Christmas Coloring Contest

Sponsored by Zallie’s Shoprite of Medford

ENTER NOW:

Name: ________________________________________________ Age: __________ Parent’s Name: ________________________________________________________ Home Address: ________________________________________________________ City: _________________________________ State: ____________Zip: __________ Contact Phone: ________________________________________________________ Email: ________________________________________________________________

All fields required. Include entry form with your entry.

Contest open to those ages 3 and up. Anyone under the age of 18 years of age must obtain parent or guardian consent to enter. Previous winners of such contests are not eligible to win. Employees of the newspaper and sponsor employees are not eligible to win. Entry automatically enters individual’s name into contest. Contest entries will not be returned. Contest entries may be displayed or published in print and online by this newspaper; and become property of the newspaper. Winner will be awarded a movie basket from Zallie’s ShopRite of Medford. One entry per contest permitted. Entry form along with completed coloring panel should be mailed to Pine Barrens Tribune, Christmas Coloring Contest, P.O. Box 2402, Vincentown, NJ 08088 and postmarked by January 8, 2022, at 5 p.m. All entries must be received no later than 12 noon on January 12, 2022, and will not be returned. Incomplete entries will be disqualified. The decision of the judges is final. Winners will be notified by phone and/or email no later than January 30, 2022, and must appear in-person for award and agree to be photographed by the Pine Barrens Tribune and contest sponsor for publication.

Important Deadlines:

• Postmarked by January 8, 2022, at 5 p.m. • Must Be Received by 12 noon on January 12, 2022

Mail coloring page with completed entry form to:

Pine Barrens Tribune | P.O. Box 2402 | Vincentown, NJ 08088

Murphy Proposes Replacing Two Pinelands Commission Members, Including the Chairman, with Lobbying and Wind Energy Firm Reps

Environmentalists Oppose Plan, But Welcome Agreement to Ditch 3rd Swap

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—While Democratic Governor Phil Murphy has reportedly agreed to drop one of three initial nominees to the Pinelands Commission whom Pinelands Preservation Alliance (PPA) Executive Director Carleton Montgomery had referred to as “corporate lobbyists,” the other two are still on tap to replace current members Montgomery says have proven their mettle as dedicated environmentalists – including Commission Chairman Rick Prickett.

If the state senate votes to go along with Murphy, both Prickett, a retired science teacher that the governor chose to lead the 15-member commission two years ago, and D’Arcy Rohan Green, whom Montgomery in a recent blog post called “a long-time advocate for Barnegat Bay and the Pinelands,” will be dropped from the commission in favor of Davon McCurry and Laura Matos.

McCurry, according to the post, is deputy head of marketing and government affairs for Orsted, a large wind energy firm that has won contracts to develop turbines off the Jersey coast, and Laura Matos is managing director and general manager of Kivvit, which Montgomery describes as “a national political lobbying and media firm whose clients include many of America’s biggest corporations and trade associations.”

Paul Leaken, a spokesman for the Pinelands Commission, told the Pine Barrens Tribune on Dec. 7 that he could confirm “that we have not received any letters of resignation” from either Prickett or Green.

Murphy, however, agreed following a reported meeting with a group of environmental advocates to retain another member of the commission, Ed Lloyd, whom Montgomery referred to as “New Jersey’s most prominent environmental lawyer with decades of experience in the Pinelands” and to scrap the nomination of his proposed replacement, Elvin Montero, director of communications for the Chemistry Council of New Jersey.

In a Dec. 6 email responding to this newspaper’s request for confirmation of the PPA’s allegations, a Murphy administration official said that “after collaborative talks this afternoon with Pinelands advocates, we are moving forward with two nominees to the Pinelands Commission,” and when asked to be a bit more specific, said there would be “no further comment, other than that the governor is committed to the nominations of Laura Matos and Davon McCurry.”

The official also contended in the earlier email that Murphy was “committed to diversifying the commission and ensuring that its actions promote environmental justice and accountability to those most impacted by its decisions.”

While the decision to retain Lloyd and drop the nomination of Montero was welcome news to the environmental groups who objected to the original set of nominations, Montgomery, in a phone interview with the Pine Barrens Tribune, maintained that his group remained opposed to simply “having Matos and McCurry replace two current commissioners who have done a good job by the environment.”

“We don’t know why they picked those two individuals in particular,” Montgomery asserted. “The governor and his people say they would be good advocates for the Pinelands, but we just don’t know them, and See COMMISSION/ Page 11

Restrictions on Outdoor Lighting, Lighting Design Standards Adopted to ‘Eliminate Egregious Lighting’ in Medford Lakes

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD LAKES—Restrictions on outdoor lighting for Medford Lakes properties, as well as lighting design standards for any commercial site plans in the municipality, have been adopted by Medford Lakes Borough Council.

Passage of two ordinances, one that implements the outdoor lighting restrictions, and the other that codifies the lighting design standards, came after a “fair amount of discussion, probably more than on any other ordinance we have had before us,” noted Borough Solicitor Doug Heinold during a recent borough council meeting.

“These are providing for a better overall lighting plan for the municipality,” maintained Heinold of the ordinances. “The intention is to educate and be as understanding and soft with the rollout of this as possible, so that we can try to generally improve the instances that occur where there is over lighting of property, or situations where lighting is spilling over into other people’s property or in rights-of-way.”

The Pine Barrens Tribune previously reported in May that borough officials were exploring restrictions and other possible measures to curb “intrusive lighting” after a complaint was received from a resident about excessive lighting on a Chicagami Trail garage that reportedly was shining into neighboring homes, according to Borough Clerk Mark McIntosh.

The resident who made the complaint, Steve Baugh, had come forward during an April borough council meeting to contend that the property of concern has as many as “20 lights on all night long” that are “looking across the street at the neighbors.”

Baugh had attended several other council meetings since April to push for passage of the outdoor lighting restrictions.

“There is ‘light’ at the end of the tunnel,” quipped one of the councilmembers in response to Baugh’s persistence to see to it that the local restrictions are passed, which they finally were during a recent borough council meeting, by a 4-0 vote.

The purpose of the new restrictions, according to the new law enacting them, is to “regulate outdoor lighting in a manner which encourages the conservation of energy; improves or maintains the nighttime visual environment; prevents and/or eliminates misdirected or excessive artificial light, light trespass and/or unnecessary sky glow; and protects the health, safety, security and welfare of borough residents as well as the general public.”

Officials, in unveiling the new restrictions to the public, maintained they are simply to serve as a “mechanism” to “eliminate egregious lighting circumstances, but in a way that is not heavy-handed.”

According to the new restrictions, any residential outdoor lighting must be “turned off or operate solely on motion sensors” between midnight and dawn each day, unless “located at the primary point of ingress or egress to a residential structure,” with a porchlight cited as an example.

Additionally, no “artificial lighting” on a property can shine directly on a neighboring property, including on any porch or patio, or into any rooms of a dwelling.

“Nor shall any artificial lighting be maintained or operated from any structure or land in such a manner as to be a nuisance or an annoyance to a neighboring property, or as to interfere with the physical comfort of the occupants of a neighboring property,” it is additionally stated in the new restrictions, See LIGHTING/ Page 15

Redevelopment Agreement Signed for Planned Age-Restricted Housing on Greenberg Farm, Designating Redeveloper and Setting PILOT Terms

Photo Provided

A draft concept plan for an age-restricted housing development planned for the Greenberg Farm, as obtained from Pemberton Township through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request.

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—Following the September approval of a redevelopment plan for three lots, totaling some 153-acres, that comprise the Greenberg Farm, which abuts both North Pemberton and Arneys Mount roads, Pemberton Township Council during its Oct. 6 meeting approved a redevelopment agreement for an age-restricted housing development on the farm.

Pemberton Township entered into the agreement with K. Hovnanian at Rancocas Creek, LLC, according to a council meeting agenda provided to the public. The executed agreement was provided to this newspaper on Nov. 12 through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request.

“If council decides to approve the redevelopment agreement tonight, the redeveloper would then go to the Planning Board and present a plan to them for their consideration, consistent with the redevelopment plan,” said Business Administrator Daniel Hornickel just prior to the council approval of the agreement, which passed 4-0 with Councilman Donovan Gardner (a friend of the Greenberg family) abstaining.

Details about the “age restrictions” would be available to the public “when the developer files (a site plan) with the planning board,” Hornickel noted in response to a question from Councilman Jason Allen.

As far as the highlights of the agreement, Hornickel later told this newspaper that it “allows for the construction of up to 354 age-restricted homes, of which 40 will be set aside as affordable housing units.”

“The proposed development will include a community garden and a small dog park,” the township business administrator added.

During a September public hearing on the redevelopment plan, concerns were raised by two members of the public about water retention and drainage issues already occurring on, as well as in the vicinity of, the former dairy cattle farm, which township officials acknowledged was occurring. In addition, the two individuals expressed concern that a nearby airport and roadways would be adversely impacted by any development.

Township Solicitor Andrew “Andy” Bayer, in response, had contended that a redevelopment agreement would give the municipality the flexibility needed to ask a redeveloper how it would deal with things such as site drainage, “and flush out the details.”

Hornickel, when asked by this newspaper if the residents’ concerns about the airport, roads and the drainage were addressed, and how, in the agreement, replied, “we haven’t imposed any conditions pertaining to the airport, road or drainage in the redevelopment agreement.”

“The township adopted the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)’s newer, stricter stormwater management rules in April and the roadway issues are the county’s, as the county owns North Pemberton Road,” Hornickel added. “The county and township planning boards, respectively, will address the draining and roadway matters and consider any concerns about the airport.”

The redevelopment agreement obtained by this newspaper indicates that K. Hovnanian at Rancocas Creek, LLC has been designated as the “redeveloper” for the project, which maintains offices in Edison.

“The township and redeveloper both desire and anticipate that the project will consist of a for sale, active-adult residential redevelopment of up to 354 dwellings on approximately 153 acres, to create a culturally rich and economically vibrant new neighborhood,” the redevelopment agreement states. “It is envisioned that the project will create a much-needed, agerestricted community for the residents of Pemberton.”

The redeveloper, it is noted in the document, has agreed to “create an agerestricted project” at the Greenberg Farm that is “aesthetically pleasing and will spark revitalization and substantial investment in this area of the township.”

The redevelopment plan passed back in September essentially effectuated new zoning for the farm. Under the redevelopment agreement, the township has agreed to not change the farm’s zoning for 30 years, unless there is a change in state law that the township is required to conform to. Additionally, the township has agreed to have its planning board review any of the redeveloper’s land use applications “on an accelerated basis.”

The redeveloper, according to the terms of the agreement, can split the project into as many as eight different phases.

In order to satisfy the state’s affordable housing requirements, the redeveloper has See HOUSING/ Page 14

PUBLICNOTICE JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST

Joint BaseMcGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL), in coordinationwiththe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), has initiated a five-year review of existing decision documents and ongoingenvironmental cleanup activities at the following five JB MDL-Dix Area sites: Sanitary Landfill (LF010), EPIC-8 Landfill (LF017), 4300/4400 Area (SS005B), Magazine-1 Area (SS007), and New Egypt Armory (TU026). The DixArea of JB MDL was formerly known as Fort Dix.The five-year review will be conducted pursuant to Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation andLiabilityAct §121 (c).

The purpose of the five-yearreview is to assess whether remedial actions performed at the Dix Area sites continue to be protective of humanhealth and the environment. The methods, findings, andconclusions of the review will be documented in aFive-Year Review Report.The report will identifyany issues found during the review andpropose recommendations to address them. The final reportwill be made public in May2023.

Relevant environmental documents, including prior Five-Year Review Reports, are available forreview at the Burlington County Library, 5 Pioneer Boulevard, Westampton, New Jersey and electronically at https://ar.afcec-cloud.af.mil/.

Anyone with questions or informationthat canhelp the review teamassessremedial actions is encouraged to contactRemediation Program Manager James Richman at (609) 754-2267 or james.richman.1@us.af. mil. Interested partiesmay also contact the Joint Base Public Affairs Office at (609) 754-2104 or 87.abw.pa@us.af.mil for more information.