Pine Barrens Tribune June 12, 2021-June 19, 2021

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By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

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After 35 Years of Cutting Hair and Conversing with Regular Customers At His Iconic Browns Mills Barber Shop, Ernie Bozarth is Celebrating His Retirement with a Day-Long Party – and Inviting Everyone in Town

Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—After three-and-ahalf decades in the same location, local legend Ernie Bozarth is closing the doors of Ernie’s Barber Shop in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township, marking the end of a long and (quite literally) storied career.

Bozarth’s barbering has spanned nearly

six decades, the last 35 years of which have taken place at the Browns Mills Shopping Center on County Route 530, where his iconic barber shop has been one of the last establishments still open for business.

On Saturday, June 19, Bozarth is going out in style. To celebrate his good fortune here in town – and because he likes parties – there are festivities planned at his barber shop which are scheduled to start around

FR EE

LRHSD Mulls Putting Bond Issue on Ballot with Air Conditioning One of Top Priorities

A view of the inside of Ernie’s Barber Shop, with the wall featuring tools and license plates from countries around the world.

By Judy Cohen Minches

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June 12 - June 18, 2021

ENDING A LONG AND ‘STORIED’ CAREER

10 a.m. and last until approximately 3 p.m.

He has lined up Jerry Jerome’s Colonial Village Catering and Robert “Bubba” Kolbasowski’s “Bubba-Q” to provide the wildly popular spread of chicken and ribs. He is hoping for a large turnout, just as he always has enjoyed for his annual Christmas parties – 57 parties in 58 years See BARBER/ Page 9

SHAMONG—While the first heat wave of the year with temperatures in the low-tomid-90s during the past week may have come as an unwelcome ordeal to both students and teachers of the Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD), where most classrooms still lack air conditioning nearly three years after similar conditions put District Superintendent Dr. Carol Birnbohm in the hot seat with many parents, a solution could now be in the offing.

A plan being jointly formulated by the LRHSD administration and Board of Education would put a bond referendum on the ballots of the communities served by the district for this upcoming November’s election – with creating a cooler environment being one of the ways the administration hopes to “update and enhance” the district’s four regional high schools should the voters approve the proposal.

Birnbohm, in a letter directed last month to “the LRHSD Community,” announced that district officials are “in the early stages” of putting together a proposal for voters to consider next Nov. 2, which would allow the district to borrow money for such projects through the sale of bonds that would involve “a near zero property tax increase.”

Noting that the district is nearing “the payoff point for past debt,” the superintendent maintained that “voter approval for bondbased borrowing would open the door to new state aid for as much as one-quarter of the costs,” and “also would allow us to take advantage of this additional funding from the state at a time when … we are seeing drastic reductions in our annual state aid See BALLOT/ Page 11

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Mayor Seeks to Put Lengthy Clear-Cut Dispute to Rest, But Keeps It Alive by Saying Homes Were ‘Approved’ for Tract When They Have Not Been OK’d by Officials • Committee Does About Face on Requiring Plastic Fencing • DeGroff Acknowledges Matter is Costing Taxpayers Money • Residents ‘At Wits End’ Call for ‘Independent Investigation’

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

WO O DL A N D —W i l l i a m “ B i l l y ” DeGroff, mayor of Woodland Township, declared dur ing a May 26 Tow nship Committee workshop meeting that he wanted to “put this matter to the rest” in regards to a controversial clear-cut a resident had done in 2019 within the municipal rightsof-way of both 12th and 13th streets, along with Prince and Kossuth avenues, because “he is tired” of the lengthy dispute that has followed, entangling the township, which he acknowledged “is costing us money, legal fees and engineering fees.”

But the elected official only gave rise to new questions during the May 26 governing body session by telling Darlene Hatfield, a resident who has been adversely affected by what occurred, that homes are “approved” for the aforementioned area, despite that apparently not being the case.

Additionally, raising further questions is that the governing body, in a sudden about face, reversed its decision made a month ago to require plastic fencing at the site to protect seedlings being planted to revegetate the cleared area.

Stanley Worrell, who had ordered the clear-cut, previously maintaining that he created a firebreak despite having submitted development applications to the Pinelands Commission, had reached an agreement with the township committee on Aug. 26, 2020, to revegetate the cleared area with 600 pitch pine trees per acre, while maintaining a firebreak along what is known on paper as 13th Street.

Evan Crook, township solicitor at the time the agreement had been approved by the governing body, contended that as part of it, the firebreak can be maintained by Worrell “with the understanding that he is not moving ahead with his application to develop single family homes.”

Township Administrator and Clerk Maryalice Brown, during that same August 2020 meeting, maintained that as part of the township committee revegetation plan approval, “let it be known that if Mr. Worrell should decide to move forward with any kind of subdivision, or further building of private residences, he would still need to go through with Pinelands Commission and any Land Use Board approvals, as per the zoning ordinances.”

Nonetheless, according to Paul Leakan, a spokesman for the Pinelands Commission, in a June 2 email sent to this newspaper, despite what the mayor said on May 26, “the Pinelands Commission has not approved the construction of homes on the lands that are adjacent to the cleared municipal rightsof-way.”

DeGroff’s May 26 remarks about homes being approved for the clear-cut site are just the latest in a series of suspect dealings and statements having to do with the matter, with both Darlene and Milton Hatfield telling this newspaper in an interview after the May 26 governing body session that they now want an “independent investigation” of the entire ordeal, with the couple noting that they are considering sending a letter to a state “ethics committee” or “grievance board,” which they claim refers matters for review and further action to the state Attorney General’s Office.

“Then, if they think it should go to the attorney general, they then take it to the

attorney general,” declared Milton Hatfield.

The Hatfields added that they also would welcome a probe by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, adding, “we’re at our wits end.”

“Yet again, this is something that the mayor throws under the rug,” declared Darlene Hatfield to this newspaper. “I feel Stanley should have gotten some kind of fine or something. We went through hoops even to put in our electric. My husband and I had to go through 25 years of BS to get approvals to put in a road to our home. How can he get away with destroying all this and not even get a slap on the wrist?”

The Hatfields told this newspaper that they believe there is a double standard in town, and simply do not understand why penalties have not yet been prescribed in the clear-cut matter. Milton Hatfield pointed out that the township threatened a small business owner (as previously reported by this newspaper) last year with a weekly $1,500 penalty for having a commercial sign advertising his business at the entrance to his residential driveway, which he said that he views as a far less insignificant offense of local law compared to someone clearing nearly three-acres, along township paper streets, without approvals.

“We would be in jail for 60 days if we did something like this,” Darlene Hatfield maintained to this newspaper. I just feel what they have done with Stanley is all favoritism.”

Darlene Hatfield ma i nt a i ne d that DeGroff previously “made the comment” to her and her husband in their living room that he is friends with Worrell and grew up with him, but that, as far as she is concerned, “friendship goes out the door” when one is charged with making decisions on the dais in the best interests of the public.

The Hatfields added that they believe “this could have been stopped a long time ago” by the governing body and township officials simply carrying out their fundamental responsibilities in checking that Worrell was “up to (meeting) all the requirements for Pinelands” for the project, instead of just assuming he was creating a firebreak and “going by his word.”

The Pine Barrens Tribune previously reported that officials had at least some advance knowledge of the clear-cut Worrell planned to undertake, and that he intended to build homes in the area of the clearing.

And that is why the Hatfields told this newspaper they are troubled when they hear the mayor remarking he is tired of the matter and wants to just put it to rest.

During a July 15, 2019, special township committee meeting, DeGroff, as previously reported by this newspaper, initially suggested that he didn’t think that the township committee had knowledge of Worrell’s intentions. Shortly thereafter, however, is when Deputy Mayor Mark Herndon recalled what was said to the municipality in previous years, details of which contradicted the mayor’s claim.

“Years ago, he came to the land use board and said he wanted to clear a street, 13th Street,” said Herndon during a special July 15, 2019, township committee meeting.

“He wanted it to go straight. He took it to Pinelands; and they said, ‘We don’t want you to take it to the street. We want you to make it with a jog in it, a dog leg.”

See MAYOR/ Page 7

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Williams Resigns from Pinelands Regional Board Citing Health Issues, Only 10 Weeks After Being Named Its President as Result of Voting Deadlock Divided Board Is Again Obligated to Elect New Leader

By Bill Bonvie

retiring with the rank of lieutenant, said his decision to resign from the board came after “some minor health things turned into major LITTLE EGG HARBOR—Pinelands ones,” rendering him “unable to perform the Regional Board of Education President duties I was elected to do.”

Thomas D. “Tommy” Williams Jr. has “I have always voted the best way I felt resig ned from the board for healthserved our community,” he added. related reasons after serving as a member representing Bass River Township for the Williams was named board president (a past two decades. post in which he had served once before) back Wi l l i a m s , who h a d in March by the executive s er ve d at the board’s county super intendent helm for just two-andfollowing a reorganization half-months, gave official meeting at which the ninenotice of his resignation in member board repeatedly a letter to Superintendent deadlocked in attempting Dr. Melissa McCooley and to elect a new leader, his fellow board members, the result, in part, of a dated June 2. delay in seating a newly “It is w ith a he av y elected member due to heart that I must tender a “processing backlog” my resignation from the in conducting criminal Pinelands Regional Board background checks. of Education, effective Williams, who has immediately, due to my questioned the way the ongoing and recurring district was being led by Photo By Ryan Marchese health issues,” Williams McCooley, whose contract noted in the letter, saying Thomas D. “Tommy” Williams is coming up for renewal, it has been an honor and Jr., who resigned June 2 from acknowledged in a March a privilege to serve the the Pinelands Regional Board of 17 phone interview with district and community Education. this newspaper that he had on the board for the last been given a chilly reception 20 years. “I wish you all nothing but success by the divided board upon assuming the as you move the district forward.” post.

In a brief conversation with this reporter “My priority is to have openness, on June 7, Williams, a 33-year lawhonesty, and transparency for all – the enforcement veteran who served with the See BOARD/ Page 6 Little Egg Harbor Police Department before Staff Writer

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Medford Posts Warning About Infection in Dogs, But Not All Veterinarians Concur with That Claim

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

MEDFORD—Reports about dogs being afflicted with an upper respiratory ailment, which seem to have been disseminated via a kind of online grapevine, have prompted the Township of Medford to warn residents to temporarily avoid using the local dog park, with at least one local animal hospital agreeing that there does indeed appear to be something out there, and a couple more indicating there could well be.

Calls to other veterinarians in the area, however, as well as to the Burlington County Animal Shelter, have yielded no further indication that the problem is as prevalent as has been claimed on Facebook by “Freedom Barks,” a nonprofit that supports the dog park, which is located at the township’s Freedom Park.

But the township considered it a serious enough concern to post a warning to dog owners on its official Facebook page on June 4.

“It has come to the attention of township officials that a number of area dogs have been diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection, a.k.a. ‘kennel cough’,” the posting read. “Veterinarians are reporting that dogs afflicted are quite contagious, even to dogs with the Bordetella vaccine. Out of an abundance of caution, municipal officials are recommending that visits to the Freedom Park Dog Park be suspended for one week to help prevent the spread of this illness amongst our pet guests.”

A few minutes later, the warning was shared on the “Freedom Barks” page with an added note that the group’s volunteers would “be posting this message all over social media and on signs out at the park” and urging readers to “please help spread

awareness about this contagious infection to any other dog owners you know!”

The message, which got 136 shares and 21 comments, was followed by an addendum that “this decision was made so that we can be proactive in preventing this illness from coming to the dog park and being spread here.”

While noting that the group had “not received any notifications from park patrons about dogs having already contracted this virus at the dog park,” the posting contended that the reported illness “is everywhere,” and that comments about it had appeared “on various Facebook posts from other areas like Cherry Hill, Gloucester, and Philadelphia.”

“Before spending time around other dogs, whether at a dog park, grooming salon, daycare/boarding kennels, etc., we urge owners to please consult with their veterinarians for their recommendation on what activities are safe to do with your dogs while this illness is still prevalent,” it concluded.

A local veterinarian, Dr. Correen McCann, who operates Medford Animal Hospital, when contacted by this newspaper, confirmed that she and her staff have seen “an uptick in canine infectious respiratory disease over the last two or three weeks,” although those cases “have been pretty mild.”

“Our doctors have seen probably eight to 10 in the last few weeks, locally, which is more frequent than what we normally see,” she said, adding that the two she had personally treated both tested positive for the parainfluenza virus and Bordetella, a bacterial infection, despite the dogs involved having been vaccinated against those conditions, as well as for mycoplasma, See DOGS/ Page 5

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

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Tabernacle Squad Made Shamong’s Official EMS Provider, Paving Way Toward ‘Vision’ of ‘Pinelands Regional Rescue’

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SHAMONG—Tabernacle Rescue Squad (TRS) has become the official provider of emergency medical services in Shamong Township, taking over for Shamong EMS, which had been established as a division of the Indian Mills Volunteer Fire Company in 1992.

Shamong Mayor Timothy Gimble noted at a recent Shamong Township Committee meeting that the move is part of a “future vision” where other emergency medical service entities in the Pinelands region would ultimately consolidate to form “Pinelands Regional Rescue” to provide coverage.

Repor tedly due to Shamong EMS re c ently exp er ienc i ng a shor t age of volunteers, TRS had already “kind of become primary responders” to Shamong medical emergencies, according to Shamong Township Administrator Susan Onorato at an April Shamong committee meeting.

An agreement between Shamong and TRS for the provision of emergency medical services was approved by the Shamong committee during its May meeting.

A second agreement with Tabernacle Township for “the use of Tabernacle’s assets relative to TRS services and reimbursement of costs allocated to Shamong,” was approved by the Shamong committee during its June meeting.

As part of that second agreement, according to Onorato, Shamong EMS assets “will go in the name of Tabernacle Township” with the latter paying the “insurance premiums on everything.” A resolution adopting the second agreement notes that Tabernacle will be the “lead agency” with regard to insurance coverage and will allow Shamong to “contribute to the costs of same.”

Onorato, in further explaining the ag re ement, said that an a mbu lanc e owned by Shamong will be transferred to Tabernacle Township, and that the latter municipality will “take on responsibility for insuring that.” Shamong, however, will be “reimbursing Tabernacle for the workers’ compensation to our volunteers,” she noted.

Onorato also stated that two additional ambulances owned by Indian Mills will be transferred to Tabernacle Township and its fire department through a separate agreement.

“There are a lot of different moving agreements due to the nature of the beast,” she said. “It is a two-step program for us.”

The first step, she contended, was memorializing the agreement with TRS, which “has been serving our community most of this year.”

What Shamong Solicitor Doug Heinold called “the most immediate of the issues”

and that has apparently not yet been fully resolved is how balance billing for Shamong residents will be handled moving forward.

According to Onorato, TRS wants Shamong to reimburse it for “any money that does not get collected from our residents, after services get billed to a resident’s insurance company” in exchange for “saving and replacing equipment going forward.”

Ambulances, she said, “are not cheap” with retrofit estimated to cost about $100,000, and the purchase of a new one about $200,000.

“We will be reimbursing TRS for balance billing on calls serviced to Shamong residents, in Shamong, for this calendar year as we work through this process of coming up with an agreement,” Onorato said.

In April, when a resolution authorizing an agreement between Shamong and TRS first appeared on a Shamong committee agenda, Michelle Wells, a past chief of Shamong EMS, disputed the need for the takeover, contending that Shamong EMS members “did not even have a vote” and that “she doesn’t agree from a manpower perspective.” She further contended that Dave Taylor, who has served as Shamong’s EMS chief from August 2007 through December 2014, and again for the past 16 months, has always wanted “Tabernacle to take our squad.”

“With the transfer to Tabernacle – I don’t see that is what this is,” replied Gimble to Wells. “This is a future vision, beyond even Shamong, where everyone related to Pinelands area – Lumberton, Chatsworth, Southampton, Atco, etc., (join forces). Our problem is the number of volunteers. …

Unfortunately, we just do not have people coming to volunteer their time. It is a big ask.”

Gimble contended that he is just “not sure how we sustain ourselves where we are today” if the decision is not made to enter into an agreement with TRS. “I don’t see it just as a transfer to Tabernacle,” he reiterated. “I think Shamong will be an equal partner and I hope that we will be able to do this for a long time – for five, 10, 15 or maybe 20 years.”

After Wells claimed that Taylor would not let certain people go on emergency runs, contending he didn’t want older volunteers “tainting” the younger ones with negative thoughts, Gimble maintained that there is a shortage of volunteers, and that the Shamong committee is both “thinking about the protection of the people of Shamong” and “thinking 10 to 20 years down the road,” when it suspects state and federal requirements will become even more burdensome and volunteers will be even See TABERNACLE/ Page 6

Saturday, June 12, 2021

Fire Destroys Home in Pemberton Township PEMBERTON—A fire on the morning of May 30 destroyed a two-story house on Chippewa Trail in the Country Lakes section of Pemberton Township, leaving the individual occupying the premises with four dogs and a cat searching for new lodgings.

Nobody was injured in the blaze, which began during the late morning hours and had been brought under control by late afternoon, with members of the Pemberton Tow n sh ip Volu nt e er Fi re Comp a ny responding, according to township Business

Administrator Daniel Hornickel.

A GoFundMe page launched by a neighbor to help the occupant replace some of his furnishings and household items, and put down a deposit on a new rental, had already raised $3,940 toward a $5,000 goal by June 9. It can be accessed at https:// gofund.me/29dced74.

Details about how the fire started were unavailable as of this newspaper’s deadline time.

Driver Injured When Pickup Slams into Tree MEDFORD—A Sicklerville motorist was reported seriously injured on the night of June 4 when his Dodge pickup truck went off Hartford Road, north of Taunton Road in Medford Township, and crashed into a tree.

The 62-year-old driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, was initially

entrapped inside and was extricated with the assistance of members of the Medford Fire Department and Medford EMS, which transported him to Cooper Trauma Center in Camden.

His identity was not available as of press time.

Boat, Trailer Stolen from Medford Driveway MEDFORD—A 2008 Triumph 120CC boat and 2008 EZ Loader trailer were stolen from the driveway of a residence on Nottingham Drive in Medford Township at approximately 4 a.m. on May 29, according

to a Medford Township Police report.

A witness reported observing the boat and trailer being towed by an unknown make/ model burgundy pickup truck, police said.

The theft was reported under investigation.

Republican Establishment-Backed Candidates Prevail in Contested Shamong, Gubernatorial Primary Races

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SHAMONG—Republican establishmentbacked candidates for Shamong Township Committee, Brian Woods and Christopher Zehnder, prevailed over their opponent Tuesday, Kyle Oifer, in a GOP Primary to take on any Democratic challengers in November’s General Election for two open seats on the governing body.

Woods received 358 votes, while his running mate, Zehnder, received the most votes with 431. Oifer only garnered 264 votes.

The Shamong GOP race was the only contested municipal-level primary in our coverage area.

No Democrats, however, had filed a petition for Shamong committee ahead of the Democratic Primary, also held Tuesday.

Any potential Democratic challenger to Woods and Zehnder is now dependent on whether the Democrat who received the most write-in votes for Shamong committee accepts the nomination. There were 19

write-in votes cast by local Democrats, but it wasn’t immediately clear who received the majority of those votes, or whether any of the names were legitimate.

Shamong is a Republican stronghold in Burlington County.

According to Joanne Robertson, deputy township clerk for Shamong, Republican Committeemen Michael Cooney and Sean Gray have decided not to seek re-election this year.

“Committeeman Gray is in his 15th year of service and Committeeman Cooney is in his 6th year,” Robertson noted.

Oifer, in a June 9 statement posted with a corresponding concession speech video posted to Facebook, noted that he was “voting Brian Woods in November!”

“The Oifer campaign did not do as well as we had hoped, but as Arnold Schwarzenegger says, ‘I’ll be back!’” declared Oifer. “I just want to take a minute out of my day to thank you for taking a minute out of your See CANDIDATES/ Page 10

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Saturday, June 12, 2021

GETTING Out & About AGAIN

LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

♦ Page 5

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Southampton Township Girl Scout Brownie Troop 20138 and Southampton Girl Scout Daisy Troop 20164 recently worked together to create care packages for the state troopers assigned to the New Jersey State Police Red Lion Station in Southampton, and presented them on May 12. The girls, in addition to assembling items for the care packages, donated over five cases of Girl Scout cookies, according to Julie Maguire, leader of troops 20138 and 20164.

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Wyatt Pharo, 13, a student at Pinelands Regional Junior High School, in honor of National Police Week, raises the flag on May 15 after being at halfmast. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation that designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls is Police Week.

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Last weekend, the second and third grade girls IMAA softball team, from Shamong Township, known as the “Lime Legends,” came in second place in a tournament.

DOGS

(Continued from Page 3) another bacterial strain for which there is no vaccine, but is generally not considered dangerous to dogs.

No canine flu was detected in the animals, however, she said.

“A lot of thos e we looke d at are doing well with appropriate antibiotic therapies,” maintained McCann, adding that unvaccinated dogs or those with comorbidities are more likely to get sicker, and develop pneumonia if not properly treated.

“But the thing with upper respiratory complex in dogs is that no vaccine is 100 percent, and there’s not a single thing that causes it, but a complex of opportunistic infections that go together.”

McCann added that she would not personally put her dog in a kennel at the present time, as such ailments tend to spread far more easily in an indoor environment and

agreed that it might also be best to avoid the dog park for now and contacts with unfamiliar canines, including at the vet’s office.

In next-door Evesham Township, Dr. Charles Bell of the Evesham Veterinary Clinic reported having encountered two recent, rather mild cases of mycoplasma in dogs, resulting in a cough that he considered unusual only because it did not seem to respond to a standard treatment, which was the reason he took a culture.

“In most cases of kennel cough, they just get better,” he said, leading him to suspect there’s a “strain around that is more serious.”

Also weighing in on Facebook was Hartford Animal Hospital of Medford, which posted a warning that “there is an upper respiratory infection going around in dogs,” the main symptom of which is coughing, and that “kennels, grooming parlors, and dog parks have apparently been the places where dogs are picking it up.”

The posting also claimed that a Medford Facebook site had reported one dog having

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died from pneumonia that developed as a complication, and that “at least two local kennels, which offer other services besides boarding, have temporarily shut down as a result of this disease.” It then urged readers to “please keep your dogs out of dog parks, avoid grooming appointments for now, and try to find pet sitters instead of boarding.”

When called by this newspaper, however, a spokesperson for Hartford Animal Hospital said that the veterinarian there, Dr. Mary Gang, had “only seen one case so far,” and suggested that two 24-hour emergency veterinary facilities in the county might be better able to offer more extensive information on the ailment’s spread.

One of those facilities, Northstar Animal Hospital in Maple Shade, was subsequently contacted by this newspaper and asked whether it had any indication of such an outbreak in the past couple weeks, to which a customer service representative replied, “not that I am aware of.” (Two attempts to speak with someone at the second one

proved unsuccessful.)

Responses were similar from Medford’s Village Veterinary Hospital, where a receptionist, when asked whether it had experienced any noticeable increase in respiratory infections lately, answered, “Nothing that we don’t usually see, and treat with antibiotics,” and from Marlton Animal Hospital, whose receptionist replied, “not that I know of – we haven’t seen anything like that.”

An inquiry to the Burlington County Health Department was referred to the county animal shelter in Westampton, whose director, Erica Haines, told this reporter that “from an animal shelter level, we are not aware of anything like that.” She added that adoption rates, which skyrocketed during the pandemic, had slowed down now that people are no longer spending so much time at home and that the shelter was once again becoming “overfilled.”

“We want to let the public know we still have a lot of great dogs and cats up for adoption,” she said.

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LOCAL NEWS / FEATURES

BOARD

(Continued from Page 3) community, the staff, the students and the administration,” said Williams at the time.

“My plan for attempting to bring the board together is to have each and every board member’s views heard and discussed and not just dismissed, whether or not you agree with them or disagree. They are also elected officials and their views should be heard, not stifled.”

In an email response to an inquiry from the Pine Barrens Tribune, Board Secretary and School Busi ne ss Ad m i n istrator Nicholas Brown noted that the board is required to select a new president within 30 days, a process that will take place at its regular June meeting, and has advertised for candidates to fill Williams’ unexpired term

TABERNACLE (Continued from Page 4)

more limited.

“There is going to be a more regionalized c o n n e c t i o n ,” t h e S h a m o n g m ayo r maintained. “That is how the committee shares this vision.”

Rosanne E. Rowe, who was also part of Shamong EMS, maintained that when Wells was chief of the entity, “over 90 percent of the calls were answered,” to which Gimble asked, “But where are we in 2021?” before adding that from the infor mation he received, “we do not have enough people for coverage.”

“We did until all the young ones were ostracized, and were made to leave and were not treated the way a volunteer should be

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM on the board, with a filing deadline of June 25 at 4 p.m.

Qualifying candidates to temporarily fill the vacancy, he said, must be able to read and write, hold U.S. citizenship and have resided in Bass River for at least a year, have no interest in any contract with or claim against the board, not hold a position as mayor or member of the municipal governing body, be registered to vote and not disqualified as a voter under N.J.S.A. 19:4-1, and satisfy a criminal history background check. Each applicant must also submit a “letter of interest,” a resume and one reference letter to his office at the Board of Education, he said.

An individual from Bass River will be chosen in November’s election to permanently replace Williams on the board, beginning in January.

treated,” Rowe retorted. “We had coverage, we answered calls, we did extra things like a horse show. We did an awful lot. It has only been in the last year and three months that there has been no one.”

The mayor, however, continued to maintain the only way forward is “from a business perspective” with a “long-term vision” for Shamong in mind, noting that the idea is there would be a “regional Pinelands organization.”

“It is not transfer to Tabernacle, it is Pinelands Regional Rescue,” said Gimble, noting he would be willing to broker an agreement between Wells, Rowe and TRS to have the two women continue to volunteer.

“Something good will come out of this,” he added. “… Neither one of us will know what Shamong looks like from a protection perspective five years from now if we don’t do something.”

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MAYOR

(Continued from Page 2) “At that time, former Mayor DePetris said, ‘We have no qualms with you clearing it, but who is going to pave it?’” Herndon recalled. “DePetris said we are not paving it.

He said, ‘Well, if I am going to pave it, you have to maintain it.’ That is where it ended.”

Following Herndon’s recollection, Brown said on the record that she too was aware of Worrell’s plan. The mayor then altered his story, putting on the record that the township has no control over what Worrell does and that the township attorney sent Worrell a letter saying that the committeemen had no objections to the installation of a firebreak, as long as he received the appropriate approvals.

“None of us had any idea because he didn’t say when he was going to do this,” said DeGroff at the time. “We should be good because Maryalice emailed him, the lawyer sent a letter we are not objecting to it as long as everything is approved.”

Then, during a July 24, 2019, township committee meeting, Brown informed Worrell that Chuck Horner, director of regulatory programs for the Pinelands Commission, requested that the township issue a citation against him so that he appears in court to answer for the cleared land.

Brown suggested at the time that a judge would rule that Worrell would have to file a retroactive application with the Pinelands Commission within 60 days. She maintained that Horner suggested that the township committee make a motion to allow Worrell to file the application on behalf of the township.

Worrell, who agreed on the record at the time to pay any application fees and fines assessed to him or the township, asked if his doing so, and agreeing to file the application immediately, would negate his having to appear in court. Brown, in response, maintained that the Pinelands Commission still wanted the township to file with the court.

Within a couple days of the township committee vote approving of Worrell to file a retroactive application on behalf of the municipality, however, Brown told this newspaper that the court date was negated because Worrell filed the application.

However, as was later revealed by Leakan, Worrell instead had filed an application for building dwelling units, initially as many as 15.

Wor rel l wou ld not have re qu i re d approvals to conduct land clearing if he created a firebreak. However, land clearing for a development or new street does require approvals.

Chuck Horner, director of regulatory programs for the commission, wrote in an April 27, 2021, letter to Brown, that the

“vegetative clearing undertaken by Stanley Worrell continues to constitute a violation of the application requirements of the Woodland Township land use ordinance and the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP),” signifying that the commission reached a determination that the land that had been cleared was more than a firebreak.

Horner previously proposed that Worrell could “resolve the violation” by including “associated road improvements” within the 12th Street, 13th Street, Prince Avenue and Kossuth Avenue rights-of-way in any application “for the proposed development of n i ne si ng le -fam i ly dwel l i ngs,” or electing to either submit a schedule for the restoration/revegetation of the cleared rights of-way or development application for just the forest vegetation clearing that occurred within the above noted rights-of-way.

“While Mr. Worrell did initiate an application with the commission to build houses fronting on those rights-of-way where the clearing occurred, he has not moved forward with the application,” Leakan told this newspaper on June 2. “To complete the application, the applicant must submit engineered plans that show all proposed development, such as the location of houses, roads, septic systems and stormwater management facilities. After that information has been provided and the application has been completed with the Pinelands Commission, the proposal would then go to the township for its consideration.

“Upon learning of the clearing, the commission staff advised Mr. Worrell that he must complete an application for the clearing of the municipal road rights-ofway or, to address the violation of clearing the road rights-of-way without application to the commission, and the road rights-ofway must be barricaded and re-vegetated.

Mr. Worrell chose to address the violation by re-vegetating.”

As part of the revegetation plan approved by the township committee, Worrell was to install 10-foot gates at two access points to the site, with woven wire secured with wooden posts on either side of the gates.

In addition, the governing body OK’d the placement of fallen trees in the vicinity of the access points to “further restrict vehicular access.”

Horner, in the April 27 letter addressed to Brown, pointed out that correspondence from both Worrell and the township had indicated that three 10-foot gates would be installed at three access points to the site, but that correspondence from Township Engineer Thomas Leisse proposed only two such gates at just two access points, and that a “product detail sheet” that was said to be attached with his letter was actually not.

The regulatory programs director left it up to the township, however, to determine if what is proposed will “resist damage” from motor vehicles attempting to access the site,

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“including motorcycles.”

Additionally, Horner noted that Worrell was “objecting to the installation of temporary plastic fencing along the portions of the Kossuth Avenue right-of-way and the 13th Street right-of-way” and that such fencing would “protect the seedlings that are planted for revegetation from being destroyed by motor vehicles using the now widened rights-of-way.”

“By copy of this letter, we are advising Mr. Worrell that, unless the township determines that the installation of temporary plastic fencing along the above referenced areas is unnecessary, the temporary plastic construction fencing is required to address the violation,” Horner wrote.

The township committee, during its April 28 meeting, as previously reported by this newspaper, deliberated whether the temporary plastic fencing was in fact necessary.

Township Engineer Thomas Leisse, who during the deliberation, said “I would want the orange fencing” and “I would want temporary fencing,” noted that by the township committee members concurring with each other, the governing body was “holding to him (Worrell) to whatever is in the (commission’s) letter.”

D e G rof f t he n s a id he “wou ld b e good” with requiring that Worrell install orange temporary plastic fencing, used for construction, along Kossuth Avenue, between 12th and 13th Streets, to “protect the seedlings he is going to plant.” Daniels and Herndon concurred.

But, during the latest May 26 township committee workshop meeting, held by telephone, with Worrell in attendance and voicing opposition to having to install plastic fencing, and Leisse not present, the governing body did an about face in requiring the plastic fencing.

DeGroff, during that workshop meeting, acknowledged that he and Herndon visited “the property” earlier in the day, while Daniels also noted that he visited it that day, too. The Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) requires any gathering of the majority of the committeemen, especially when there is ensuing discussion about municipal affairs, to be advertised.

“My feeling is Mr. Worrell complied with what the Pinelands has recommended,” DeGroff maintained. “… Mr. Worrell (received the recommendation) to plant 3 to 4-inch seedlings no greater than 10 feet apart on 13th Street and Kossuth. We went out and looked at it today and Mr. Worrell complied with that. And I believe he willing to comply with the gate recommendations from the township engineer and I feel that is all we need at this time.

“I don’t feel that any plastic fencing is going to stop any animal from getting in there. The animals can get in there, over any plastic fencing.”

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Herndon remarked that he agreed with the mayor, adding that the amount of orange plastic fencing the Pinelands Commission is requiring, which he claimed was about a mile in length, would “detract from whatever beauty is left in the place” and “really look bad.” Secondly, he said, if it breaks, “it would end up in every neighboring person’s yard.”

“I don’t think it does that much good in thwarting the animals and traffic,” Herndon maintained. “If a person is on a quad and sees a plastic fence, if he wants to go through it, he is going to go through it. I think it is an unnecessary hurdle and it won’t do much good. I think the detriment far outweighs the good it would do.”

DeGroff contended that there would be more trees planted in the “regrowth” area “then what was originally there,” though, of course, the trees that were there were mature.

Upon Daniels concurring with DeGroff and Herndon, the mayor told Worrell that if he “puts the three gates up” and “follows the recommendations of our engineer,” it will “satisfy this committee and put this matter to rest.”

Worrell replied he would be “more than happy” to install the fencing and gates, but blamed the Pinelands Commission for the hold-up in requiring adjustments to the gates and plastic fencing, adding that he reached an agreement with the township committee a year ago to resolve the issue.

The mayor then noted that he and Brown spoke to Horner earlier in the day on May 26, “and had advised him we were satisfied with the seedlings and gate” (though the noticed committee meetings for May 26 had not been held by that point).

“We want to put this matter to rest,” the mayor contended. “We’re tired of discussing it over and over again. It is costing us money, legal fees and engineering fees. I just want to put this matter to rest. I feel the planting that has been done is sufficient. I believe there is going to be more trees growing up there now than at the time of the clearing.”

Worrell, who noted it was his “heartfelt intent to put this matter to rest,” however, said that before he purchases and puts the gates up, he would need to receive a letter from the Pinelands Commission “that he is no longer in violation.” Township Solicitor William Burns advised the township committee that they could call Horner and ask that they send him a “no further action notice,” and the mayor requested that Brown follow through on doing that.

Darlene Hatfield questioned, however, why the Pinelands Commission would drop the violation against Worrell before the remediation is completed.

“Should he put the gates up first,” asked Hatfield, to which the mayor replied, “Let’s talk to Pinelands first” and that if Worrell See MAYOR/ Page 11

Page 8

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Local legend Ernie Bozarth (left) trims hair from a customer, Ken Feaster, at his iconic barbershop in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township, with Stylist Sherry Mondragun (right) joining a conversation.

As Bozarth looks forward, he is grateful for all the success he has had over the years that has brought him to where he is today.

“I’ve had a wonderful career in this town,” (Continued from Page 1) Bozarth told the Pine Barrens Tribune in an – except for this past year, as a result of the exclusive interview. “I am very fortunate.”

Coronavirus pandemic.

A barber for 58 years, Bozarth has worked Now nearly 80, Bozarth is keeping the six days a week, often for 12 or more hours promise he made to himself many moons ago: each day. To meet the needs of his clientele when he reaches this milestone, he will close his who wanted to stop in before their workdays shop, and he and his wife, Cooky (pronounced would start – many of whom were military Cookie), will ride off into the sunset. personnel at Fort Dix, just a short distance For these two – who have four daughters, away—he opened at around 3 a.m. for years, one son, seven grandchildren and five great later adjusting that time to 5 a.m. grandchildren – this development means Bozarth can remember like it was yesterday they will spend their golden years in Florida, how he found his way into this profession. enjoying the outdoors.

He had just returned home from his

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service in the U.S. Navy when he went to a local barber shop in Vincentown for a haircut. He was charged 85 cents for a cut that took all of three minutes, he said.

Bozarth saw that the barber, who not only made decent money in a short period of time and who had “air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter,” had a good gig going. He decided that this set-up could work for him too, and he enrolled in the Tri-City Barber School in Philadelphia.

He operated a bulldozer in the day and went to school at night. He took to it right away, soon teaching new students how to cut hair, while wondering why he still had to pay tuition.

Bozarth worked for six months for Earl Harker, a barber in Tabernacle, and then moved on to a shop in New Egypt.

Once he completed his apprenticeship and earned his master barber designation, he opened Ernie’s Barber Shop.

Over time, as Bozarth’s business became the “go-to” barber shop for many of the townspeople, the physical property grew into an extension of himself. He installed knotted pine throughout the space to make it possible to display various collections that were important to him. He showcased his motorcycle trophies from years past and hung tools of the trade for cranberry and blueberry cultivation, recalling how, at four years old, he picked blueberries to earn money for the clothing he would need the next year for school.

Before long, he invited customers to hang their own tools on his walls – “they covered about 99 percent,” he said, and every remaining last inch was utilized to exhibit license plates from countries around the world. Now they are all free to take whatever they want now, at no charge.

Ernie’s Barber Shop has become a hub for like-minded people, as well as for those who liked a good debate. Either way, once a customer, always a customer, as well as a friend.

Longtime patron John Ward told this newspaper that Bozarth had become an “icon” in the community not only for his “wealth of knowledge” due to his longevity as a businessman in town but also in light of the

thousands of conversations he has had with his customers for more than half a century.

“He has talked to a lot of people who are knowledgeable about so many things, and a lot of people talk to him freely,” Ward said.

“We tell each other what we think. He is straightforward. He calls a spade a spade.”

Ward revealed the sentimental nature of Bozarth, too: “He has been an excellent friend to a lot of people for a lot of years.”

Ken Feaster, another loyal client, stated that he had gotten his first haircut decades ago from the same man who has more recently given him a “light trim off the ears, just a little scissor cut.”

“It’s the conversation, entertainment, politics and good jokes” that always take place and that keep life interesting, Feaster remarked.

Customer Scott Olshefski – a patron since the ‘80s – agreed that it has always been a good time at Ernie’s Barber Shop.

“I will miss the daily rapport with everyone,” Bozarth said. “I will also miss many of the people here.”

Lots of the regulars have been stopping in for one last haircut and to wish him well, and they are asking the same question: “Where are we supposed to go now?”

Stylist Sherry Mondragun, who joined Bozarth at this location about 25 years ago, is planning to relocate to Columbus Market Barber Shop and hopes clients will follow.

Bozarth said that almost all the other barbershop owners he has known over the years are no longer in business.

“Even the guys I gave their first haircuts to have now retired,” he noted.

A mid-afternoon call to Bozarth asking him to come home for his favorite meal of ham and cabbage was all he needed to pack up for the day.

In response to the question, “How long have you two been married?” he replied, “Not nearly long enough.” He then added, “40 years.”

While Bozarth said he is ready to “sit himself on a rocker and watch the world go by,” he already has a customer scheduled to visit in July, “just in time for his next haircut.”

Page 10 ♦

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day yesterday in voting Column 5 for Kyle Oifer. I am so thankful for each and every one of you who believed in me, took a chance and cast a vote my way.

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somebody so young and his first time in politics,” said Woods, who is also the chief of staff to 8th District GOP Assemblyman Ryan Peters, to this newspaper in a June 10 interview. “I hope he gets involved in the future.”

Woods declared that he is proud of the campaign he and his running mate ran and that they “cannot wait to get to work for Shamong.”

“It is a beautiful town and I am really happy to put my time in trying to help everybody who lives in Shamong,” Woods said.

Property taxes, he said, are “always a big issue in New Jersey” and the Shamong committee “had done a really good job in keeping them stable and even lowering them in some years.”

“I have a lot of experience working on municipal and school budgets, so I can help continue the mission of keeping Shamong affordable for all residents,” Wood added.

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Another priority for Woods is “preserving open space” as more people move to Shamong.

“Shamong is not really a place for high density housing and new warehouses, and stuff like that,” Woods said. “So, definitely preserving the natural beauty of Shamong and keeping it the same town people seek out (is a priority).”

A few days prior to the polls opening, Woods was asked online by a resident, “What is your stance on making Shamong the Pot Capitol of NJ?”, a major initiative of Deputy Mayor Michael Di Croce.

“I don’t have a problem with the plant itself, but would not want to see a sprawl of warehouses built in Shamong as it is not what the township is zoned for or what it needs,” Woods replied. “However, I support farmers and any desire they have to grow on their land, outdoors or in an established greenhouse and help their profits. I think it

is very important to support local farmers.

“It really has to be a balance. I don’t know how Shamong is laid out to possibly even be the ‘Pot Capital of NJ,’ so I wouldn’t want anything that changes the rural, open nature of the town. So, I’d say I’m for what would be within the confines of what the township and its farmers can currently support.”

Woods, in the inter v iew w ith th is newspaper, noted of his running mate that he is an architect, has family members who attend the Shamong Township School District and is a member of some of the local boards, “who helps Shamong out in a lot of ways behind the scenes.”

“I really enjoy partaking in Indian Mills government, and found it exceptional in New Jersey because we find ways to streamline services, and have a culture in the community to be both effective for citizens while not overly extensive to operate See CANDIDATES/ Page 11

Saturday, June 12, 2021

BALLOT

(Continued from Page 1) funding through S-2.”

An online flier accompanying the letter listed completion of “air conditioning and other HVAC, electrical and plumbing upgrades” as being among the prospective strategic planning objectives explored by “community engagement sessions” that a bond issue could facilitate. Others include improving building exteriors and instructional spaces, providing much-used athletic fields with turf surfaces (for those not already so endowed) and installing costsaving LED lighting, as well as creating or renovating press boxes, and expanding vocational programs to offer “more robust, job-ready skills attainment.”

In a June 8 email sent in response to a query from the Pine Barrens Tribune, LRHSD Business Administrator and Board Secretary Connie Stewart confirmed that air conditioning is indeed one of the highest priorities on the agenda for any such new infusion of funds.

“Air conditioning continued to be a strong request for our schools, and the administration hopes to satisfy this need through the referendum process,” she asserted, noting that “more than 1,000 stakeholders” had contributed input to the community engagement sessions at which such objectives were discussed. “ We k n o w t h a t u n c o m f o r t a b l e environments can make it hard for anyone to concentrate,” Stewart said. “This week’s temperatures of 90 degrees have brought that issue back to the forefront, however, climate control is not just something needed for hot days. Other conditions make air conditioning important, too, such as seasonal allergies.”

Facilities under the district’s jurisdiction

MAYOR

(Continued from Page 7) doesn’t put them up, the township can take further action.

In response to another question posed by Darlene Hatfield, the mayor clarified that there are three sites where the gates will be installed: 13th Street and Kossuth Avenue, 12th Street and Kossuth Avenue, and at 13th Street and Prince Street.

During preceding township committee meetings, Darlene Hatfield had described that the clear-cut site, which is directly behind her home, has since been serving as a haven for off-roaders, dirt bikers, ATV enthusiasts, motorcyclists and horseback riders.

The cleared land is accessible from a dirt clearance that connects to Hatfield’s driveway, and she has previously complained to the governing body that the traffic is tearing it up, in addition to freshwater runoff reportedly originating from the cleared land, which is reportedly making access to her home difficult at times.

During the latest May 26 workshop committee meeting, Hatfield asked if the gates will stop “people from coming through,” to which DeGroff replied, “you are never going to stop motorcycles and that type of thing, but, I mean, we hope to, that is our goal.”

“We’re getting people taking our no trespassing signs out of the ground, and

CANDIDATES (Continued from Page 10)

so that we can enjoy our freedoms as much as possible,” said Zehnder to this newspaper in a June 10 interview, noting that he is both a chairman of the township Rent Control

AD HOTLINE: (609) 801-2392 that would be impacted by such improvements include Lenape, Shawnee, Seneca, and Cherokee high schools.

According to Renee Janowicz, account manager with Laura Bishop Communications, which is assisting the district with its communications outreach for this effort, Lenape and Seneca high schools would be the specific beneficiaries of the proposal to add turf playing fields, as those schools currently don’t have them. Turf, she pointed out, has maintenance advantages over grass athletic fields, which are prone to puddling that occasionally causes the cancellation of athletic games.

Courses that might be expanded to help better prepare students for entering various trades, she said, include metalworking and woodworking, the latter which could be broadened to teach carpentry skills.

While such enhanced instruction might not quite qualify as vocational training, she noted, they would help those students to “take a step closer to a career pathway than something like a hobby” by being improved “in a way that allows for a different level of instruction.”

Expanding such programs, Janowicz added, would be done in such a way as to make it possible for students attending any one of the district’s high schools to take advantage of them.

Throughout the process of planning for the referendum, the superintendent’s letter us on noted, LRHSD officials “willfollow continue facebook.com/MedfordUMC working with professionals including the district’s architects and financial advisers,” and “have established a Referendum Communications Committee made up of community members, students and staff,” all of whom will work with the administration and board to keep the public informed.

The particulars of the proposed bond issue have yet to be formulated, according to the letter from Birnbohm.

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taking our reflectors, and they threw them on the roof of our house,” Darlene Hatfield contended. “… This amount of people who are coming here now are really getting on my nerves. The privacy that I had is gone now.”

That is when the mayor replied that “everyone knew eventually homes were going to be built there in that area.”

“It is approved,” DeGroff added. “I am sure within the next few years, you will probably see homes in that area.”

The mayor also remarked that he doesn’t know if one could say that the trespassing is the direct “result of the streets being opened.”

“We can’t keep going on-and-on,” DeGroff added. “It is costing us money, legal fees, engineering fees, and it has got to end.

It has got to end! I believe he (Worrell) met his obligation.”

During the subsequent regular May 26 township committee meeting, Darlene Hatfield and the mayor got into a fiery exchange over those remarks.

“In the workshop meeting, prior to this one, you made a comment that you want this to end,” Darlene Hatfield said. “This could have ended two years ago with the Stanley situation if the township had done their duty and made sure he was in compliance with the Pinelands back then. We wouldn’t be here two years later. You let him get away with a lot and it is unfair to everybody else!”

DeGroff replied “that’s not true” and “that’s not a correct statement,” adding “everything

was done through the township and Pinelands.”

“Now – it has now!” declared Darlene Hatfield. “But two years ago, in 2019, it wasn’t in compliance. He didn’t have Pinelands permission to open up all those roads and lots! This is where it all started!”

Darlene Hatfield then pointed to past claims that the then-committeemen (which included DeGroff and Herndon) happened to be away on vacation when Worrell performed the clear-cut, chastising them for “going away and letting him do it behind your backs.”

“What do you mean going away?” said DeGroff angrily. “I am not allowed to go on vacation?! I didn’t find out about it until I got back!,” to which Darlene Hatfield contended, “Not according to Stanley – he said he got all the township committee approvals!”

“Did anybody really check to see if he had compliance and approval through the Pinelands?” Darlene Hatfield added. “No! You all did that after the fact and now here we are almost two years later still fighting to get something straightened out!”

DeGroff then began offering a rebuttal during the argument, but Burns began shouting, “Mr. Mayor! Mr. Mayor! Mr. Mayor!”, cutting him off and trying to reign in the elected official, recommending that the “matter be referred to Pinelands” since it is “still under their consideration.”

Leakan, while emailing this newspaper on June 2 that the Pinelands Commission “has not approved the construction of

homes on the lands that are adjacent to the cleared municipal rights-of-way,” noted that “based upon the township’s zoning, homes are a permitted use on the concerned lands.”

However, he said, an application must be completed with the commission for any proposed homes and then the homes must be approved by the township.

This newspaper checked the township’s Land Use Board minutes and agendas to see if there was any mention of any approval being given for the homes in the area of the clear-cut, but could not locate such information as of press time.

Brown, also the township’s records custodian, when asked by this newspaper for the date that the board approved homes on the clear-cut tract so that this newspaper could file an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request for the corresponding meeting minutes, offered a clarification just before this newspaper went to press, but noted that the township did not have its own recording of the workshop meeting due to “technical difficulties.”

“Mr. Worrell has not filed for any subdivisions or variances meaning there is not an approved subdivision for the properties,” she wrote to this newspaper.

“It is important to note that current zoning regulations will determine how many homes Mr. Worrell will be permitted to build on the property. I believe that is what Mayor DeGroff was referring as the property has not been before the land use board.”

Board and Cemetery Committee.

Zehnder noted that with the loss of state funding, the municipality has “upcoming challenges” and “has to look for ways to provide more with less help.” He calls Shamong “unique” in taking township land and converting it into a cemetery (Pinelands Memorial Park Cemetery at 84 Willow

Grove Road) “to offset expenses.”

“I am very pleased that Brian and I won and will have an opportunity to serve on the township committee,” said Zehnder, a father to a 13-year old son and 10-year-old daughter who attend Shamong schools.

The other significant contest Tuesday was the GOP Primary for Governor. Four

candidates vied for a chance to take on Democratic Governor Phil Murphy in November, with Republican establishmentbacked candidate Jack Ciattarelli (158,301 votes), a small business founder and former Assembly member, prevailing over Philip Rizzo (83,067 votes), Hirsh Singh (68,900 votes) and Brian Levine (10,347 votes).

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