‘these complaints’ (of the Carns)? She (as he points to Burger) is calling the fire department. She is calling the county. She has gone to the state. She is literally harassing our farm non-stop!” As officials look on in silence, Brian Carns declared, “Man, we got to get answers,” pointing out that his family and farm “have been here for 80 years.” “How can you sit here and not talk to me, mayor?!” Brian Carns asked. “It is crazy! Please, just tell me why this is going on. Why is this happening?” Watson replied that Brian Carns was “asking us to deal with zoning issues,” maintaining, despite the emails, “it is not our responsibility.”

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“Think about this – in the last two weeks, the barn, Brianna’s (Farm Stand), Cornerstone Tree Service, and a sign on our property have all come up at once,” Brian Carns pointed out. Watson replied that the actions are “not from us.” “You guys are putting ‘her’ in this position,” Brian Carns declared. “You guys are doing this! Go ahead, pass the buck!” This newspaper previously reported that on March 18, two men claiming to be from the township Tax Assessor’s Office, pulled up unannounced to the Carns Family Farm in a “Gray Ford 500,” over a “‘report of a dilapidated barn on your property’ and ‘we are here to just take a look at it’” to possibly “‘remove it from the tax map.’” The men, according to David Carns, contended they were sent by Portocalis. On March 21, David Carns said he was removing trees on a private property in the Sherwood Forest development in the municipality, as part of his tree service business, when Portocalis entered the parcel without permission and confronted both him and the owner over allegations that wetlands were clear-cut. David Carns has provided this newspaper with photographs of what appear to be hazardous trees that were removed from the lot, which are permitted to be removed in town without a permit, as well as a map that shows the lot is not part of wetlands. Later that same day, Carolyn Carns, owner of the Carns Family Farm, received a “Notice of Unsafe Structure” from the municipality declaring that the barn on the Carns Family Farm was an “unsafe structure” and had to be removed “that same day.” That letter, which sparked an outcry in the township, indicated that an inspection of the barn (which the family maintains is historic and not visible from the road) See MAYOR/ Page 11

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Photo By Bill Bonvie

A mature stand of Atlantic white cedars is shown to reporters by a group of state Department of Environmental Protection officials. From left are Elizabeth Dragon, assistant commissioner for Community Investment and Economic Revitalization; Kathleen Walz, ecologist for the N.J. Natural Heritage Program; Robert J. Cartica, administrator of the Office of Natural Lands Management; Assistant NJDEP Commissioner John Cecil, and NJDEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette.

CEDARS

(Continued from Page 1) dead Atlantic white cedar trees. But that 25,000 or so acres, one official said, still represents “one of the last strongholds of the cedar resource on the

CANNABIS (Continued from Page 3)

of last year. The operation planned for Old Indian Mills Road and Route 206 was also the subject of similar resident concerns once the plan became known, with Gimble replying at the time that establishing cannabis businesses in the municipality has “been a conversation for two years or more” and those conversations have looked at establishing cannabis firms in locations “that are not as dense” versus “some places in town.” An ordinance introduced at the April 5 meeting, tentatively scheduled for passage in May, would amend Shamong’s current Cannabis Zoning Overlay Ordinance, adopting recent recommendations of the Pinelands Commission, to primarily remove a “corn maze of an Adventure Farm,” across from Mighty Joe’s on Route 206, as being one of the areas designated for cannabis use, “with the understanding we are going to continue the conversation about rezoning that piece to put it back in.” A “swap with Pinelands,” according to Heinold, is also on the table. The reason for the recommendation, Heinold noted, is because the lot is considered a “different type of commercial” property. “There were very limited issues they had with our ordinance,” said Heinold of the Pinelands Commission review, noting the only other change of real significance is to remove cannabis use for a forested area near “Murphy’s Pit” on Atsion Road.

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM Eastern Seaboard,” with the latter only having 125,000 acres of Atlantic white cedars left. That’s why the department has now embarked on an ambitious effort to restore 10,000 acres of these versatile and valuable but slowly vanishing trees—one being billed by NJDEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette as “the largest forest restoration project ever undertaken in New Jersey and the largest ever in the nation restoring Atlantic white cedars.” The project, which will be conducted in state forests, parks and wildlife management areas, will be funded not with tax money, but rather with some $190 million in damages recovered from polluters of state-owned lands, including settlements with manufacturers and distributors of gasoline containing methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) that contaminated groundwater and surface water throughout the state. The agency’s approach to the restoration, as Assistant NJDEP Commissioner John Cecil explained it to the Pine Barrens Tribune, is to focus on areas where cedars are already present “to leverage as many of the existing trees as possible, rather than cultivating new ones, to the extent that we can work with nature to solve the problem, or to create the conditions where they can naturally regenerate.” “But we’re not looking at places where they’re dying,” he added. The latter type of locale, known as a “ghost forest,” was one of the sites shown to reporters on the tour—a haunted-looking area of dead cedar trees that officials said had been killed by flooding due to beavers having built a dam in the immediate vicinity, rather than the type of saltwater incursion that is causing similar die-offs of cedar forests to occur in areas closer to the coast. Beavers, however, aren’t the only natural threat to the health of Atlantic white cedars, as the NJDEP officials indicated. So are white-tailed deer, who are fond of nibbling on young saplings and often have to be fenced out of areas—in one case, using a solar-powered electric fence—where new cedar tree growth is being encouraged, as

However, what remains among the areas designated for cannabis operations in town is the 123-acre sand pit itself, as well as a neighboring 16.5-acre landfill, where a solar farm is currently proposed, with the former parcel referred to locally as also “Big Horn Sand Pit,” in addition to Murphy’s Pit. Heinold, on April 5, noted that Big Horn Sand Pit Solar Farm, LLC, of Holmdel, commonly referred to as “Big Horn Solar,” whose parent company is CEP Renewables LLC, a designated redeveloper for the pit and landfill, would be “given the option” in a proposed redevelopment plan unveiled on April 5 to provide for a cannabis use. “Their intent is to put solar in,” Heinold explained. “A secondary potential use is cannabis use.” The reason the proposed cannabis use would be secondary, according to Heinold, is the redeveloper currently doesn’t have an “identified user” for cannabis and putting in such an operation “is not really at the forefront of what they are trying to accomplish.” “This plan only deals with solar,” said Heinold of the proposed ‘Atsion Solar Redevelopment Plan,’ adding that “it may need to be amended if a cannabis use comes forward.” Heinold revealed, in response to a question from Shamong Deputy Mayor Michael Di Croce, who previously revealed his intent to make Shamong the “pot capital” of the state, that “if there is a cannabis use on the site, it would integrated into a solar canopy.” “If you think about it, you have a whole solar field out there, and the idea would be to solar the whole thing around it and put solar

Saturday, April 30, 2022

A “ghost forest” created by flooding from the beaver dam at right.

Photo By Bill Bonvie

well as wildfires and competition from other types of trees, such as red maples and gums, which tend to take over locations that have been previously stripped of cedars, and which occasionally require removal with heavy equipment so that new cedars have the room and sunlight they require to grow and thrive. “The removal of all that cedar (for building purposes) made it easier for other species to move in and made it harder for the cedar to re-establish itself,” LaTourette maintained. “The public is then deprived of the benefits of the cedar.” Those benefits to the environment, LaTourette explained to the group, go beyond beautifying it. The root structure of the trees, for instance, is “absolutely phenomenal at holding back flood waters, or filtering the surface water and making our groundwater more suitable for drinking”— something especially valuable to people in areas where municipalities aren’t piping in their drinking water and residents must rely on having potable well water. It also moves a substantial amount of carbon out of the atmosphere by storing it in the soil, he said. In addition, he obser ved, Atlantic white cedar forests provide “a very stable environment over a long period of time”—a point illustrated by the final stop on the tour,

an extensive stand of mature, 40-60 feet tall trees, which, if all goes well, those overseeing the project are hoping to replicate. Not only is this particular cedar swamp “one of the oldest in the country,” explained Robert Cartica, administrator of New Jersey’s Office of Natural Land Management, but it is also one that supports a number of rare plant species, about 350 of which are listed as endangered, including “a really stunning member of the lily family,” and “50 that are totally rare” and “found nowhere else in the world” other than New Jersey. “This is what we’re aiming for,” LaTourette declared. “It’s going to take a little while … putting the Atlantic cedar back in places where it’s going to take root and provide habitat for other species … and give New Jersey residents something to enjoy at no cost to them.” T he NJDEP re storation prog ra m, the commissioner maintained, is also a prime example of how investments made in nature can also benefit society at large, challenging the idea that we must choose between protecting the environment and protecting the economy, which he contended has “always been false.” “We created this program of community investment and economic revitalization to turn that notion on its head,” he added.

on the roof, things like that,” said Heinold of what a combined solar and cannabis use would look like for the tracts. The plan, however, according to Heinold, is “essentially part of the rehabilitation designation process,” which will allow the solar company “to make certain applications to the state” to “try to get approved for solar on the site.” Among some of the preliminary details in the proposed plan, which will become official upon the Shamong committee approving another ordinance on second reading, tentatively scheduled for May, is that the front yard setback for the proposed solar facility has been increased to 65 feet “for panels and equipment,” and that the “solar will be in the pit” so that there is “already a natural point at the site where it drops off” (or drops out-of-sight). The proposed plan also, according to Heinold, calls for “some enhanced buffering to be considered relative to the landfill site,” which is the “only side with an immediate residence next to it.” “There is discussion about a vegetation and landscape plan,” Heinold added. “When you pass by the front of that site, we are not talking about an open farm field or open vacant piece of property. We have a fairly decent woodline existing across there. The idea is not to clear-cut, but to maintain that vegetation, and where needed, put additional vegetation so as to screen and buffer appropriately.” “Rather than a straight-shot driveway that would give you a straight view into the pit, there would be an angle driveway so that the woodline can sort of continue to act like a

natural buffer.” The proposed plan, the township solicitor contended, will allow the township to “require sufficient screening,” and calls for a “bonding requirement for screening” so the redeveloper “cannot walk away” should the vegetation that is planted die, and the parcel “gets maintained.” He noted that the municipal fencing code currently requires a 7-foot fence around a solar facility, but the proposed redevelopment plan (which essentially applies new zoning to the aforementioned parcels) will allow for “a maximum to allow for up to 8-feet height.” Although still under discussion, according to Heinold, a “security sensor” may be favored over barbed wire to “shut the whole thing down if something is being tampered with,” due to the latter often raising liability concerns. Some 30 percent of the pit parcel would contain solar arrays, Heinold noted, with the landfill lot having a “pretty high coverage level.” An agreement, the township solicitor noted, is in place “for tax liens on the landfill part of the property.” “It would generate roughly $150,000 in revenue just to give them tax liens to allow them to foreclose on the landfill and acquire the property,” Heinold noted. “It is a dead property for us that is sitting on the tax rolls, collecting no money, and tax liens with no collecting over the years. So that takes that property, puts it back into a taxable benefit for the town, making it a ratable.” Di Croce pointed out that the landfill, back in the 1970s, was a spot where people would See CANNABIS/ Page 13

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A “red notice” violation issued to Carolyn Carns due to more than one commercial vehicle being stored on her property.

MAYOR

(Continued from Page 9) actually occurred on March 16, though David Carns described to this newspaper that he observed no one from the municipality on his property that day. On March 25, Portocalis sent an email, later obtained by this newspaper, to a coowner of Brianna’s Farm Stand, which is located on the Carns Family Farm, informing her that she was “just made aware” of a Facebook post announcing that the farm stand would open for the season on March 26 and that “Brianna’s Farm Stand cannot open at this time.” Portocalis, in the email, contended that the reason the farm stand could not open was because “the required permits have not been submitted, nor approved.” The zoning official, in the email, advised the coowner that she would be reaching out to the “property owner (Carolyn Carns) via letter.” She followed through on that promise, with both David and Brian Carns later confronting Portocalis at Medford Town Hall, claiming a check was mailed several weeks earlier, along with a completed application. Portocalis, in a video of the confrontation, maintained that because the check did not clear the bank, that means the municipality never received it. In the same correspondence over the farm stand, the zoning official maintained a permit was also needed for the firewood stand on the farm, but that she would be willing to accept a submission for both the firewood and farm stand “under the same zoning permit application.” Additionally, Portocalis asked to inspect a sign on the farm due to it appearing to be beyond the permitted size, but that she would accept images with a tape measure, as well as visited a second site on Maine Trail in which David Carns was performing tree work at. Those multiple actions in a span of a

couple days had already raised concern that complaints being made as part of a neighbor dispute were being taken to the extreme with zoning laws being applied unfairly. But since this newspaper’s two published reports on the matter last month, more letters have reportedly been sent to the Carns. On April 5, for example, Portocalis wrote, “it has again come to the attention of the Medford Township Zoning Office that the ‘Cor nerstone Tre e Ser v ic e’ business is operating from the above referenced property, which includes the parking of multiple commercial vehicles, and equipment related to the tree service business, along with stockpiling of wood, stumps, landscaping and other materials potentially in designated wetlands.” Portocalis continues that due to the zoning for the farm, “you cannot operate a tree removal service business from this location.” A prior Zoning Board Use Variance Application, she noted, “to operate the tree service business” was “withdrawn,” contending there was an attestation made at the time of the withdrawal “that no more than one commercial vehicle utilized by the tree service business would be parked on the property as permitted for all residential properties in Medford Township.” The Medford zoning official wrote that “since the zoning board application was withdrawn without prejudice,” Carolyn Carns could choose to “re-apply” for a use variance or “your other option is to cease all operations of the tree service business from this property” as well as “permanently” relocate the commercial vehicles, except for one as permitted. “The last time we spoke here (April 5), the next day, we got a letter about our commercial trucks at our farm,” said Brian Carns during the April 19 council meeting. “… So, I am just trying to understand, I have my tree trucks at the farm with the firewood and Christmas tree farm – how do you guys plan on enforcing the laws against the farm saying my trucks can’t be there? My trucks can be there during the day

(to conduct operations), but then can’t be there overnight (it is unclear if that triggers “storage”) because it is commercial? Is that what we are talking about here?” After nobody immediately responded to his query, Brian Carns asserted, “You guys sent the letter – mayor you know the letter we are talking about,” to which Watson replied, “‘We’ didn’t send you a letter – the ‘zoning officer’ sent the letter.” “How is that going to be enforced, my trucks are going to be at the farm – we need them there?” Brian Carns asked. “Is someone now going to watch the farm 24/7, and say, well those trucks have been there for 24 hours now? Can the trucks spend the night there if I am working during the day? You guys are going to go down this rabbit hole where you are micromanaging our farm and I don’t know how you are going to enforce that!” Neither council, nor Burger, answered Brian Carns’ questions regarding the enforcement. Additional letters purportedly sent to the Carns since March include a “red notice” violation over the commercial vehicles (one that is actually on a bright red piece of paper that makes it difficult to read). Additionally, the Sher wood Forest customer received a letter from Portocalis, obtained by this newspaper, stating that “as we discussed during my site visit on Monday, March 30, a violation has occurred as your entire property is located in Pinelands Commission mapped wetlands.” Portocalis, in the letter to the customer, writes that “based upon past experience, the Pinelands Commission will require you to replant/revegetate the disturbed areas in your rear yard.” “Additional details on this will be included in a forthcoming letter from the Pinelands Commission,” she added. “Please note any restoration plan must be approved by both the Pinelands Commission and Medford Township.” In that letter, in addition to appearing to speak for the Pinelands Commission while in her role as township zoning officer, Portocalis also appears to speak for the local homeowners’ association, writing, “In addition, your property abuts dedicated open space owned by the Sherwood Forest Homeowners’ Association. To that end, you will have to document that the clearing did not take place on HOA property. I have copied the HOA to advise if clearing has taken place on their property, and if it (sic) proven that this has occurred, the HOA will advise how they will address the encroachment and disturbance on their property.” It is unclear what authority the township zoning official is provided to report a private citizen to a non-governmental organization. According to David Carns in a later i nt er v iew w it h t h i s newsp ap er, t he home ow ner i nvolve d i n t he s e c ond Portocalis site visit on Maine Trail also recently received a letter. This newspaper has also obtained that correspondence in which Portocalis acknowledges in the letter that the trees removed did not actually require a permit, but states the purpose of her writing the letter is to actually “request a total tally of the number of trees removed.” But “my biggest problem here,” according to Brian Carns, is that “I did a funny post last year when recycling was backed up … I always wanted to start a landfill,” and “we were laughing about it,” and of the “20,000 members on Medford 08055,” the farm stand and farm caretaker then asked, “Guess who calls the county and fire department?” Brian Carns, after asking the question, extends out his arm and points straight at Burger and stares at her in silence, all as some in the audience are heard chuckling. “She does!” Brian Carns declared. “Now, either you (Burger) are the biggest idiot on the planet, or you know that was a joke and you are using it to harass me!” Burger didn’t say a word at that tense

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

♦ Page 11

moment, but Watson asserted he was “interrupting” Brian Carns, because “our ordinances say you have to show ‘respect.’” “I don’t show her any ‘respect!’” declared Brian Carns, holding his paperwork in such a manner to point at Burger again. “She is totally disrespecting my farm! … She is a public servant! That is the problem, mayor! We are paying her $150,000 a year and she is harassing me! I have letter after letter!” Brian Carns then pointed out there was a “post” and Burger “didn’t like it,” so she, “went to Beth and said, ‘Do something about this!’” “Sh e h a s a l s o c ont a c t e d t h e fi r e department in the last six weeks saying, ‘You are either ‘with us or the Carns Family Farm,’ with a social media comment posted by a fire department officer in support of the Carns, according to sources, apparently said to be the reason behind the alleged contact. Burger, at the point that Brian Carns made the allegation, burst out laughing and shook her head, causing the latter to quip, “You look like a seventh-grade little girl sitting there!” “Mayor, I have no respect for her!” Brian Carns emphasized. “We are paying her $150,000 and she is harassing me. C’mon! You wouldn’t sit up here and respect her either!” Brian Carns contended that after Burger “called the county,” the “county came out and harassed my mom!” “It is right here!” he said. “Do you want to see it?” Br ian Car ns then reads aloud the Facebook post he contended he made in jest, before reading what was written to Thorn. “Your time is up!” said the mayor at that point. Prior to Brian Carns speaking, however, David Carns raised another email exchange involving Burger, this one in which the township manager on March 19, 2019, wrote to Watson and Czekay with the “addresses (244 Church Road and 276 Tuckerton Road) for the residents who spoke on storing commercial vehicles,” as well as provided their names and the type of commercial vehicles they have. Burger’s email, sent at 12 noon that day, receives a reply from Czekay at 12:42 p.m., “Kathy, can you have Beth (sic) the 233 Church Road property to make sure that the outbuilding in the backyard was built with all approvals and permits in place. It is a big building.” Burger clarifies with Czekay that he meant 244 Church Road. Burger, at 1:03 p.m., then takes the deputy mayor’s email and forwards it to Portocalis, writing, “Please see below from Frank Czekay regarding 244 Church Road.” The following day, Portocalis writes to Burger and the deputy mayor, “We found construction permits & a Certificate of Occupancy in the file from 1991 approving a 24’ x 40’ garage. We are still checking the old zoning board minutes and resolutions, but the size does confirm (sic) to current ordinances, so I’m assuming it was close to the same in 1991.” “Council meets on adopting an ordinance to make it illegal for certain trucks over a certain Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) to be parked on resident properties,” said David Carns to council on April 19. “There is a particular homeowner, he is a veteran, who has a triaxial on Church Road and you guys aren’t happy; there are definitely some complaints coming in. You guys are looking into this. You guys have a meeting here.” David Carns then reads the exchange aloud. “That is what you wrote – so what are you Google Earthing stuff of people who come and are speaking, looking at issues in their backyards?” David Carns asked. “Is that what the council is supposed to do?!” Czekay replied, “no,” maintaining that he “drove by the property.” That prompted See MAYOR/ Page 15

Page 12 ♦

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

MAY

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May 1

Train Rides Through the Woods of New Gretna

May 2

Miracles of My Life – General George Washington

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 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 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. Location: Southampton

Details: The Southampton Historical Society will feature a program “Miracles of My Life – General George Washington,” at 7:30 p.m., at the Old Town Hall, 25 Plum St., Vincentown. Samuel Davis portrays General George Washington, inspiring you with his commanding voice and motivational speeches. As a first-person interpreter, Davis enlightens and entertains with his vast knowledge of General Washington. Experience his life during the French & Indian War and the American Revolution and hear how he rallied his troops. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Kathy Rosmando at 609-859-0524.

May 14

A Country Day at Kirby’s Mill

May 14

Geranium and Bake Sale

May 21

Sondheim Tribute Cabaret

Location: Medford

Details: The Medford Historical Society is hosting “A Country Day at Kirby’s Mill,” Church and Fostertown roads, Medford, on Saturday, May 14, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The historic mill will be in operation grinding cornmeal by water power. The blacksmith shop will be open, along with other museum buildings. Enjoy an afternoon of historic craft demonstrations, working antique machinery and a Civil War encampment at the Mill complex. Admission is free. Light refreshments will be available. For more information, please call 609-531-1825.

Saturday, April 30, 2022

HAVEN

(Continued from Page 8) treat for free,” Kazansky said. Eugene and Anna’s impression of the country since arriving in Medford has also been extremely positive, he noted, adding that their immediate agenda includes becoming proficient in English and finding employment, which they will be permitted to have, but be offered no public assistance. For Eugene to work in his field of videography, their host added, he will need to replace his equipment, and to that end, his sister, Kseniia, who now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., has posted a GoFundMe page under the headline “Ukrainian refugees starting new life from scratch,” that as of April 26 had raised more than $2,100. The page also contains a translated letter from Eugene, that describes how he had been a successful videographer and film editor based in Kyiv, with one of his most recent projects being a 120-minute documentary about the legacy of the Holocaust in Ukraine, titled “Never Again,” while Anna pursued her studies at Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics. “I never imagined that the horrors of war would knock at our doorstep,” he noted, in describing the waking nightmare of having to abruptly abandon their apartment amid the Russian attack on the airport and surrounding neighborhood. “In a moment, your life and plans are gone.” “But we’re still facing an uncertain future. Before everything changed, the two of us were excited to plan our upcoming wedding. Now we must start from scratch. I know we will find our way: we are both hardworking and persistent, and I will do everything to find a job to support my family. But we face many challenges, and though it is really

difficult for me to ask, I ask you now for your support to help us get back on our feet. Eugene added that “all funds raised through GoFundMe will be used not only to help with our basic needs but also for me to get the job in the field of my professional skills.” “We are grateful in advance for any help, and wish you peace and happiness,” his letter concludes. Once he has replaced his equipment, Kazansky said, “Eugene can do all kinds of things in the field, including commercials, celebrations and anniversaries,” but in the meantime, was “ready to do anything” and was about to begin moving soil for some neighbors the following day. “Ukrainians are very hard-working people,” he added. All this being said, “they would love to return” to Ukraine. “The only problem is their apartment building was destroyed, their car was abandoned, and they would have no place to stay,” Kazansky contended. “Of course, they have the desire, but practically it wouldn’t be possible to do in the near future.” He added that the couple are “very grateful for the solidarity and help that the people of the United States have given to Ukraine.” As for Eugene’s mother, Olga, whose dark 2014 premonition not only materialized, but set the stage for their ability to find a haven here, she now believes Russia has been thwarted in any plans it might have had to absorb and resettle Ukraine – but that doesn’t mean it won’t resort to increasingly ruthless behavior in an effort to bring that about. “Before the situation becomes better for Ukraine, it will become worse,” she predicted. “But then it will improve, leading to a Ukrainian victory.” Editor’s Note: This story uses the first names of interviewees, which is not standard newspaper style.

Location: Vincentown

Details: The Southampton Historical Society is hosting a geranium and bake sale on Saturday, May 14, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the Vincentown Grange Hall, 115 Main St., Vincentown. Geraniums will be available in red, white, salmon and lavender-blue at $3.75 each. To place orders, please call 609-859-0524 by May 2! (Limited quantities will be available on day of sale.)

Location: Medford

Details: Live music is better! Come and celebrate a wonderful evening of music by the irreplaceable Stephen Sondheim, who passed away last November, at 92 years of age. The cabaret will be held at Studio 67 on Main St., Medford, at 7 p.m. Come out and enjoy songs such as “Send in the Clowns,” and music from “Westside Story,” “Gypsy,” “A Little Night Music,” and much more! The talented piano accompanist, Danielle Peterson Boyd, the music therapist at Medford Leas, will be featured. There will be a $20 admission charge at the door. BYO beverages. For more information, please call Karen McGreer at 267-716-7906.

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Saturday, April 30, 2022

WILDFIRE

(Continued from Page 2) This newspaper previously reported that i n itial ly, when the bla ze broke out, “approximately 50 structures were threatened,” on N. Westminster Drive and on Thames Court in LeisureTowne, according to the NJFFS, but as of 5:30 p.m. on March 19, according to the agency, “that number had been scaled back significantly.” Ultimately, no structures sustained reported damage. “I learned something, never having been a firefighter, that because of where that fire was, they were not actively putting water on the fire,” the mayor said. “Because of the creeks and water already back there, once they knew the fire was not going to push towards the houses in LeisureTowne, or any part of that area, it was just a matter of letting it burn.” Mikulski pointed out that “in terms of the fire investigation” it can take “over a year” for one to conclude, citing another fire in town that occurred some two years ago at a junkyard, which he maintained is still under investigation. “As for the deceased person, that is completely handled by the State Police,” the mayor noted. “It is not handled by us at all.” Michael Rathjen, deputy chief of the Hampton Lakes Volunteer Fire Company, one of two fire companies that service Southampton, told meeting attendees that the blaze is “still under official investigation,” and because of that, “there is only certain limited information that people can and cannot say.” “For the reasons as to why the fire burned for so long, it was due to common forest fire tactics,” Rathjen said. “A lot of people don’t understand – when they see firefighters, they think our job is to put the wet stuff on the red stuff; there is a fire you put water on it. “That is not how forestry works and I am a forestry firefighter with the State of New Jersey as well. Most of the time, we actually use fire to fight fire.” The reason for that, according to Rathjen, is “if we can control burn an area, then we know it is not going reignite.” “It was not an option (to use water) in LeisureTowne due to ‘certain investigations’ and geographical content back there,”

CANNABIS

(Continued from Page 10) come from afar, including from Philadelphia, to “dump paint, household trash.” Heinold called it a “buried dump.” “I am happy to hear Murphy’s Pit will be cleaned,” he declared. While the landfill “has contamination,” according to Heinold, the pit itself does not, with the solar redeveloper “looking and hoping to find contamination,” because “the way state (solar) programs work, it

PARADE

(Continued from Page 7) newcomer resigned, will seek election to a two-year unexpired term. McGinnis, who was due to run for re-election this year, confirmed to this newspaper on April 24 that, “No, I am not running.” “My business is growing, I want to spend more time with family, and I don’t agree with the way that the town is being run,” she said

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Rathjen de clare d. “A nd just to put LeisureTowners minds’ a little more at ease, I was back there with a couple of forestry firefighters afterwards and there are a lot of natural barriers back there, including a swamp, unnatural berms – including ones back there from the 18th Century that are 6 feet tall.” LeisureTowne, Rathjen declared, was “very well protected without us even realizing they were very well protected.” I Am That I Am In further explaining why “as much water as you want” would still not have Please join us for Ministries, Inc. extinguished this particular wildfire, and All Are Welcome! In-Person Services the decision was made to let it burn itself Sunday Worship Se ervice out, Rathjen contended “there were so at 11:30 a.m. 8:15 am | 9:30 am | many inches of unburned leaves and natural Pastors Florence and 11:00 am | or via Russell Webberr substances” that the blaze would “not have Facebook Live follow us on 50 Burrs Mill Roadd, gone out,” but rather “would have traveled Southampton, NJ 08088 facebook.com/MedfordUMC through the ground, through burned roots 609 - 847- 4848 and leaves.” www.iamthatiamministriesinnc.com “From that standpoint, we let it burn for as long as it needs to, and it naturally gets Bible Sttudy put out by a good, saturation rain, which m. 7 p.m 2 Hartford Road | Medford NJ 08055 medfordumc.org | 609/654-8111 sday Wednes is what happens,” Rathjen said. “That is info@medfordumc.org why it burned for several days inside of LeisureTowne and you had smoke and ash.” Scott Mitchell, chief of the Vincent Fire Company or the other fire company that services Southampton, in noting he was the first arriving firefighter on-scene, contended 18 Mill St. that “it wasn’t that we were telling people Vincentown, NJ 08088 they were ‘not allowed to come in,’” but Worship: Sundays 10 a.m. rather “we were suggesting (to people), All Worship on because it was around mealtime, to ‘please 609-859-2299 go have a meal’” in effort to have them “stay Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. Transportation Available out of the area.” Welcome All, Call 609-859-2883 “It was more for the safety of people, Free Luncheon Month uncheon Once Per Mo because people love to come and watch and there were many large vehicles, not only in 609-893-2720 LeisureTowne, but also on Ridge Road, 527 Lakehurst hurst Roa ad | Browns Mills, NJ 08015 etc.,” Mitchell said. “And we just felt like it was safer for people to go out and eat and avoid a potential accident. It was not a worry about homes in danger.” Anyone with additional questions about the fire aspect of the incident, Rathjen said, can contact him or Hampton Lakes Fire Chief Thomas Rathjen, but given the matter is still under investigation, “what we can Why you need dental insurance in retirement. answer, we will answer.” Mikulsk i said that he would have Township Administrator Kathleen D. Medicare doesn’t pay for dental care.1 When you’re Hoffman reach out to the state police to see As good as Medicare is, it was never meant to cover comparing plans ... if there is an update that she could obtain for everything. If you want protection, you need to purchase the next regularly scheduled Southampton individual insurance.  Look for coverage that committee meeting in May. helps pay for major services.

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opens up an opportunity for solar because of contamination that underlies a property.” “Murphy’s Pit,” as previously reported by this newspaper, has been considered a hotspot for illegal off-road motorsports. “Now the area becomes secured,” Gimble maintained. “There will be a fence and a buffer, whereas, before, dirt bikes. That goes away now in a sense. So, we are gaining that benefit, and taking something that has historically been an eyesore for us for very long time (and improving it). This is the most optimal solution for Murphy’s Pit, and I think it is good.”

of the reason she is not seeking re-election. “The thing is – I am trying to get things done and just don’t like the way things are being run. I just feel like that the time spent on the committee is time I can spend with my family. They keep downsizing the time the public can speak (with members of the public now only provided two minutes to speak during public comment, something McGinnis cast the lone vote to oppose). “I don’t agree with the way things are being run, and there more of ‘them’ than ‘me,’ so I just think my time is better spent running my business.”

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(Continued from Page 11) David Carns to ask if he did so within 45 minutes of receiving Burger’s email. “45 minutes!” David Carns asserted. Czekay maintained he had “driven by it before,” with David Carns contending that you can’t see the building at issue from the street. “Why are you asking about a building that is not even part of the issue?” David Carns inquired. “You (were) talking about a truck (the evening prior)!” As Burger made known that “time is up,” Czekay contended that he “was interested to see whether or not all the approvals are in place.” When David Carns pointed out that the “building was not even part of the discussion,” Czekay quipped, “It doesn’t matter.” “You don’t think that it is weird?” asked David Carns, as Watson reminded him his time had expired. Czekay replied, “No, I don’t!” “I sat on the Zoning Board for 15 years, I don’t think it is weird at all,” the deputy mayor added. David Carns maintained that “it looks like you are retaliating” and “are looking for dirt on the homeowner,” all while Czekay shook his head in disagreement. An individual who wrote an April 20 email to both Medford officials and council,

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contending he was “asked to reach out to you with some questions before the (Carns) family takes their next course of action,” received a reply from Township Solicitor Timothy Prime (a regular meeting attendee who has been absent from all of the council meetings since the controversy erupted last month, with colleagues, including his son, also an attorney, attending instead), with the attorney responding, in part, that “the Medford Zoning Officer, in response to a complaint, investigated the alleged zoning violations at 265 Medford-Mount Holly Road (address of the Carns Family Farm) concerning the operation of a commercial business and parking of commercial vehicles on assessed qualified farmland. Based on her good faith investigation, the zoning officer issued the zoning violation dated April 5, 2022. “… This is now a legal matter. The township will not respond to any further inquiries or questions concerning the violations. The landowner has the option of abating the violation or challenging any enforcement action brought by the township in municipal court. “The landowner also has a right to appeal the zoning officer’s determination to the zoning board and/or request a zoning interpretation from the zoning board, but that process has strict time limits and must be filed in accordance with procedures established by law.”

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MARKETPLACE/JOB BOARD

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HAULING

MISCELLANEOUS

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

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HEALTH & FITNESS

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

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

Bill’s Odd Jobs and Light Hauling. Attics, basements, and garages cleaned. General yard clean up and removal of sheds, decks, old fencing and more! Call 1-609268-5227.

Saturday, April 30, 2022

Dental insurance - Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Covers 350 procedures. Real insurance - not a discount plan. Get your free dental info kit! Call 1-888-623-3036. www. dental50plus.com/58 #6258 .

LAWN CUTTING Lawn cutting, spring cleanups gutter cleaning. Shrub pruning some tree work, along with hauling. estimates=reasonable rates. Call or Bob at 1-609-880-3789.

and and Free Text

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

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LOST AND FOUND A widow has lost her husband’s wedding ring in Marshalls’ dressing room, in Marlton, New Jersey. Date went missing is April 4. REWARD FOR RETURN! Please, please call if found. 1-440-488-6638.

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*!!OLD GUITARS WANTED!! GIBSON, FENDER, MARTIN, Etc. 1930’s to 1980’s. TOP DOLLAR PAID. CALL TOLL FREE 1-866 -433-8277

*Paying top cash for men’s sportwatches! Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Heuer, Day-tona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. Call 1-833-603-3236.

READER ADVISORY Reader Advisory: The National Trade Association we belong to has purchased the above classifieds with an asterisk. Determining the value of their service or product is advised by this publication. In order to avoid misunderstandings, some advertisers do not offer employment but rather supply the readers with manuals, directories and other materials designed to help their clients establish mail order selling and other businesses at home. Under NO circumstance should you send any money in advance or give the client your checking, license ID, or credit card numbers. Also beware of ads that claim to guarantee loans regardless of credit and note that if a credit repair company does business only over the phone it is illegal to request any money before delivering its service. All funds are based in U.S. dollars. Toll free numbers may or may not reach Canada.

GENERAL LABOR EMPLOYEES WANTED Pine Island Cranberry Co. in Chatsworth, NJ is seeking full-time general labor employees. Duties include various labor-intensive tasks in an agricultural setting. Must be hardworking and able to work in different weather conditions. Competitive hourly pay, benefits, paid vacation, profit-sharing retirement plan. PINE ISLAND

C C CRANBERRY CO. INC.

CALL 609-726-1330 or EMAIL info@picranberry.com

DRIVER/WAREHOUSE POSITION We are looking for a Box Truck Driver/Warehouse person to join our team! Our company is an established well, plumbing, and commercial products distribution branch. Drivers will make deliveries using a 26 ft. box truck.

This driver will be responsible for delivering goods to customers and transporting transfers between other branches. Additionally general warehouse duties upon the completion of scheduled deliveries. The schedule is Monday - Friday & dayshift. • Pick orders • Load and unload vehicle • Drive truck to make deliveries • Deliver products to customer locations in a timely manner • Inspect and monitor delivery vehicle • Maintain accurate inventory of packages and materials • General warehouse duties

Qualifications: • Experience in delivery driving, customer service, or other related fields • Clean driving record • Ability to handle physical workload, 50 + lbs. • Forklift, material handling equipment preferred • Comfortable driving 26-foot box truck

Employment@aquaflowusa.com Shamong, NJ

or Fax: 302- 834- 0716

LABORER NEEDED FOR PIPELINE MAINTENANCE PROJECTSS Must be able to assist with hand digging, abrasive blasting, setting up equipment and some equipment operating. Some days are very hard work, some are not. Must be 100% reliable and willing to work hard and safe. Job requires weekly out of town travel with expenses paid. Requires pre-employment drug test and random drug testing. With proven relevant skills, increased compensation and company vehicle are provided. CDL license is a benefit but not required. Jobs are generally in NJ, PA, MD, NY, CT. Expenses paid when on road which is almost every week from Monday to Friday. Must be willing to travel for periods of days to a week at a time. Often have transportation from office by company vehicle, if not, then fuel and tolls are paid for commute. Home base for job is Southampton, NJ. Normally only at home location for starting or ending each specific project. All other time working in the field.

Health benefits and 401k after probation periods. Year-end bonus. Job Type: Full-time Starting Pay: $25.00, more if candidate possesses relevant experience.

Contact with resume to jobs@pointintegrity.com or call 609-859-4323.

Saturday, April 30, 2022

AD HOTLINE: (609) 801-2392 or SALES@PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

♦ Page 17

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Saturday, April 30, 2022