TOMS RIVER–Now that Prince Harry has come to town and gone, Sparkle Diva Studios in Toms River wants to treat kids to their royal treatment.

**Simply go to their page and “Like” it before Monday, May 20th to enter the free drawing.***

For 1 Lucky Girl: Princess for a Day glam package plus other consolation prizes.
For the Boys: Free haircuts, fit for a prince in the Rockstar Garage

Other prizes will also be awarded on Monday.

To enter, simply go “like” their page. Winners will be chosen on Monday, May 20th randomly from page members.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sparkle-Diva-Studios/90215158517?fref=ts

FILE PHOTO: Downtown Toms River by Erik Weber, dated March 17th, 2012. (c) Ocean Signal Media Group

The following was submitted by Ward 4 Councilman Alfonso Manforti and is published unedited per our letters policy.

While some say the only certainties in life are death and taxes, what happens after death is a matter of intense debate. What happens after you don’t pay your property taxes –that’s something else- a lien is sold at a municipal tax sale.
Historically the traditional tax sale process in NJ was slow and antiquated with very limited participation from the public while at the same time tying up township resources before and during the sale.
That was until recent changes to the tax sale law.
In yet another effort to move the township forward the governing body at the April 23, 2013 Township Council meeting unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the township tax collector to complete an application to participate in the electronic tax sale program.
In 2012 the Division of Local Government Services under N.J.S.A. 54:5-519.1, authorized electronic tax sales for the first time. The internet has helped increase sales of everything from automobiles to homes and anything in between.
With the passage of this timely and innovative resolution the township takes another positive step in the right direction for Toms River. By conducting the sale online we will reduce administrative costs and increase the efficiency of the tax sale. At the same time we will be increasing the bidding pool to include potential buyers from all over the country.
The sales are conducted by realauction.com which answers all questions concerning the online procedures and even provides online webinars to learn how to participate in the auction. The entire process from registration to bidding is done online in your favorite chair from the comfort of your home or office.
The first electronic tax sale in NJ was held in Red Bank on October 29th 2012. If that date sounds familiar it should. That was the morning Hurricane Sandy made landfall. The town had no power, no employees, and no computers yet the sale went off without problem and every lien sold, many at a premium, netting the town $600,000.

Late spring crowds strolled along the boardwalk near Midway Steaks at Webster Avenue here in May 2012. Erik Weber / (c) Ocean Signal Media Group

by Phil Stilton

SEASIDE HEIGHTS–This week the Asbury Park Sun reported that the HBO original series “Boardwalk Empire” was considering Asbury Park as a future filming location. Today officials here reported that they, too, were trying to urge producers from the popular cable series to consider their boardwalk exclusively or possibly in conjunction with that Monmouth County shore city.

Through three seasons of the show, which depicts Roaring Twenties-era Atlantic City during Prohibition, Leverage, its production company, relied on special effects and several locations in New York City to recreate the essence of those times, including a 300-foot, $5 million replica boardwalk built in Steiner Studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Now, according the the Sun, the show is in talks with the City of Asbury Park to film the fourth season there. While Asbury Park may be a fitting choice with several buildings of the style and period, including the Convention Center, which opened in 1930, Seaside Heights officials today told the Ocean Signal that they are now lobbying HBO and the show’s producers to consider their boardwalk also.

Seaside Heights Community Improvement Director Michael Grachien asked, ‘Why not Seaside Heights?’

He credited the borough’s 100 filming permits in 2012 alone to the town’s film friendly policies and nominal filming permit fee of just $25.

“We understand the publicity and promotion filming in our town brings, so we’re very supportive of these kinds of things – in some other towns, the filming permit is astronomical,” the community improvement director said. “We understand what we get out of it here and the permit and fee is there just so we can know who’s filming, when and how many people they’ll be bringing.”

The town most notably and recently was home to MTV”s controversial hit series “Jersey Shore” and past seasons of “MTV’s Spring Break.”

“We read some articles saying Boardwalk Empire is coming, so we contacted the producers of the show through our contacts at HBO so we can pitch Seaside Heights,” he continued. “If nothing else, we’d like to even partner up with Asbury Park and make it something that can benefit both towns.”

Seaside Heights is currently engaged in an approximately $6 million boardwalk rebuilding project following severe damage as a result of Hurricane Sandy on October 29th. Borough officials anticipate a Memorial Day reopening.

“Most of the major networks have filmed here over the years and they appreciate what’s here and what we do” Mr. Grachien added. “And we appreciate them.”

Lung cancer patients seeking treatment at New Jersey CyberKnife will soon experience a more collaborative approach to the planning and delivery of their treatment, including the participation of not only CyberKnife specialists, but also their referring doctors.

New Jersey CyberKnife at the J. Phillip Citta Regional Cancer Center is developing a CyberKnife training program to encourage physicians to remain involved in their patients care from initial consultation to post-treatment follow-up.

The program is aimed at providing better continuity of care for patients with lung cancer and affords a patients doctor ongoing involvement in the treatment process, said Dr. David DAmbrosio, medical director of New Jersey CyberKnife. This is particularly important for thoracic oncology patients who can benefit from the continued involvement of the physician with the most knowledge of their medical history.

New Jersey CyberKnife treats lung cancer with a procedure called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Using CyberKnife technology, radiation is delivered to the targeted tumor location with pinpoint precision, and radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue is minimized. Planning and delivery of CyberKnife SBRT procedures typically involve specialists from varied backgrounds working together to determine the most appropriate course of treatment for each patient.

According to Dr. DAmbrosio, the addition of the CyberKnife training program for lung specialists supports multidisciplinary collaboration in providing quality patient care.

The new approach will work in combination with hospital partner Community Medical Centers lung disease-specific tumor board. Patients who participate in this program are confidentially evaluated by a multidisciplinary team of experts, including thoracic surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, pulmonologists, radiologists, pathologists and nurses from the hospital.

This is a unique opportunity for lung cancer patients, particularly those with more complex cases, said Dr. DAmbrosio.

New Jersey CyberKnife at the J. Phillip Citta Regional Cancer Center is a service of Community Medical Center, an affiliate of Barnabas Health. The center is located at 99 Route 37 West in Toms River, N.J. For more information, call (732) 557-3120.

Spicy Cantina on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights in the days after Hurricane Sandy struck the Jersey Shore. Photo by Spicy Cantina.

By Phil Stilton

SEASIDE HEIGHTS–Wayne Cimorelli, owner of Spicy Cantina and Coin Castle arcade in Seaside Heights said this weekend his two establishments will be reopening.

After Hurricane Sandy dumped over five feet of sand and flooded with over six feet of ocean water in the restaurant, Cimorelli says construction work at the boardwalk favorite is nearly complete.

“We had over $1,000,000 worth of damage, but we’ve been able to rebuild, despite that we’re still waiting for insurance,”  Cimorelli said. “The basement was completely flooded, but now we have all new walk-ins and it’s completely rebuilt and we remodeled the old Spicy, it’s beautiful.”

Cimorelli said that much of the damage sustained to his restaurant and arcade were not covered under insurance, especially in the basement where they kept their storage.

Spicy will open at 11 am on Saturday and Sunday for a limited soft opening.  The upstairs section will not be opened, but he says the are expecting a full opening in time for next weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

WRAT will be broadcasting live with DJ’s and both levels will be open every weekend beyond St. Patrick’s Day.

Live entertainment returns to Spicy on March 16th with a performance by Elvis.

As for the arcade, Coin Castle sustained minor damage in the hurricane that was limited to the roof and water damage from the leaking roof according to Cimorelli.

Visit the Spicy facebook page for more information.

NEW EGYPT–With 30 days until racing returns to New Egypt Speedway, another piece of the 2013 season has been put into place. Today speedway management has introduced Mike Fattori as the new Race Controller.

Mike has been a dirt track racing enthusiast from a young age, attending weekly events at East Windsor Speedway and Flemington Speedway with his parents before ultimately calling New Egypt Speedway his “home” track after their transition to dirt. In 2001, Mike made his own transition, from fan to driver, and for seven years raced in the Sportsman and Crate Sportsman divisions at New Egypt Speedway, East Windsor Speedway and Bridgeport Speedway. For the past three seasons, Mike has been employed by New Egypt Speedway as part of the corner flag team, directing traffic at the back gate of the speedway.

“I’m honored that New Egypt Speedway has chosen me as the Race Controller,” said Fattori. “New Egypt Speedway is a first class facility offering the highest quality and most exciting short track dirt racing in the Northeast region.”

In his new role, Mike’s primary focus will be ensuring an orderly and time-efficient flow of the racing program throughout the night.  With his extensive background in racing, both in the stands and as a track employee, Mike will be instrumental in establishing a more effective lineup procedure and utilizing the new instant replay system to make more accurate race decisions.

“I look forward to working with the staff at New Egypt Speedway,” concluded Fattori. “It will be nice to catch up with old friends I’ve met through the years, as well as meeting the drivers and fans.”

Mike’s first order of business will be attending Winter Jam 2013, scheduled for Friday, February 22 from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Gamblers Ridge Golf Club in Cream Ridge, New Jersey. Mike will be on-site to introduce himself to speedway staff, drivers, crew and fans. Be sure and stop by to say hello and congratulate Mike on his new position.

Visit www.newegyptspeedway.net for all the latest news and information about New Egypt Speedway. Like our NEW Official Facebook Page (/NewEgyptSpeedwayOfficial) and follow us on Twitter @nesspeedway.

PUBLIC NOTICE PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that WAYNE BRYANT has applied to the Jackson Township Planning Board for preliminary and final major site plan approval to construct a car wash and expand an existing tire and servicing building on premises known as Block 6501, Lots 41 & 42.01 in the HC Zoning District. Proposed minor subdivision is being made in order to have the lot that will contain the car wash be a conforming lot as to lot area.

Applicant seeks to install a car wash and expand existing building which uses are permitted in the HC zone. Assuming the minor subdivision is granted, the lot area for Lot 42.01 will be sufficient lot area. There will be a request for a variance for new Lot 42.01 with regard to rear yard setback where 40 feet is required and 27.37 feet will be provided.

There will also be a request in connection with a minor subdivision to modify Lot 41 from 31,926.40 square feet to 25,043.25 square feet. The minor subdivision application will not create additional lots as there are presently two lots and as a result of the minor subdivision, there will still be two lots.

The applicant will also seek variances for new Lot 42.01 as to minimum front setback as 60 feet is required and the existing lot contains 32.06 front yard setback.

The applicant will also seek a variance for parking spaces as 40 spaces are required and 37 spaces are proposed.
Said application shall include a request for any and all other variances and waivers as may be required by submission and discussion of the plans.

The aforesaid has been scheduled for a hearing before the Jackson Township Planning Board at the Municipal Building, Route 528, Jackson, New Jersey on Monday , February 25, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter as possible.

The application, maps and supporting documents are on file in the Jackson Township Planning Board in the municipal building and are available for public inspection during normal business hours for a period of 10 days prior to the date of hearing.

STEVEN PFEFFER, ESQ.
LEVIN, SHEA & PFEFFER, P.A.
Attorney for Applicant
2105 W. County Line Road
Jackson, New Jersey 08527
(732) 364-7333
($61.00) 694070

Qualified candidates must have prior business to business sales experience, excellent communication skills, excellent organizational skills, self discipline and motivation to work with minimal supervision and must be eager to meet new people, prospect sales leads and close deals.

Earn $50,000+, commission based.

Candidates should also be generally familiar with customer relationship management software programs.

The Ocean Signal is northern Ocean County’s source for daily online news, weekly print newspaper and we offer several other successful and popular business marketing and media solutions.

Be part of a ground floor opportunity in an exciting new business that is revolutionizing media and news in Ocean County.

Send your resume to the Ocean Signal Media Group, email resume to jobs@ocsignal.com or fax to 732-709-7201.

Our office is located in the Lakewood Industrial Park, just off Cedar Bridge Avenue. Conveniently and centrally located in our service area.

Question:  We are planning a great room addition and would like to incorporate a fireplace, but can’t decide on where or what type.  Can you guide us through this decision?

Answer:

Fireplaces add such a warm touch to any room.  They provide that special feel that makes you want to sit and relax with a glass of wine.  There are many options to consider when thinking about a fireplace, which may affect your room layout and furniture orientation.  I will discuss what type of fireplace, gas or wood burning to use, where to locate the fireplace and design options for the hearth and mantle.

When deciding whether to go with a wood burning unit or gas fired, the first item to think about is do you want to stock up on wood and bring it into the house each night to make a new fire?  Many people love the charm of a wood burning fireplace, hearing the wood crackling and the aroma of a new fire in the house.  The drawback to this is that wood requires work to stack the wood, make the fire, tend the fire, clean the chimney.  You are also not likely to make a fire if you only have an hour or two, whereas if you have gas, you can just flip a switch and enjoy a fire for a few minutes or hours.  Wood burning fireplaces give you access to an open flame, while most gas units have sealed glass doors.  I love the smell and feel of a wood fire, but each client is different, so think about what you would prefer.

Locating the fireplace is a big decision.  Based upon your location, this may guide you in the wood or gas decision as well.  A wood burning fireplace requires a chimney to go up and out the roof, while a gas unit can be vent free (which I don’t care for, although they are allowed in living rooms) or direct vent, which means it vents straight out the back and through an exterior wall.  These direct vent units can also vent straight up like a traditional unit.  Wood units will require a substantial foundation if you use a masonry design, or a standard metal unit can be used for wood burning that looks similar to a masonry unit.   Now you need to consider whether you want the fireplace to be the focal point of the room, which is very common, or the TV unit as the focal point.  Look at where a couch and chairs would work, how the fireplace will fit in and where you would like the TV.  If you go with a gas unit, you can locate the TV above the fireplace.  I recommend using a mantel to deflect the heat away from the TV with a gas unit.  The TV or fireplace can be located along a wall or in a corner, so they can share the attention.  There are many more options to create a beautiful focal point with the fireplace, so it is more common for that to take center stage and the TV to be concealed in cabinetry nearby.  It is even possible to design a room without a TV (gasp!).  Consider views and window locations as well, as you don’t want to block a beautiful view with a fireplace.

The surround for the fireplace is a very important decision.  Wood burning units require a hearth in front of the unit, which is a noncombustible surface.  Gas units do not have a hearth requirement, but a hearth is a traditional look and many people will incorporate this into the design either way.  The hearth can be the same material as the surround on the fireplace or something complimentary.  Typically, you will need 8” to each side of the fireplace to have either tile, marble or stone and 12” above the unit.  The hearth extends 16-20”, depending on the size of the unit you use.  After you have decided upon the stone surround, you can think about the wood mantle and legs.  This element is not necessary as the fireplace can stand alone with the stone surround as the decorative piece, but a wood surround gives the fireplace a greater feeling of importance.  Another option to this is to treat the entire fireplace wall with stone, thus creating a wonderful look and feel to the room.  The mantel can range from a large slab of wood for a rustic look, to a detailed mantel resting on sculpted legs.  To expand on this concept, the wall above the fireplace can be treated in a similar style with the wood surround, creating one large piece or art on the wall.

Look at lots of pictures to see what style you like when designing this focal element and don’t be afraid to be bold with your creativity!  Decide on what type of unit you would like, where you would like to put it and then how you want to treat the surrounding area.  Fireplaces can be located in any room, but are commonly found in the great room or master bedroom.  Have fun and call us if you need some inspiration!

We love to hear from you!  Please send questions to paul@pdrdesigns.com.

PaulD.Rugarber is the owner of PDRdesigns LLC, a Design / Build company located in Jackson, NJ.    PDRdesigns specializes in providing a complete package of Architectural and Construction Services.  They can be reached at (732) 773-3000 or on the web at www.PDRdesigns.com.