Pine Barrens Tribune February 3, 2024-February 9, 2024

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RESISTING RETROACTIVE ROAD RESTRICTIONS

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

The DEP Claims Some 200 Miles of Roads It Proposes Closing to Motor Vehicles in Wharton State Forest Should Never Really Have Been Open in the First Place, But Opponents of the Plan, Led by Open Trails NJ, Say a 2014 Grant Application Contradicts That, and Such ‘Unimproved Roads’ Have Been in Use for Centuries Photo By John Druding

A section of road through Wharton State Forest (shown in a 2015 photo) that would reportedly be among those closed under the NJDEP’s proposed new map.

SHAMONG—Encompassing some 122,880 acres of the South Jersey Pinelands, an area divided between Burlington, Camden, and Atlantic counties, Wharton State Forest is both the biggest such public preserve of the more than 50 overseen by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP’s) Division of Parks and Forestry and one of the most popular, drawing over 800,000 visitors annually, according to recent statistics.

But what many of the outdoor enthusiasts who frequent it find most appealing about this protected miniwilderness tucked away in the nation’s most populous state are what might be called its nooks and crannies—the somewhat less-traveled-by, off-thebeaten path areas crisscrossed by the forest’s rough patchwork of back roads.

That is why a new initiative (that some claim is really not so new) being proposed See RESTRICTIONS/ Page 5

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Saturday, February 3, 2024

Weathering Storms of Past by Leaning on His Faith, John G. McGinnis, Jr., Assumes Top Post in Medford Lakes PD, Placing Emphasis on Word ‘Our’

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD LAKES—Eighteen-year Medford Lakes Police Department veteran John G. McGinnis, Jr., has officially been promoted to the position of municipal police chief, and left no qualms during a Jan. 10 swearing-in ceremony that he is a man deeply devoted and guided by his faith, describing his “faith was the driving force behind my decision to dedicate my entire career” to municipal policing, and that he will be a commandant who will emphasize the word “our.”

McGinnis, who started his career with the Medford Lakes Police Department in October 2006 and graduated from the Burlington County Police Academy (Class 92) in March 2007, first gave “thanks to my lord savior, Jesus Christ” upon being administered the oath of office on Jan. 10, surrounded by family, friends and fellow municipal police chiefs from the area.

“I stand before you tonight, as chief of police of Medford Lakes, because of my faith, hard work and the support of so many people,” asserted McGinnis, who obtained an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Burlington County College in 2005, before attending Stockton and Thomas Edison State universities, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.

McGinnis’ swearing in came about a day after a Nor’easter struck Burlington County with heavy rain and high winds, including

resulting in a tree that fell into a garage of a home in Medford Lakes, causing the chief to remark, “Just like in Medford Lakes, I have experienced many storms in my life and over my 18-year career.”

In further alluding to a stormy time for him in the past that caused him to lean further on his faith, in giving one of many recognitions during the ceremony, McGinnis recognized the pastors, fellow elders and friends from Bayside Chapel, declaring, “it is because of you guys, that it has changed my life since 2011.”

The chief – previously assigned detective in 2013, promoted to sergeant in 2014, and lieutenant in 2016, later shared with this newspaper that back in 2011, he was “navigating a challenging phase both in my personal life and career.”

“At that ti me, I remembered my g randfather, a deeply faith ful man who always guided me towards Jesus,” said McGinnis, having noted during the swear i ng-i n c eremony that h is grandfather, George Hornickel, was a U.S. Marine, Maple Shade sergeant, as well as an executive lieutenant for the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.

“He passed away in 2005, but his influence remained strong in my life. He believed that Jesus was the solution to all of life’s challenges, and I felt a strong need to reconnect with that faith.”

See MCGINNIS/ Page 4

Some – But Not All – Tabernacle Township Committee Members Express Willingness to Consider Demolition of Existing Town Hall Those Open to Idea Base It on Notion Building is ‘Sentimental, Not Historic’ in Questioning Potential Need to Expend $2 to $5M to Rehabilitate Facility, Though Official Map Designates Facility as One of Town’s ‘Historical Features’

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

TABERNACLE—Some – but not all – members of the Tabernacle Township Committee have expressed a newfound willingness during a Jan. 22 governing body meeting to *consider* demolishing the shuttered Tabernacle Town Hall at the corner of Carranza and Medford Lakes-Tabernacle roads, on a notion that it is “not historic,” but rather is simply “sentimental” (although a historic marker is in place in front of the building and it is officially designated one of the town’s “historical features”).

That basis, at least, was enough, for the governing body to ultimately decide to obtain, among several things, estimated figures for demoing the building, along with a cost to fix it up for a “private-public use,” with the former something a couple committee members sought in questioning whether it would be a wise use of township tax dollars to cover a purportedly tossed around $2 million to $5 million ballpark, casually thrown about cost to make repairs to the building ordered shut in late 2021 due to structural issues (and ultimately closed in early 2022).

The committee’s move, which generated some immediate opposition, including from one audience member who shouted the town hall is the “staple of the town!”, represented a hard right of sorts from a previous plan detailed by Township Administrator and Clerk Maryalice Brown to preserve the building and turn the current lot it is sitting on at 163 Carranza Road into a Village Greene, all as a new Tabernacle Town Hall is planned for 144 Carranza Road.

A revised concept plan for the proposed Village Greene, released in May of 2023, shows the town hall being relocated on the property.

The Jan. 22 discussion on the shuttered town hall’s future also revealed some new developments – that a plan has existed to turn at least part of the facility into a museum to store artifacts, and that the building has experienced “degradation” to the point that there is now at least one “opening to the outside,” with an official acknowledging that the heat having been turned off in the building (as previously ordered by the committee) is serving as a contributing factor.

See DEMOLITION/ Page 8

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BIG GAME Party Planning ♦ Page G1

As the Big Game excitement builds, party hosts are on the hunt for the perfect game-day snacks to keep their guests cheering.

Look no further than the iconic chicken wing.

Here are some reasons why chicken wings are a must-have at your Big Game party, recommended quantities, favorite wing flavors, and why they are perennial crowd-pleasers.

WING WONDERS: A BIG GAME TRADITION

Chicken wings have become synonymous with Big Game parties for good reason. These bite-sized, flavorful treats are easy to share, making them the ideal finger food for a lively gathering.

The combination of crispy skin and tender meat, combined with a variety of mouthwatering sauces, creates a taste sensation that’s hard to resist. © ADOBE STOCK

MAKE WINGS THE MVP OF YOUR PARTY

Consider making chicken wings the

© ADOBE STOCK

MVP of your Big Game party. Ensure you order enough to satisfy your guests, and don’t be afraid to explore different flavors.

The appeal of chicken wings lies in their shareable nature, versatility, and satisfying crunch. Get ready to score big with your guests as they savor these flavorful bites while watching the big game.

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BIG GAME Party Planning

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BIG GAME PARTY PLANNING | HOW TO WATCH

Saturday, February 3, 2024

Streaming the Big Game

Just because you’ve cut the cord doesn’t mean you can’t watch the big game. There are several streaming options available to watch NFL games, including the big game on Feb. 11.

The game will be televised nationally on CBS and affiliates, so if you have an over-the-air antenna, that is one solution for you. It will also appear on Univision for the first time, giving Spanish-speaking audiences an option for viewing as well.

For pure streaming, go to Paramount+, NFL+ or the NFL app for service. All those options will cost you.

There’s also a kid-friendly alternate broadcast on Nickelodeon, which may be a good idea for a kids’ room TV. There are some things you can do to ensure the best streaming experience for the big game. That includes making sure you have a secure, stable Internet connection before kickoff.

You don’t want to spend time on the

© ADOBE STOCK

phone with customer service while your guests wait.

Another thing to do before the party starts is to make sure that your streaming plan, whichever one you choose, includes the highest possible video quality that your television set allows. If your set’s not 4K, for example, don’t shell out for the 4K plan. If you do have a newer set, make sure your chosen plan

matches your TV’s capabilities.

If, for some reason, you’re going to be using a tablet or a phone to stream the game, make sure your app settings allow for the best video quality you can get given your connection. Check your settings if you use a separate device, such as Apple TV or Fire TV, to stream to your television.

Use a wired Ethernet connection,

if you can, instead of Wi-Fi. That can net you a faster and higher quality stream than using Wi-Fi. If you have to go with Wi-Fi, place the router as close as you can get it to your television set. Limit the number of devices you have online at one time (this may mean killing the Wi-Fi for your guests) or upgrade to a faster service from your Internet provider for a limited time.

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BIG GAME PARTY PLANNING | FLAVOR Are you ready to score a touchdown with your Big Game party? Look no further than the game-day classic that’s sure to please everyone: pizza.

PARTY PIZZA PERFECTION

Party planners should consider the quantity of pizza to order carefully. It’s better to have leftovers than to leave guests hungry, so be generous with your order. A general rule suggests ordering 2-3 slices of pizza per person. This quantity ensures guests are satisfied without excessive leftovers.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR PIZZA GAME PLAN

Customization is key to pleasing your Big Game party attendees.

Offer a variety of pizza options to cater to different tastes.

Classic choices such as pepperoni and margherita are reliable crowdpleasers, but experimenting with toppings like mushrooms, sausage and bell peppers can also be a hit.

BIG GAME Party Planning ♦ Page G3

Spice Up Your Party With Pizza

QUALITY AND BUDGETFRIENDLY CHOICES

Balancing quality with budgetconscious choices is crucial. It’s possible to enjoy great pizza without breaking the bank. Big Game hosts should explore both local and national pizza providers, looking for special deals and discounts to provide high-quality pizza affordably.

You may want to pick some toppings that get creative, too.

Today’s best pizza makers have unique and gourmet toppings that can go far beyond the basics of pepperoni, sausage and cheese.

FEEDBACK AND RECOMMENDATIONS

To ensure your pizza selection is a winner, consider gathering input from your guests about their favorite toppings or preferences in advance.

KICK OFF YOUR BIG GAME PARTY RIGHT

Pizza is an important part of any good Big Game party plan. Hosts should focus on ensuring the right quantity and variety of toppings to cater to guests’ preferences.

Quality pizza can be enjoyed from

© ADOBE STOCK

both local and national providers, offering a wide range of options.

The ultimate goal is to create a memorable and enjoyable Big Game

party for friends and family.

Plan your pizza lineup generously and get ready to celebrate the big game in style.

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BIG GAME Party Planning

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Saturday, February 3, 2024

Winning Party Games

BIG GAME PARTY PLANNING | ENTERTAINMENT As riveting as any big game is, there are bound to be those who don’t particularly care about the ins and outs of sporting events.

© ADOBE STOCK

FOOTBALL BINGO

Make up a variety of game cards with squares for things like scoring a touchdown, kicking a field goal, fumbling the ball, interceptions and more. Also shoot for less common things such as a team scoring a safety, a successful two-point conversion or a referee getting tackled. Don’t forget the atmosphere, either.

Wardrobe malfunction might be a popular square, as would fireworks, shots of people kissing in the crowd or celebrity sightings.

RATE THE COMMERCIALS

Make scorecards, 1-10, for your guests and have everyone rate the Big Game commercials. Have everyone hold up a card after the commercial ends. You might be surprised at how your friends rate each one.

TRIVIA

Hit the internet and find some interesting facts about the game.

Try questions like: When and where was the first halftime show?

Answer: The University of Arizona’s Symphonic Marching Band, 1967.

How much does the Lombardi Trophy weigh?

Answer: Seven pounds.

What city hosted the coldest Super Bowl ever?

Answer: New Orleans.

Who was the first singer to perform at a halftime show?

Answer: Carol Channing, 1970.

FOOTBALL CHARADES

Draw up some cards with different football personalities on them. You can pick famous players or coaches, positions or even people commonly seen in the stadium, such as cheerleaders or hot dog vendors.

Divide into teams and get to playing.

FOOTBALL TOSS

Set up buckets and toss in mini footballs for prizes. Or maybe just bragging rights. Totally up to you. You can go as big (five-gallon buckets and regulation footballs) or as small (party cups and ping-pong balls) as your space allows.

HOT SAUCE CHALLENGE

Kick your party up a notch by setting up a hot sauce challenge.

Have everyone bring the spiciest sauce and rate them on taste, heat and more. Give out prizes for the

winners of the best taste, the most heat and for the person who can eat them all without crying.

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Saturday, February 3, 2024

BIG GAME Party Planning ♦ Page G5

Make Clean-Up a Breeze

BIG GAME PARTY PLANNING | AFTER THE PARTY Are you ready to score a touchdown with your Big Game party? Look no further than the game-day classic that’s sure to please everyone: pizza.

SET UP TRASH BAGS AND BINS

It may seem like a no-brainer, but not all your party areas may already have a trash can, or it may not be a large enough one for food or the crowd you plan to have. Set up dedicated trash bags or bins around the house and keep them regularly emptied.

GET READY FOR SPILLS

Spills are as inevitable as the thrills of the big game. Make a grab-andgo cleaning kit with everything you need to pick up spills quickly and treat stains thoroughly. A popular stain remover recipe is to mix equal parts hydrogen peroxide with Dawn dish soap in a spray bottle. Always color test your stain remover, even if it’s a commercial product, before use.

© ADOBE STOCK

USE DISPOSABLES

Stock up on paper and plastic cups, plates, napkins and more to make clean-up a snap. You can even use plastic table covers that you can toss into the recycling bin (provided it’s free of food, of course). If you’re worried about sustainability, choose brands that use recycled plastics and paper. This goes for cookware, too. There are several brands of

disposable metal baking trays and slow cooker liners that will make cleaning up go a lot more quickly.

Have your own food storage ready for anything you want to keep.

PREP FOR LEFTOVERS

Book a professional cleaning service for the day before and the day after your party. Make sure the cleaners know what to expect in your home; a reputable company will visit your home and give you a quote before the big day. Ask friends and neighbors for references.

Buy inexpensive take-out containers and let your guests take party leftovers home with them. They can pack their own plates on the way out; just remove the plates for eating off of and replace them with the containers as the game winds down.

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Longtime Feud Between Pinelands Superintendent, New Board Member Evolves into Lewd Comments That End Up in Emails to Entire Student Body Allegations of Mutual Disrespect at Board Meeting Erupt into Chaotic Aftermath

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

L I T T L E E G G H A R B OR—T h e Pinelands Regional Board of Education has certainly seen its share of controversy in recent years. But nothing like what occurred at the first regular meeting of 2024 on Jan. 22, which wound up running far off the rails of civility over a long-standing dispute between District Superintendent Dr. Melissa McCooley and newly elected school board member Stephanie Johnson of Little Egg Harbor Township, igniting a rhetorical bombshell that directly impacted both students and their parents.

The fuse was lit when Johnson was publicly dressed down at the session’s conclusion by the board’s newly elected president, Jeffrey Bonicky, to which her response accelerated from recriminations and expressions of resentment to, following its adjournment, a purported explosion of lewd expletives that somehow made their way into an email reportedly sent out to the entire student body.

Just how a transcription of what was supposedly said in that profane postscript to the meeting ended up on the computers and cellphones of Pinelands students was not immediately apparent and has since become a topic of considerable speculation on social media. But students were subsequently asked by the superintendent to delete it from their devices, although how many may have complied with that request is not known.

The feud between McCooley and Johnson is a somewhat complicated affair that began a couple years ago at a time when Johnson was a paraprofessional at the Robert C. Wood Preschool in the Little Egg Harbor School District and McCooley was superintendent there as well under a shared services agreement that has since been dispensed with.

Exactly how the acrimony between the two began isn’t clear, but it came to a head with an unsuccessful attempt by Johnson and her husband, Christopher, to have McCooley removed from her position via an online petition and a recommendation McCooley made to the Little Egg Harbor

school board, reportedly around January 2022 that Johnson be terminated.

Johnson, as reported in a Facebook posting by Scott Ruch, the latter a former candidate for the Pinelands Board, claimed that she was initially put on paid leave as a result of a grievance she filed with the Department of Education and was subsequently told she could return to work. McCooley, however, was finally able to convince the LEHT board to go along with her recommendation “after a series of disciplinary issues and (Johnson’s) failure to comply with a corrective action plan,” according to a letter she sent (via both email and hard copy) this past Dec. 6 to the New Jersey Department of Education’s School Ethics Commission.

Johnson subsequently requested a “Donaldson hearing” by the board in which a nontenured teacher may ask to be provided with the reasons for such nonrenewal, McCooley noted in her letter. But after the LEH board voted not to renew her contract she proceeded to file a civil lawsuit against both the superintendent and the board, which, as noted on a legal website, was ordered dismissed last June “with prejudice and without cost” by order of Justice Peter Sheridan. (“The matter settled last year” was how McCooley summed it up in her letter to the department.)

Along with citing the petition that Stephanie and Christopher Johnson had started to have her fired, McCooley also informed the department that they had “put up billboards throughout the towns that send students to Pinelands to that effect” and had filed various other School Ethics Commission complaints against her and members of her administration, along with a lawsuit claiming that the Pinelands school board did not follow proper procedure in approving McCooley’s contract, based on a misunderstanding of her status.

The superintendent then asked the department, after reviewing “school ethics opinions as well as the Act,” to provide her with a “formal advisory opinion” See FEUD/ Page 9

Saturday, February 3, 2024

Pemberton Borough’s New Mayor Says Flower Baskets Are ‘Asset,’ But ‘Expensive’ in Getting Council’s Consent to ‘Cut’ Amount in Half Now-Former Borough Mayor Harold Griffin, in Decrying Decision, Asserts, ‘If They Don’t Have Money for That, They Can’t Do Anything!’, Emphasizing Numerous Comments Praising Borough’s Streetscape with Baskets in Place

By Douglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

PEMBERTON BOROUGH —T he number of flower baskets that line several Pemberton Borough streets in the spring and summer months will be reduced by half moving forward, with new Borough Mayor Bonnie Haines calling the baskets “beautiful” and an “asset,” but also “expensive.”

“We spent $3,000 last year on flower baskets and that doesn’t count what we spent in manpower and maintenance to keep them alive through July and August,” contended Haines during a Jan. 18 Pemberton Borough Council session, the first regular one since she took office.

“So, my thought is to cut the number of flower baskets in half and stagger them.”

Haines said she wanted to “float this idea” past the councilmembers to “see how you feel about it” because the borough’s Public Works Department traditionally places its flower order sometime in February.

“I th ink it is a good idea,” said Councilwoman Diane Fanucci of what Haines proposed. “And if it doesn’t work out, we can always go back.”

What followed was a brief council discussion to just have a flag, or even possibly a banner, on the light poles without the flower baskets, and then came a motion to purchase “half the number of baskets as we had in the past, and then stagger them accordingly,” with council unanimously giving the OK. While there was no dissent voiced at the council meeting, the decision is not sitting well with now-former Borough Mayor Harold Griffin, who just departed the mayor’s office on Dec. 31, 2023, with him declaring to this reporter, “Yes, I do care about those baskets!”

“And a lot more people care about those baskets than I do!” he added.

Griffin explained to this newspaper in a Jan. 29 phone interview that the borough’s flower basket program was

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started by former Mayor Fredrick Lyman “Toot” Simpkins, and it was something he ultimately “inherited” from Simpkins.

Simpkins died in August 2009, with Griffin having assumed office in January 2014.

“Let me put it to you this way, I really didn't try to make it (the borough) look ‘Harold's way,’ I tried to bring it back to what it looked like before I came in office,” Griffin said.

Nevertheless, he declared, “It is an expense that the borough was willing to take up because they look so beautiful.”

“I would get comments from people all over the country about how beautiful they looked,” Griffin maintained.

The flower baskets, he explained, are traditionally placed on the light poles beside the borough’s two main thoroughfares, Hanover and Elizabeth streets.

“Those flowers make Elizabeth Street look beautiful in the summer!” maintained Griffin to this reporter, questioning just how many would now line the street as one travels toward the former Burlington County College campus, or where Elizabeth Street transitions into Pemberton-Browns Mills Road, or Pemberton Township.

Since the Hearthstone retirement community was built, the flower baskets have also been placed on the light poles on Hearthstone Boulevard up to a community clubhouse, according to Griffin.

Griffin recounted the borough “getting a lot of comments from people out of town” about the flowers, maintaining that some have even gone as far as to “write us a little note” that it is “so nice to go through Pemberton because of the beautiful flowers there.”

The former mayor maintained he simply could not put a number on the number of people that have also personally phoned him over the years to “tell me how nice they look.”

“Let me tell you something!” Griffin See BASKETS/ Page 12

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES ♦ Page 4

Christmas Coloring Contest Winner

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

StaceyLee Webster, of Medford, is the winner of the 2023 Pine Barrens Tribune Christmas Coloring Contest sponsored by Zallie's Fresh Kitchen and ShopRite of Medford. Congratulating the winner was store Administrative Coordinator Alysia Vales.

MCGINNIS

(Continued from Page 2) McGinnis, a 2002 Shawnee High School graduate (who grew up in Tabernacle and worked for many years at Nixon’s General Store before his law enforcement career, when it was under the ownership of his parents, Jack and Nancy) and one-time varsity ice hockey assistant captain, told this newspaper that he “knew I had to return to church to rediscover and embrace the roles I was meant to fulfill – as a husband, a father, and a leader.”

“Enter Bayside Chapel,” he declared.

“This church community that embodies

Christ’s teachings played a pivotal role in my spiritual growth. My faith, which has been a cornerstone of my life even before 2011, has guided me daily ever since.”

It is this faith, he explained, “that was the driving force behind my decision to dedicate my entire career to the Medford Lakes Police Department.”

“It was not just a career choice, but a commitment made in faith, to serve and protect with integrity and compassion,” McGinnis said.

Today, McGinnis noted, serving as an elder at Bayside Chapel “is a privilege that I hold dear.”

“Bayside’s mission – ‘to bring glory to God by leading people into fruitful

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relationships with Jesus Christ’ – resonates deeply with me. Its vision – ‘to be so transformed by Christ that He will send us to transform communities for Christ’ – is something I strive to live out every day.”

During the Jan. 10 ceremony, McGinnis thanked Borough Manager Dr. Robert Burton, Mayor Dr. Gary Miller and Medford Lakes Borough Council for their “commitment to law and order” and “ensuring public safety and a standard of living in Medford Lakes that is essential.”

“The people behind the badge are more important than this job,” noted McGinnis, who is also a graduate of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police Command & Leadership program

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and was also the president of the Internal Affairs Association of Burlington County for four years, from 2020 to 2023. “Officer safety and wellness are a top priority. If our officers are not healthy and safe, they cannot serve the great residents of Medford Lakes.”

Among his “many goals for our agency,” McGinnis described to this newspaper that he wants to establish an Officer Wellness Program (OWP) in conjunction with the department’s existing Resiliency Officer Program (RPO).

“I am one of two RPOs for our agency, and I truly know and care about each one

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

RESTRICTIONS (Continued from Page 1)

by the NJDEP—one that would reportedly cut off their legal vehicular access to those secluded hideaways and hunting grounds—is setting off alarm bells among the kinds of individuals who don’t take kindly to being confined to conventional itineraries and prescribed pathways, many of whom are members of an organization called Open Trails NJ. The agency’s newly proposed 2024 “Visiting Vehicle Use Map,” introduced at a recorded press conference on Jan. 24 and available online for review and comment until March 9, is one designed to reduce the number of legally navigable routes traversing the Wharton tract by approximately half from 510 miles to 200, and limit those in public use to “scenic” thoroughfares (shown in yellow) that have formal, familiar names such as Carranza Road, Tuckerton Road and MaxwellFriendship Road, in order to better protect both the safety of visitors and the forest’s natural resources, according to NJDEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette.

The map, LaTourette told conference attendees, was drawn up “based on data from an extensive public engagement process” involving surveys—most of them written— taken over the past year of more than 1,600 visitors, as well as evaluations made by experts at the agency of “the presence of historic resources, our endangered and game species and their respective habitats, plant and ecological communities, our waterways and protected wetlands that are so critical to maintaining water quality” of the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer that resides beneath the area, as well as statewide.

The result, he maintained, was a map “intended to help people traverse what is a truly vast state forest” and “to enable our state park administration and State Park Police to better enforce rules against illegal offroad vehicles” in addition to “keeping our visitors safe and ensuring the protection of our natural resources in the process.”

In going about that, John Cecil, assistant commissioner of State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites, elaborated on how “we looked very closely at it and determined that 120 miles of those routes on the U.S.G.S. (geological survey) map were not routes at all—they were old boundary lines, trails that had grown over, and maybe fire lines.”

Dispensing with those, he said, “brought us down to 390 miles of routes,” to which an additional 10-mile stretch was actually added. Next, an “analysis of the natural, historical, cultural resources” resulted in the removal of another 210 miles that involved “concerns for public safety and conflicts with resources on the ground,” leaving “200 miles of routes for vehicle use.”

But what LaTourette most wanted to emphasize about the proposal to literally remove those other roads, which may or may not be named and are currently designated in brown, red and green, from the vehicular map is that they “should never have been there to begin with.”

Rather than attempting to close down “existing legal routes,” he explained, the agency is simply calling for retroactive restrictions on ones that “have been created by virtue of unauthorized use,”

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM whether that use involves “endangering a rare plant species by destroying wetlands or endangering your own safety by getting stuck in that wetland yourself.”

Suggesting that an attempt was now being made to restrict “what was once legally allowable,” asserted LaTourette, would therefore be “inappropriate,” since the emphasis should be “on what was never legally allowable or safe.”

T hat prem is e, however, is b ei ng challenged on both legal and historical grounds by John Druding, the president of Open Trails NJ, which claims to have more than 8,000 online members, as well as Jonathan Peters, a professor of finance and data analytics at the College of Staten Island of The City University of New York and a member of the CYNY Graduate School Ph.D. program in Earth and Environmental Science.

Druding, in a phone interview with the Pine Barrens Tribune, called the notion that the vast majority of those roads were not legal to begin with “complete nonsense, because people have been using them for centuries.” Furthermore, he maintained, they have been traveled by motorized vehicles since the 1950s, when the state first opened Wharton State Forest.

Druding also contended that the NJDEP itself tacitly acknowledged the legality of those roads, as well as the existence of even more of them than it now claims the forest contains, in an application it filed back in 2014 for a Recreational Trails Program grant to initiate a “multiphase, multi-year program beginning with Phase One in Wharton State Forest,” which was approved the following year in the amount of $393,719 by the Federal Highway Administration.

“The monies from the grant will enable the Division of Parks and Forestry to develop a regularly scheduled maintenance program for this area within the Pine Barrens that encompasses 600+ miles of primitive roadways,” notes the project description, a copy of which was provided

by Druding, who obtained it via the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).

“As you can see, in 2014 they claimed there were 600 miles of roads in Wharton State Forest, and now there is only 200,” Druding emphasized in the interview.

“Were they being untruthful then or are they being untruthful now?”

As a result of this disclosure and the New Jersey Pinelands Commission having adopted U.S.G.S. topographical maps that document the validity of those roads, he added, his organization is consulting with some larger, national groups that might be interested “to see if there are any legal avenues to pursue to prevent the road closures from taking place.”

Druding also pointed out that Wharton is “not a park, but a forest,” and there is a distinction between the two in that whereas “a park is a curated space, there are deliberately less constraints in a forest.”

In addition, the vast majority of the roads at issue are owned by the municipalities where they are located, not the state, he claimed.

Peters, who has conducted his own research on the issue by delving into historical records he discovered in county archives, told this newspaper that some of the roads at issue were established back in the late 18th and the early 19thcenturies, See RESTRICTIONS/ Page 6

Saturday, February 3, 2024

PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP

BAGGED LEAF COLLECTION

Bagged leaves and pine needles must be placed at the edge of the road between Saturday and 6:00AM of the first collection date in your area.

Please note that if you set your bags at the road prior to Saturday you may be subject to a local fine.

Grass and trash must NOT be mixed in with leaves and pine needles.

Please place your bags along the edge of the road upside down, with the tied end facing down. This will help prevent rain from leaking into the bags.

Each bag shall weigh 30 lbs or less. We will not collect bags that exceed 30 lbs.

Once the leaf collection crew has been through your area, they will not be authorized to return to your area for leaf collection.

If you miss the collection period in your area, you may deliver your leaves and pine needles to the Public Works Yard.

2024 COLLECTION DATES LEAVES MUST BE CURBSIDE FIRST DAY OF COLLECTION IN YOUR AREA.

AREA 1 – BEGINNING APRIL 2

Pemberton Township Municipal Building west to Route 206, Fort Dix Boundary to Magnolia Road. This area includes Lake Valley Acres, Oak Pines, Rottau Village, Birmingham, Sunbury Village and Johnson Court

AREA 2 – BEGINNING APRIL 8

East side of East Lakeshore Drive to North Whitesbogs Road.

This area includes east side of East Lakeshore Dr., Hanover Boulevard, North Lakeshore Dr., South Lakeshore Drive and Ridge Rd.

AREA 3 – BEGINNING APRIL 15

Juliustown Road east to west side of East Lakeshore Drive.

This area includes Juliustown Rd., Trenton Rd., Pemberton Blvd., Evergreen Blvd., Clubhouse Rd. to Broadway, West Lakeshore Drive, and west side of East Lakeshore Drive

AREA 4 – BEGINNING APRIL 22 Lakehurst Road (from Junction Road to Route 70) and Country Lakes.

AREA 5 – BEGINNING APRIL 29 Pemberton Township Municipal Building east to Juliustown Road. This area includes Lakehurst Road (from Juliustown Road to Junction Road), Blueberry Manor, Oak Ridge Estates, Rancocas Lane, Junction Road, Ridgeview Avenue, Mt. Misery Road, Springfield Road, Four Mile Road, and New Lisbon Area.

AREA 6 – BEGINNING MAY 6

Rt. 70, City Line Road, North & South Branch Road, Pasadena Road, Presidential Lakes, and Whispering Pines.

QUESTIONS? – CALL PUBLIC WORKS 609-894-7968 www.pemberton-twp.com

Saturday, February 3, 2024

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

Hugs, Kisses & Valentine's Wishes

♦ Page V1

Treat yourself to a professional makeover for Valentine’s Day! Do you want to feel irresistible this Valentine’s Day? If you want your part­ner to instantly fall in love with you, leave it to the beauty pros.

• Make-up. Hiring a make-up artist is a must if you want to look your best.

They’ll use the best products and techniques to enhance your assets.

• Hairstyling. Treat yourself to a balayage, highlights or full colouring. You could also have your haircut refreshed.

To give yourself the star treatment, go for a more elaborate style than usual. After all, it’s Valentine’s Day! • Clothing. What could be better than a shopping spree with a stylist who can help you choose flattering and trendy outfits? They have a sharp eye and a keen sense of style to help you look sensational from head to toe.

• Manicure. The finishing touch to a beauty makeover? Beautiful hands and well-groomed nails. Whether you want to leave them natural, colour them with polish or opt for artificial

acrylic nails, an expert will be sure to make them look their best.

Visit your local beauty specialists to look your finest this February 14.

Page V2 ♦

Hugs, Kisses & Valentine's Wishes

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Saturday, February 3, 2024

10 romantic activities for Valentine’s Day Are you looking for ideas for an unforgettable Valentine’s Day? Whether you’re a new couple or have been together for years, try one or several of these 10 activities to promote intimacy and togetherness.

1. Have a winter picnic in an enchanting setting, such as in the woods, a park by the water, or the mountains.

reminisce about how adorable you both were.

2. Look back at photos of your wedding day or your first date and

3. Cook the perfect meal together. Why not pour yourselves a glass of wine and enjoy some jazz music while you’re at it?

4. See a rom-com at the movie theater.

Take the opportunity to share a bag of popcorn so your fingers brush against each other.

5. Discover a new restaurant that interests you. Make sure to book your table in advance.

6. Dance to your favorite tunes. Be sure to add a few slow songs to your playlist.

7. Create a work of art together, like a painting, a collage or a papiermâché sculpture.

8. Ice skate hand in hand in an enchanting place. For example, in the evening by torchlight.

9. Play a naughty board game.

Laughter and fun are guaranteed!

10. Treat yourself to a professional cou­ ple’s photo session. Then, choose the best ones and hang them on your walls — or post them on social media.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the lovers!

Saturday, February 3, 2024

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

Hugs, Kisses & Valentine's Wishes

5 Gift Ideas for Your Loved One This Valentine’s Day Are you looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift to make your loved one’s eyes sparkle? Here are some inspiring ideas to help you out.

1. A fashion accessory.

Consider gifting your better half a piece of high-quality jewellery or a designer watch that matches their style. If you’re worried about getting your partner something they won’t like, take pictures of some of their current pieces and let the experts guide you.

2. A trip to the spa.

Does your sweetheart need to relax?

Treat them to a stress-busting spa experience. For a romantic getaway, go as a couple and book a room onsite. Many hotels and resorts have a spa area. You could also stay in a cozy establishment nearby.

3. A personalized work of art.

Commission a local artist to create a one-of-a-kind piece of art that tells your love story. This could be

a photograph, painting, engraving, illustration or caricature.

4. An epicurean getaway.

Plan a trip that stimulates all the senses. Think fine dining, an entertaining show, a local wine, beer or cheese tasting or a visit to an art gallery. Tailor the itinerary to your partner’s preferences.

♦ Page V3

5. Luxury skincare products.

Surprise your partner with skincare products, such as creams, serums, masks and oils, from prestigious brands that come wrapped in beautiful boxes. Ask your beauty salon or pharmacy cosmetics counter for help finding the right products for your partner.

From flowers and sweets to a gourmet dinner or a balloon bouquet, how will you express your affection on February 14?

PINE BARRENS.qxp_Layout 1 1/29/24 9:27 AM Page 1

Page V4 ♦

Hugs, Kisses & Valentine's Wishes

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Saturday, February 3, 2024

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RESTRICTIONS

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(Continued from Page 5)

and others go back to the Civil War era, long predating the establishment of Wharton State Forest.

“When they (NJDEP) acquired the property for the forest (around 1954), I don’t think they acquired the roads,” he said.

And though some of the records involved weren’t readily available, he added, “that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

But, according to Peters, what the available records indicate is that a number of the roads now being threatened with closure are “real roads with a written description,” and “a certain expectation of public use going back to English law.”

“There is a presumption that if they’re public, long use establishes a de facto public right-of-way,” he continued. “And we know that they’ve been used for years and years and years.”

Druding also took issue with what he characterized as the NJDEP’s having given a cold shoulder to what he said were many offers and efforts by his nonprofit to assist in the maintenance of the forest.

“I think there are ways to resolve some of these issues without having to close roads, such as cleanup and protection proje ct s that they s e e m to b e not accommodating,” he maintained.

In over eight years, he said, the group had only been permitted to carry out five or six such projects, when it “could have gotten dozens done” had it not run into resistance from the bureaucracy, which requires that any such activity in the forest

be given advance approval.

That alleged lack of cooperation, he maintained, finally came to a head last November when his group and several others decided to invite their members to show up on an individual basis to help clean up and beautify the area via emails and their own social media sites, only to be told that their postings had been noticed by the NJDEP and they wouldn’t be allowed to proceed. When 8th District legislators attempted to make calls on their behalf, he recounted, they were told another group had an event previously scheduled for the same day.

Despite that edict, the individuals involved proceeded with their plans, and ended up cleaning up more than 800 pounds of trash between them, in the vicinity of the Atsion Ranger Station, Druding recounted.

But not before the superintendent came out personally to admonish them for doing what they had been instructed to refrain from doing, although it did lead to a discussion of the possibility of another such event in the spring, only one that “followed their processes,” and a subsequent communication from Cecil, who “wanted to have a meeting with us.”

Cecil, who also participated in the press conference, offered his own defense of the proposed 200-mile reduction in legal roadways, claiming that many of the ones that would no longer be available were largely unsuitable for driving anyway.

“Wetland presence within Wharton State Forest is very significant,” he declared.

And given that the Kirkwood-Cohansey is “a very shallow aquifer that comes right up to the surface,” it creates “places so

Pine Grove Plaza

wet, they are appropriate for a canoe, not for something that has four wheels and is mechanized,” Cecil continued.

“That gets us to a place where we have 200 miles of routes we think are drivable, that we ultimately can maintain,” he declared.

Responding to a question, Cecil also offered the view that that the proposed new map, if it goes into effect by the end of the year, “will give us an incredible tool to educate the public where they are supposed to be and where they are not supposed to be with a vehicle,” as well as related issues.

Educating the public on such policy changes, “assuming they are not doing something totally malicious,” is important, he asserted, as is enforcement, “coupled with barriers and signage to complement the map.”

“But there are a couple of instruments that we need to utilize here to get everybody in line,” Cecil declared.

In regard to enforcement of existing rules, LaTourette also was quite emphatic “that the only vehicles that are allowed to be in a public land, whether a state park or forest or wildlife management area, are registered, insured, street-legal vehicles.”

“That is very fundamental—if you are operating a motorized vehicle that is none of those, it should not be in the state park or forest at all,” he added.

Another point cited by Cecil was that 98 percent of the acreage in the forest is less than one mile from any paved or sand route, so that “by and large you can park your vehicle” and “walk to within a mile of any of the routes that we are proposing.”

“I recognize that may raise concerns for some of the users of the state forest, particularly those that like to hunt and fish

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES ♦ Page 6 off a beaten path and may require a longer walk (than what they were accustomed to)” Cecil said.

But he added that he would again stress the importance “of us adopting a map for public safety, for prioritizing route maintenance, for clarifying for the public where they can go and can get to, and certainly for the protection of the natural, historical and cultural resources.”

Also mentioned by Cecil toward the end of the conference was that “some of you (meaning the media) are using images from 2015 when this was a very hot topic. I would ask all of you to use current images,” he said, adding, “we can assist with that if you need new images to represent the issue here.”

Druding, however, in his interview with this newspaper, pointed out that there were very few actual differences between the map drawn up by the agency in 2015 and the newly proposed one.

“With the exception of maybe five roads, they are all the same,” he said.

Noting that many people have been asking how they can help counter the proposed road closings, Druding said his group’s leadership has been “working nearly around the clock” to address that.

Its current efforts include creating a petition “that will include all the appropriate political entities that can influence the DEP,” as well as formulating plans for a rally that are now in their early stages.

“We are also working on several activities behind the scenes that we can’t yet communicate in public,” he said.

See RESTRICTIONS/ Page 11

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Eighteen-year Medford Lakes Police Department veteran John G. McGinnis, Jr., is administered the oath of office on Jan. 10 for municipal police chief, with his family by his side. Borough Mayor Dr. Gary Miller (left) conducted the swearing-in.

MCGINNIS

(Continued from Page 4)

Photos By Andrew King

Medford Lakes Police Chief John G. McGinnis, Jr.’s cousin, Kalani, hands a bouquet of flowers to him upon his installation as top commandant of the borough police force.

of my officers,” the new chief emphasized.

“The OWP/RPO prog rams prov ide resources, training and shows authentic care for the officers and their families.”

McGinnis also noted that he wants to “emphasize the word “our.’”

“Medford Lakes is a small town and we are a small agency,” he said. “It takes everyone working together to be successful and to keep Medford Lakes the great town it has been since 1939. The team/family environment is essential for success.”

To that end, as also the Medford Lakes Municipal Alliance (MLMA) coordinator, he wants to build and grow, he said, the relationships with t h e c o m m u n i t y, a n d c o m m u n i t y g roups, explai n i ng that mu n ic ipal alliances are established by municipal ordinance and are intended to engage residents, local government and law enforcement officials, schools, nonprofit organizations, the faith community, parents, youth and other allies in efforts to prevent alcoholism and drug abuse

Saturday, February 3, 2024 in communities throughout New Jersey.

“I have secured an increased amount of grant money, which will be used for community programs and events,” said McGinnis, also a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.)/ Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D.) instructor since 2010. “I am in the process of setting up a meeting with various community groups to get people involved. My vision is to utilize the funds for our L.E.A.D. program and various community policing events, and bring back the Medford Lakes Police Department Officer Trading Card Program. I look forward to collaborating w it h t h e s c ho ol s a nd c om mu n it y organizations to create more opportunities for youth events.”

He noted the local department has always been involved with both borough schools, Neeta and Nokomis, and that, “I look forward to collaborating with our school district by having officers in the schools as much as possible, not only for safety/security, but for community policing/education.”

McGinnis said he also plans to review and update our policies “as we move towards the path of police accreditation” as well as looks forward to “having greater communication” with the other borough departments and residents, and in already moving towards that goal, the department, within the first few days of his taking charge, has created a new Medford Lakes Police Instagram and X (Twitter) accounts, in addition to a Facebook account. He is also planning to improve the police department’s website.

The chief also pointed out that his agency intends to “post a hiring notice soon” and “looks forward to being fully staffed.”

During the swearing-in ceremony, McGinnis pointed to longtime Medford Lakes Officer Jack Smith, who worked for the department from 1972 to 1988 (and closely worked together with McGinnis’ grandfather), before becoming a 20-year detective sergeant with the prosecutor’s office, and declared “thank you for always believing in me and teaching me the Laker style of policing: to work hard, be kind and treat everyone with respect.”

“I attr ibute all my personal and professional successes to Jesus,” McGinnis concluded. “It is to Him that I give all the glory. As I step into my new role as chief of police, I am filled with gratitude and enthusiasm, ready to serve with the principles and values that Christ has instilled in me.”

Saturday, February 3, 2024

DEMOLITION

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(Continued from Page 2)

“I would like to discuss how the old town hall will be handled,” declared Deputy Mayor Natalie Stone, seated for the first time on the township committee in early January. “In getting involved, I understand it is a hot topic.”

Stone proceeded to maintain that she has “heard various numbers being thrown around” about the potential cost involved, anywhere from “$2 million, to picking it up and moving it to a new foundation, for $5 million.”

“I think we should have a summary of costs, on paper – real numbers,” Stone asserted. “We should not be throwing a number out there. I think the public deserves this, since this is apparently the biggest project in Tabernacle, ever, and we (the committee) do too.”

While Stone said she “realizes it is sentimental to some,” any such project also “has to be cost effective to the taxpayers.”

“We have to decide one way or another what we are doing with this building, because in the last report I read from 2021, there are things cracking, we need an HVAC system, it is not ADA compliant, and it needs a new roof,” Stone maintained.

“Things don’t get better with time, and that is from three years ago.”

Stone, in suggesting “it is enough to keep talking about it,” but now the time has come for the governing body to act, also pointed to other issues identified in the report, including that the “roof is leaking” and the building “is not stabilized, it is not secure, there is separation, it needs an elevator, sprinklers and more restrooms, and there are issues with the beams and joists.”

“I am not in construction, but it is an extensive report from 2021,” she said. “I also heard that years ago it was recommended that some of these things be addressed.”

St o n e t h e n m a d e a mot io n for RY E B R E A D ( R E G A N YO U N G ENGLAND BUTERA - Referendums • Engineering • Architecture • Design) engineering to “do a cost analysis of moving, upgrading and repairing the old building” as well as to provide a “cost analysis on demolishing it.”

The deputy mayor then made a second request for Construction Official Tom Boyd, present in the audience for the Jan. 22 meeting, to talk about the condition of the building now versus three years ago, as cited in the report.

Committeeman Noble McNaughton, Stone’s 2023 running mate, who previously aired some differences with Stone during a prior reorganization meeting and did not approve of her deputy mayor nomination (with him said to have 40 years of township experience in various capacities), asserted “this is kind of not the appropriate time for this,” believing the matter should be an agenda item, not merely something raised through the committeewoman’s report.

McNaughton also pointed out that several of the report’s recommendations Stone cited, such as installing an elevator and fire suppression system, would only have to be addressed in the event the township decides to rehabilitate the shuttered town hall for continued use as a municipal building and committee meeting place.

Additionally, he indicated that the only way the township could obtain true hard costs is by putting the project out to bid, and then it would find itself in a position where it would either have to accept or reject bids, and it could potentially force the township’s hand into bonding for such a project (as there are only a limited number of reasons to reject bids once a project is advertised). Trying to obtain costs in any other fashion, he further suggested, could result in the estimates being 20 to 30 percent higher than they otherwise would be.

“Now, as far as I am concerned, personally that old building needs to be saved!” McNaughton declared. “We should be maintaining it, so it does not deteriorate anymore. Once we finish with the new building, let’s see where we are at financially, and then see what we can do to upgrade, or whatever.”

The committeeman, in alluding to a previously-detailed plan to potentially use the first floor of the shuttered town hall as a community meeting room once it is restored, prompted Stone to question, “What do you need a community room for, on the first floor of the building,” in light of the governing body having also described late last year how in the prospective new town hall, there would be a shared committee/ community meeting room.

“One of the things we were talking about is turning it (the old town hall) into a museum for the Historical Society,” McNaughton revealed.

It led Stone to question just “how many artifacts are they talking about storing in there,” further inquiring, “Isn’t there an alternative, like a history classroom, or school library?”

“Do you need to spend millions of dollars to save the building?” Stone inquired.

That is when Committeeman Samuel “Sammy” Moore, who was mayor at the time the Village Greene plan was unveiled, asserted, “I think Natalie is correct, we need to look at it.” As he expressed his agreement with Stone, that is when an audience member shouted, the town hall (located in the town center), is a “staple of the town!”

A fter some more prote st from McNaughton, Moore responded by maintaining, “We are trying to be fiscally responsible.”

“People hold sentiments that this is ‘sentimental’ to me, and this can never be done,” Moore said. “But to dump $5 million in a building, that might not be responsible to taxpayers either, from the other angle. I am open minded, let’s look at everything.”

Stone, in furtherance of her efforts for the committee to obtain hard costs, including for the option of demoing the shuttered town hall, contended, “from my understanding, it is not historic, it is sentimental.”

“And personally, I am a new resident, and I am here to represent the old, new and everyone in between,” she declared.

“I don’t think it is (but) I don’t know what it costs to say whether it is a wise expenditure of tax dollars to dump millions of dollars into the old town hall to store artifacts.

“It is great if there can be a grant given for that, but from what I heard, the grants are not going to be for millions

of dollars. But no matter what, there are numbers being thrown around, from $2 million to $5 million, and it should be real numbers, so we can see real numbers.”

Tabernacle Town Hall was originally the Jr. O.U.A.M. or Junior Mechanics Hall, as indicated by a historical marker outside the facility, and the facility was built in 1874 by the Order St. Mechanics (which became the Junior Order United American Mechanics No. 49) and was given to the township in 1960.

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES ♦ Page 8 The Tabernacle Historical Society’s webpage not only identifies the building as one of 32 “historical sites,” but the facility is identified on an official “Historical Featu re s of Tab er nacle Tow nsh ip, Burlington County, New Jersey” map from the “Tabernacle Master Plan Program,” which is accessible, as of press time, via the Historical Society’s website.

Boyd, in ultimately being given an See DEMOLITION/ Page 14

PUZZLE NO. 003

ACROSS

1. Terrifies 5. Sort of resort 8. Diner 12. Painful 13. Lubricate 14. Ship’s bottom 15. That woman’s 16. Voyage part 17. Element 18. In flames 20. Head gestures 21. Foamed 24. Tropical snake 26. Sultan’s group of wives

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27. Not damp 47. Prohibit 7. Branch of math shape 28. Cereal grass 48. Trickle 8. Great Wall site 29. Deputy 31. ____ up 52. Made cold 9. Mobile or 30. Prepared a (confess) biography golf ball 53. Put into service starter 32. Assumed name 54. Little songbird 33. Spotted beetle 34. Compete 38. Fame 55. Popular flower 10. Ran 35. Road bend 56. Hairstyling help 11. “Desire Under 39. Groom’s partner the ____” 36. Linger 40. Wall section 57. Urgent want 19. Mare or hen 37. Barter 41. Fuss 21. Footwear 39. Small gardening DOWN 42. Mexican fare 22. Some animal 43. Tomahawks 1. Fire leftover plot feet 40. Removed the 2. Deep sorrow 45. Lighten coating of 3. Take a wrong 23. Coffee 49. Raw metal containers turn 41. Top-billed 50. Final letter 25. Pearl source player 4. Bagel seed 51. Conclude 27. Remove sand 44. Desire 5. Well-built 46. Cab 6. Sailor’s landing 28. Racetrack ANSWERS ON PAGE 11

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FEUD

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

(Continued from Page 3) on whether Johnson, after having been elected to the Pinelands Regional school board last November, was “allowed to be sworn in” (which she was at the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting), and whether she would be “conflicted” by evaluating McCooley’s position, and voting on her employment or on “matters concerning other administrators with whom she has publicly taken issue.”

What may have motivated those queries was an email exchange three days earlier between the two, which was made public

by Ruch, that revealed the level of personal vitriol involved in their relationship.

It began with a query from Johnson to McCooley and Business Administrator/ Board Secretary Amanda Miller as to whether she would be “extended an invite to meet and get the paperwork you provided like the other elected officials,” to which McCooley responded by asking whom she was addressing and if her reference to a meeting could be more specific.

“Melissa, let’s not play these games,” replied Johnson, who then contended she had been told that McCooley and Miller had met with and given paperwork to the two other newly elected board members and to “please remember come Jan. 3 to watch your email tone as I will be one of nine members that hold your contract.”

Her hackles evidently raised by the tone of Johnson’s email, the superintendent responded, “My ‘contract?’” She then advised Johnson, “You will address me as Dr. McCooley or Mrs. McCooley” before noting that Miller could set up a time for such a meeting.

“I will not, Melissa,” Johnson retorted.

“You work for the Board. The Board is your boss, you are a direct report, your superiors. You answer to the Board.”

“I really thought you would put aside your attitude for the sake of the students but see I have expected too much from you,” Johnson went on. “It is a shame and very unbecoming to act so unprofessional and insubordinate. No reply from you is needed, as I am sure you will just make things worse for yourself in this instance.”

T he n, a sk i ng M i l ler (whom she addressed as Amanda) to email her the information she had “so graciously provided” to the two new “male” board members, Johnson asserted, “I don’t feel safe being in a room with Melissa after her hostile exchange and it won’t be conducive to the students and staff.” Johnson then asked Miller to “please let me know who our board attorney is and their email,” and signed it “Stephanie.”

The level of mutual antipathy reflected in those emails, however, took a bit more time to be echoed at the Jan. 22 board meeting, where Bonicky rather than McCooley, got into a verbal clash with Johnson, whose ire was increasingly aroused by his rebukes as they grew in intensity.

The first reference to the situation, in which Johnson wasn’t even named, came from Board Member Betti Anne McVey, who had nominated Bonicky at the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting, crediting him with teaching her “about what a professional, ethical board member can be” (with Johnson registering the only “no” vote after nominating Lisa Betty

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM for the post). After praising McCooley’s leadership, McVey said she would “also like to perhaps request at our next meeting, if time will allow, some training in board decorum and review the policies that we have that govern board member behavior.”

McVey added that she wanted to remind her fellow members “that we have a student sitting on our board and many times there are students in the audience, and we need to behave at a very high level and treat each other with respect and act like adults.”

When it came Bonicky’s turn to speak, he launched into a lecture directed at Johnson that soon degenerated into a loud and highly personal argument between the two of them, the aftermath of which ended up spilling over, complete with some rather raw rhetoric, into the community at large.

It began with the newly-elected president saying he wanted “to talk to our group again about trust and transparency and working together,” and promising to answer any question “in any form, public or private.” But when Johnson attempted to make a comment (which was inaudible) after Bonicky asserted that “you can’t ever accuse me of hiding something,” he replied. “That’ll be enough of you,” and went on to repeat what he’d just said about having nothing to hide.

Bonicky then referred to his having “come across this open group chat about being a new board member,” and hearing remarks (evidently made by Johnson) “about how the superintendent and current board don’t like me.” Then, addressing Johnson directly, he asserted, “I don’t know how you come to that end,” to which she responded, “How do you not?”

At that point, the board’s newly elected vice president, August Daleo, attempted to tone down the discussion by interjecting, “Easy, come on,” but Bonicky, contending, “This is my floor,” continued reprimanding Johnson for having publicly aired her frustration over what she apparently regarded as having been snubbed and not given an introduction meeting.

“To spew that into the public and (social media) chatter just creates negativity, and I want this negativity to end,” he declared, adding that she had known who the board members and counsel were prior to becoming a member herself.

Bonicky then took Johnson to task for claiming that “the president says I am to use the superintendent’s proper title and not call her by her first name.”

“My light scolding was because you called her ‘Missy,’” he maintained. “That was direct disrespect. I want to respect you, and it is hard to.”

He then made a point of his own previous unfamiliarity with her by claiming that, “We’ve never met. I could never pick you out of a lineup. I don’t know who you are, I don’t, and you don’t know me, do you? You don’t.”

When Johnson replied that she knew what she had seen during the preceding two weeks, he further ratcheted up the tone of his tongue-lashing, remarking that what she had seen during that time was “because of your own disregard for decorum and human decency.”

When Johnson then asked why he was lecturing her in public, Bonicky retorted, “Because all of this was in public.”

Johnson, however, denied having said anything about the matter publicly, claiming her comments were directed to See FEUD/ Page 10

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FEUD

(Continued from Page 9) the New Jersey School Boards Association and repeating that assertion after Bonicky called it a “public group chat.”

Bonicky then turned his attention to a flier that Johnson had reportedly used during her campaign as a candidate for the school board, producing one and saying, “I need to know how something like this gets out.”

Johnson responded by claiming that the fliers at issue had been stolen by “her husband” (apparently referring to McCooley’s) and in any event were covered by her freedom of speech rights under the First Amendment.

“Freedom of speech is great,” the board president retorted. “But let me tell you something—you put a red slash through my name. That is disgusting.”

Johnson then went into her own rebuke of Bonicky for having been “the one who resigned because it was too tough for you” (a reference to his having previously quit the school board in the midst of a 2019 meeting, before being reinstated two years later).

“And now the school is doing good and you’re coming in to be voted,” Johnson declared. “Shame on you for being president.”

She added, “This is ridiculous. If you want to lecture me, you don’t have to do it in public to see how petty and immature you are,” to which Bonicky responded, “You are.”

“How am I immature?” Johnson then asked, at which point Board Solicitor William S. Donio attempted to intercede and Betty, the board member Johnson had supported for board president, interjected, “Stephanie please, Stephanie, stop!” Johnson, however, went on with her polemic, asserting that she was “trying to do what I’m supposed to by asking questions of Ms. Miller,” and suggesting that she be properly introduced as a board member, despite Bonicky’s telling her, “That’ll be enough.”

Bonicky then declared the board forum over, noting, “I’m going to ask for a motion

to adjourn the meeting,” which was approved, even as Johnson admonished the board president, “You never once reached out to introduce yourself—none of the board members did.”

But even after the session was adjourned, the discussion continued, with Johnson telling those in attendance, “Everybody’s welcome to stay if you would like to listen” and then proceeding to engage Bonicky, who banged his gavel at one point, in what appeared to be a finger-pointing quarrel.

From there, however, what she purportedly had to say proceeded to get considerably uglier, with much of what went on being recorded on audio and video, even while attempts were made to clear the area of the meeting’s trappings and participants being told, “It’s over, let’s go!”

According to a transcript of a recording of what was said immediately following the formal session, which was posted at “The Real Parents of Pinelands Little Egg Harbor JHS and H.S.” site on Facebook, Johnson’s use of profanity began with her assertion that “I can’t be intimidated, and I will call her Missy, or Miss McCooley, or whatever the f*** I want to call her, and you can’t tell me.”

At that point, Assistant Superintendent Gina Frasca is quoted as saying, “That’s it! Where’s Ron? (An apparent reference to a security guard). Where did Ron go?”

Johnson is then reported to have said, “Will you stop?” before launching into some even more obscene invective, to which McVey is quoted as having responded, “Enough is enough” and Donio as having said, “I would just caution everyone.”

According to the transcript, Johnson then went on to talk about already being aware that the board’s legal firm, of which Donio is a member, was Cooper Levenson, as if there was nothing particularly unusual about saying what she had just uttered in a school board meeting setting.

I n a s ub s e qu e nt exc h a ng e a l s o purported to have taken place during the unauthorized encore to the meeting, Johnson was asked by Donio “not to use

profanity and not to be saying you can call anybody by any name you want and use precaution” as “there could be ethics charges,” to which she replied, “Then file ethics charges against me.”

Donio’s reported response was, “I don’t file ethics charges.”

At another point in the post-session hubbub, McCooley appears to be shouting back in Johnson’s direction.

But what was perhaps most bewildering and bizarre about the whole post-meeting episode was the subsequent conveying of the context to the student body via email, purportedly from Johnson’s account, with no explanation of either how that could have come about or whether the responsible party actually was Johnson.

McCooley’s reaction was to send out an email directed to “Pinelands Staff & Students,” which read, “The email you received from board member Johnson should never have been sent to you.

Please disregard and delete. My deepest apologies for this disgusting behavior,” adding, “Please contact me directly with any questions or concerns.”

Another email about the matter that she reportedly sent to parents claimed students had been “advised to delete this email immediately” and that “we are addressing the situation.”

However, the administrator of the Facebook site where that reply was posted, named Kelly Ann, also made a point of posting a previous such message from the superintendent—one she said had been sent out Jan. 18, in which McCooley also apologized for a “previous email that went out to all staff/students,” noting “It has been fixed.”

Accompanying copies of that apology and the message to which it referred was a note from the administrator intended to “make parents aware” that five days prior to the dissemination of the offensive email, another message had been sent out to all the students by the superintendent “that shouldn’t have been,” followed by a second one apologizing for the first.

The administrator also claimed to have

been told that the Board of Education had no access to student emails. “So, explain that,” she said. “Here is a copy that I have received from a parent showing you all this isn’t the first time”—one involving the “same scenario just a different person from school. Also, IT (information technology) has access to the Board’s emails.”

Just who might have been responsible for the exposure of the student body to the kind of foul language reportedly used by a member of the school board following a meeting has since been the subject of a range of conjecture from the parents of the kids who received the obscene email.

“And we thought last year’s board was a problem,” said one Facebook posting from “top contributor” Donna Mathis Licciardello.

“What is the deal with Stephanie Johnson and her trash mouth at a public meeting then sending a transcript to the kids???”

A contrasting opinion, however, was offered in a post by Amanda Danny: “I wouldn't be surprised if McCooley set it all up herself TBH (to be honest).”

Ruch, meanwhile, posted a message on his page claiming that the email involved, which he attributed to Frasca, “contains transcripts and recordings taken extremely out of context.

“What really happened, Ruch claimed, “is that Mr. Bonicky used his board forum time to harass Mrs. Johnson,” then adjourned the meeting rather than let her respond, but “continued attacking Mrs. Johnson.”

“Why would Mrs. Johnson forward an email that paints her in a bad light without also providing her side of the story? It doesn't make any logical sense.

She doesn't need to show how the current administration does not like her as there are plenty of instances of that fact already on public record.”

Ruch also charged that “Pinelands has a record of having ‘security issues’ regarding their email, including one involving the late Pinelands Board President Thomas “Tommy” Williams, which involved See FEUD/ Page 12

Page 11 ♦

WORSHIP GUIDE

RESTRICTIONS (Continued from Page 6)

But spokespersons for organizations that represent the area’s outdoor recreation enthusiasts have already been quite outspoken in their responses to the proposal.

South Jersey Kayak community leader Bill Caruso, for example, pointed out that it would shut down “legal, safe access to dozens of places along the waterways of Wharton State Forest previously accessible with legal vehicles for kayaking/canoeing, instead leaving only a few legal alternatives, which are already overcrowded.

“These massive closures are overwhelmingly opposed by NJDEP survey respondents and do nothing to address the problems identified by those who support them,” Caruso added.

“Instead, we should be working toward an increase in volunteerism, education, maintenance and enforcement, which are almost universally supported.”

Steve Szabo, president of the nonprofit Pine Barrens Venom Jeep Club, contended that the proposal “will cause heartache for so many,” noting how important the exploration of the forest has been for parents “seeking to unplug their children from electronics” and for those whose children suffer from disabilities.

“The elderly not being able to hike, but drive and unwind from life's hustle and fastpaced bustle is also a crucial element,” he said.

“The forest is there for all to use and enjoy.”

Szabo added that should the road closures take place, “these families will lose so much, and this is just a drop in the huge bucket of

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM reasons to keep our forest roads open.”

And Ben Ruset, who operates the website NJPineBarrens.com, issued this statement: “Speaking as an environmentalist and a historian of the Pine Barrens, shutting down roads that have been in use for hundreds of years without performing scientific environmental impact studies or taking into account the impact to the public's access is a bad idea. This is too big of a decision to allow a special interest group with a vested interest in reducing access to the Pine Barrens to dictate to the NJDEP. People generally agree that specific areas of concern may need to be closed temporarily, but there needs to be data to back up those decisions as well as more outreach done to make sure that the maximum number of groups can provide input on how our public land is managed.

This shouldn't be something decided on solely by a special interest group that has an unreasonably outsized influence with the people in charge of managing Wharton State Forest to the detriment of everyone else.”

Also weighing in against the proposal was newly elected 8th District Republican state Senator Latham Tiver, who urged his constituents “to get educated on what’s happening in your backyard,” noting that he had “fiercely argued against the NJDEP’s original plan to make people pay hundreds of dollars for yearly permits to drive through the forest,” and that while LaTourette had said “a permit system is not being proposed at this point, it remains under consideration.”

A very different perspective, however, was offered in a blog post by Jason Howell of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance (PPA), which noted that “when Wharton State

Saturday, February 3, 2024

Forest was first acquired by New Jersey in the mid-1950s, most of South and Central Jersey was still farmland and forests,” contending that “motor vehicle travel to and through the area by tourists was rare” and the forest area “was envisioned as a low-use natural resource reservoir and recreational destination” for Garden State residents and occasional outsiders.

But “those who initiated the acquisition could not have foreseen the dramatic changes to the region within only a few decades,” the post noted.

Given “increasing rates of issues like illegal dumping, occasional vehicle break-ins, illegal off-road vehicle use, and vandalism,” it noted, “it is more important than ever to have a clear, rational, and science-based visitor-use plan to manage recreation in Wharton State Forest by the many millions of people that will visit in the coming years,” it went on. “Visitor maps like the one in development for Wharton are standard for all National Parks, National Forests, and most State Parks around the country. These plans are critical to ensure that the natural resources that have been entrusted to us will be preserved for our enjoyment and future generations.”

Howell then wrote that he thinks “most residents will support the plan for its goal to expand hiking, biking, paddling, and horseback opportunities while focusing on maintaining the facilities and infrastructure.”

But he predicted that “a small minority of special interest ORV (off-road vehicle) clubs will try to oppose some of the plan’s route designations that prevent motor vehicle use in wetlands and habitat areas.”

“That is why we need forest lovers around

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the area to submit written comments to ensure that the Park Service understands that most people demand that they preserve Wharton’s great natural wonders for the future,” the post concluded.

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FEUD

(Continued from Page 10) an allegation investigated by a police

BASKETS

(Continued from Page 3) asserted. “If they don’t have the money for that, they can’t do anything! It is something Pemberton has been proud of for many, many years.”

In something he wanted to place an emphasis on for this story, Griffin maintained, “When people come through town, whether they are coming through from Trenton, or going through here to get to the shore, they always made a comment,” about how beautiful the flowers looked.

Griffin further declared that, “They know what I am saying is right!”

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to

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cybercrime unit and found to be false.

“There is definitely enough of a history here to be skeptical of the narrative being given by the administration,” he maintained.

Also offered at the page were expressions

of parental dismay, such as this one from Erica Vanarelli: “All of the kids are being told to delete the email, but I would very much like to know what was sent to my child!”

figure out Mr. Simpkins was right!” Griffin told this reporter. “He started the flowers.

He was the one who put those things up, or started the lights the way they are. He was very, very proud of those, in fact. And I tried to keep it up.”

The flower baskets, he added, are “not her (Haines’) idea” and “not my idea,” pointing out the late Simpkins “had them on more streetlights than I did.”

It was Councilwoman Melissa Tettemer, on Jan. 18, following Haines’ reduction request, who raised the prospect of placing banners on the poles that would be without the baskets (some towns recognize the seasons on them, while others honor local veterans or encourage shopping local).

“Are they cheaper than flower baskets?”

a ske d Ha i ne s , to wh i ch Tet t e m e r responded, “In the long run, yes.”

“You can build it (the supply of them) up and stagger them also,” Tettemer added.

“And we can get them for the seasons and the holidays.”

Tettemer had apparently passed around an estimated cost for purchasing some seasonal items, and on that list included banners, but when it was suggested that council may want to act on purchasing the items before a discount was due to expire at the end of the month, Haines responded, “At this point, I don’t know what our budget looks like to do anything with them.”

Council set a budget discussion meeting for Jan. 30, just passed this newspaper’s deadline time.

Page 13 ♦

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DEMOLITION (Continued from Page 8)

opportunity to speak on the matter, recommended that those appointed to a governing body subcommittee earlier in the session to give “direction” on future municipal building plans (with the appointees Stone and current Mayor Mark Hartman), “get together” with he and Brown “to look exactly at where you want to go with it and report back at the next meeting with a recommendation.”

“I th i n k i n me eti ng w ith the subcommittee, we can discuss what the possibilities are for that building, what the requirements would be for the different possibilities – including whether it is used for public, private, or first or second floor use only, and then you can determine which avenue to take,” Boyd added.

Stone asked Boyd, pointblank, to “speak to the condition of this building, as you know it, right here today.”

Boyd, in response, initially recounted that he and a structural engineer were first tasked to study the building in July 2021, and that the report was issued in October 2021, and

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“at that time, the building was stated to be unsafe for human occupancy by an architect and structural engineer,” causing him to issue an “unsafe structure notice.”

Among the “deficits” cited in the report include structural issues with the foundation, support beams and columns holding up the beams and floor joists, all in addition to needed roofing repairs, Boyd said.

The construction official, then in comparing the condition of the building then to now, pointed out “the heat has been turned off for past two years and this has been the first winter where we have had any type of snow since then,” and “there is a degradation of some of the structural beams, and degradation of the foundation wall on the Medford Lakes side, with there now being an opening to the outside.”

“So, that needs to be secured,” he said.

“The degradation in the beam that was there has gotten progressively worse.

So, there needs to be either some type of structural support to help prevent further degradation, or more.”

Boyd added that “regardless of what this committee does” in deciding the current town hall’s future, “something needs to be done” as it is “not getting any better sitting there.”

As he pointed to “numerous instances of freezing and thawing” that “seems to be exacerbated,” Committeeman William J. Sprague, Jr., pointed out the “building is subject to further deterioration because the heat is at a lower level,” with it then revealed, i n response by someone, unidentified, that the “heat is off.”

“Would the building be more stabilized if the heat is on?” asked Sprague in response, to which Boyd answered, “You would have less cold coming in, and less freezing and thawing.”

“It would absolutely be better for that building,” Boyd added. “I do believe the committee directed the administration to turn the heat off.”

Hartman responded that the building was “winterized,” but Sprague shot back, “‘winterized is different than heating a building,” with Sprague explaining that winterizing is just essentially letting the water out while it sits.

“As the temperature changes, the building flexes,” Sprague said.

Hartman began to move on with h is com m ittee report, but Sprag ue interrupted, asking for a motion to “turn the heat back on” in the town hall.

“Can we turn the heat back on with the

Keith Abrams Lic# 1283

way it was shut off?” asked Brown, with Boyd assuring her it could be put back on, and then the governing body was asked for a “recommended temperature.”

Sprague’s motion to “turn the heat back on at a minimum temperature of 45 degrees” was approved unanimously.

P r ior t o h i s mot io n , Tow n s h ip Solicitor William Burns, in seeking a “middle ground” to Stone’s motion for RYEBREAD to produce a cost analysis for the existing town hall, successfully compelled the governing body to instead approve up to $5,000 in spending by the subcommittee, so that they can meet with the township engineer and RYEBREAD between now and the next regularly scheduled session to “come back with all the information on what needs to be done to ameliorate any degradation” and figure out “what needs to be done to bring the building up to private-public use,” as well as look at “what it would cost, if in fact the committee wants to look at demolition.”

“I think that would cover everybody and give the subcommittee a specific task to report back on,” Burns declared.

“I stepped out with the township engineer to see what the soft costs would be, and he thinks it can be done for around $5,000.”

Page 15 ♦

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Saturday, February 3, 2024