FILE PHOTO: Bishop Memorial Library, Washington Street. Erik Weber / Ocean Signal

The following was submitted by Ward 3 Councilman Jeffrey J. Carr and is published unedited per our letters policy.

It hardly seems it but, spring has arrived. Along with it comes yard work, Little League baseball and the Toms River Food Fest.  The Toms River Little League season got underway on April 6th.  It was a chilly Saturday morning but, much better than the rain filled event of last year. Mayor Kelaher and I were on hand at the TRLL fields to throw in the first pitch. Councilman Whittmann, Councilman Manforti and Councilwoman Maruca attended opening day at the TRELL complex.

This year’s Food Fest was held on Saturday, May 4th. The weather was nothing short of perfect. The event officially began at 12 noon but, the streets were already getting crowed by 11:30 am.  The event was kicked off by the Toms River High School North Marching Band parading down Washington Street.   That was followed by an invocation by Father Scott Schaeffer of St Joseph’s Church and the singing of the National Anthem by Lisa Evans, a Toms River South aluminous. There were 78 vendors in attendance and an abundance of food and drink.  There was a dunk tank sponsored by the fire department and lots of games and amusement rides for the kids. Four different bands played throughout the day and into the evening.  There was literally dancing in the streets.  Township Administrative Staff, Recreation Department,  Department of Public Works(recycling), Parks Buildings & Grounds, Mayors ADA Advisory Committee, Mayors Council for The developmental Disabled, Police Department and Safety and Fire Districts Bureau of Fire Prevention  were there to assist and answer any questions for our Township residents. It was estimated that over 25,000 people were in attendance.

Toms River prides itself in our efforts to be environmentally responsible and to promote recycling within the Township. In 2012 we received a recycling grant in the amount of $177,138.44. We were the fifth highest grant behind Newark ($299,903.76), Jersey City ($278,748.03), Paterson ($238,701.00), and Clifton ($222,103.44).  Based on our increased recycling tonnage (40,000 tons) we anticipate a higher grant for this year.

As far as the Clean Communities grant, the amount estimated to be received this year for Toms River is $168,296.83.  This puts us first in the County and third highest in the state behind Newark ($322,905.58) and Jersey City ($297,747.90).
Our Senior Center is always filled with some great activities available to our senior residents. I recently had the opportunity to attend an art show and tea party held at the senior center. Some wonderful art exhibits created by our senior residents were on display. Friday May 24th is our Health Fair and Picnic, free to all seniors. The time is 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Friday, May 31st is the Grand Opening of the Nutrition Site at the Toms River Senior Center. The festivities begin at 11:00 am.

On Saturday, June 1st, Toms River Youth Services will be holding a Kids’ Spring Cleaning Flea Market from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  Our Youth Summer Camp will begin on June 24th. Family Carnival Day will be held on July 12th. There will be food, fun, game trailers and rides.

Our rebuilding process continues to receive our utmost attention.  The Land Use Committee continues to meet regularly to review our ordinances to ease the building process and to help rebuild using sound planning. The Council recently introduced new ordinances to better define and regulate setbacks and the construction of decks. The footings at the Lord House Lifeguard Station are complete and underground utilities are being installed.   The 3rd Avenue parking lot is scheduled to be completed on or about May 24th.  It will include new pavement, light poles and temporary restroom trailers. The number of parking spaces has been increased from 132 spaces to 150 spaces.  This cost of this work will be reimbursed by FEMA.  The boardwalk reconstruction continues to progress with pile driving being over 75% complete.  Other work underway or in the bidding process include repair of Township bulkheads and the first phase of Ortley roads.

Changes have also been instituted in our Building Department to ease the process of obtaining building permits. The department now opens at 7:30am. That is one hour earlier than usual. they are also open until 6:30pm on Wednesdays. Normal weekday closing time is 4:30pm. Inspections are performed Monday through Saturday. The Building Department staff has also worked some Sundays when the demand requires it.  Clerical staffing has been supplemented by hiring three additional permit clerks and one phone clerk. This equates to a 60% increase in clerical staff. The clerical staff also works overtime and on Saturdays to keep up with the volume. Other Township departments have also lent personnel during peak volume periods. The finance and tax offices have helped out with processing permits and certificates. The clerk’s office has handled all OPRA requests for permit documents. Administration has provided personnel to handle periods of high phone call volume, as well as unwavering support. This help was offered by other departments in the spirit of a true team effort.

Inspection and plan review staff has been increased with one full time inspector. We have also supplemented our inspection crew with personnel provided by the NJ DCA. This program, put in place immediately after the storm by the DCA, has been extremely beneficial to our residents. We had as many as 15 DCA inspectors helping us out immediately after the storm. As the demand fluctuates,  personnel is adjusted as necessary.

The department has issued 5,746 permits since 11/01/2012. That is an increase of 218% (2,634 permits) for the same period a year ago. To assist residents and their contractors, permit forms are now available for pick up at the Township’s Ortley Beach annex.

As summer approaches, we will continue our efforts to rebuild our Community.  While these continue to be difficult times for many, we must also continue to serve all of our residents. I encourage everyone to take advantage of the many wonderful things our Township has to offer. There are many youth activities and sports programs available to our children. The senior center provides daily activities to our senior residents. And whether it’s a picnic, reading a book or a walk along a trail, our parks are a wonderful way to spend some time with family and friends. I wish everyone a safe and fun filled summer.  As always, I encourage you to send me your thoughts and comments to JCarr@TomsRiverTownship.com.  And don’t forget to visit our website at www.tomsrivertownship.com for more information about your town.

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.

There is also ongoing construction at the Ortley Beach Lord House Lifeguard Building, which we anticipate will be completed by August 15th. Construction in other areas of Ortley and the Northern Beach sections of town will be based upon the reconstruction of Ocean Terrace/Ave. We also created a Municipal Annex/Police sub-station at the Ortley Shopping Center. Residents can go in and speak to the Toms River Police Department with any questions or concerns they may have. We recently held a Mobile Cabinet at that location with State Government officials on hand to help residents with questions they may have regarding the Hurricane Sandy recovery process and be able to talk to various State Department representatives face to face. Those departments included representatives from FEMA, the National Flood Insurance Program, the Dept. of Banking and Insurance, the Dept. of Environmental Protection, the Dept. of Community Affairs (for Code & Standards and Housing questions) the Business Action Center and the Governor’s Office of Constituent Relations. The outreach program was successful, so we are hoping that Governor Christie’s office will consider doing that again. In regards to the FEMA maps, when they were first promulgated, our Township Engineer, Bob Chankalian, in consult with Mayor Kelaher and the Council, made the determination that there were obvious errors in the maps, particularly as they related to the “V” zones. These discrepancies were brought to the attention in a detailed letter by Chankalian.

Thereafter, the Mayor, our Business Administrator, Engineer and various members of the Governing body met with representatives from FEMA to discuss the discrepancies in the maps. FEMA representatives are adamant that until they are able to complete their wave-testing models, they will not make any changes to the map.

They anticipate the adjustments will be available this August. Residents should know that we are here to answer their questions. Also, any updates in progress and changes are always available on our website at www.TomsRiverTownship.com

Photo by Jason Allentoff. Timesquare Media / WOBM.

By Phil Stilton / Ocean Signal
Photo by Jason Allentoff / Townsquare Media, WOBM

BRICK— In an attempt to remove politics from the equation during the rebuilding process here, Mayor Steven Acropolis announced he will not be seeking re-election this November.

“This is the most important year – I believe in our town’s history – because this is when all of those programs are going to have to be done this year and I thought it was really important to concentrate on that,” he said at a March 25th standing room only press conference. “I decided not to seek reelection as mayor of the Township of Brick and I’m going to dedicate the remainder of my time in office to concentrate on the rebuilding of this town.”

The mayor, who is a Republican and has found himself under fire by opponents through his years of service for almost everything except his performance in his current role, added that he was concerned about partisan politics returning once again in the middle of this fragile period.

“One of my fears was that this issue of rebuilding Brick Township was going to become a political football,” he said.

In 2011, when he was criticized by opponents and threatened by the Democrat-led council with a forced pay reduction for his position as mayor, he voluntarily cut his salary to $1 per year for the final two years of his term.

“Just like when they came after me for that, I removed it from the equation by removing my salary,” Mayor Acropolis said, adding following the expiration of his term, he would also continue his efforts as a community watchdog when it came to topics as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and governmental regulations he felt hindered the rebuilding process to date.

The mayor was one of three people who went through the screening process within the Brick Township Republican Club for the nomination of mayor, the others being Joe Sangiovanni and Dan Toth.

Mr. Sangiovanni was expected to get the nomination by the club on Wednesday.

Though he had screened for the position, Mayor Acropolis cited a February plan by the council that could have placed liens on homeowners seeking hurricane relief assistance as a contributing factor in his decision to not run this year.

“I was afraid the situation would deteriorate and name calling would ensue,” he said. “I didn’t want anyone to think my actions during rebuilding have anything to do with the upcoming election. It’s important that when your top elected official says something, people have the confidence knowing that he’s making those decisions for what’s best for the township and not what’s best for his reelection.”

Despite his decision not to run, the mayor said he was determined to continue to lead the fight in Brick Township against FEMA.

“No matter who is sitting in the mayor’s seat in the future, I’ll be here to help,” he said, adding that he did not rule out a run for mayor or another office in the future.

“I just didn’t want the most important thing in the town’s history to become political,” Mayor Acropolis concluded. “I’m not going anywhere.”

TOMS RIVER – A team of assessors from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) will arrive on Sunday, March 10th, to examine all aspects of the Toms River Township Police Department’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services Chief Michael Mastronardy announced today.

“Verification by the team that the Toms River Township Police Department meets the Commission’s “best practice” standards is part of a voluntary process to achieve accreditation, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence”, Chief Mastronardy said.

As part of this final on-site assessment, employees and members of the general public are invited to provide comments to the assessment team. They may do so by telephone or email. The public may call 732-914-0121 on Monday, March 11th between the hours of 9 and 11 am. Comments will be taken by the Assessment Team. Email comments can be sent to the police department at accreditation@trpolice.org.

Telephone comments are limited to 5 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with the NJSACOP standards. A copy of the standards is available for inspection at the Toms River Township Police Department, 255 Oak Avenue, Toms River, N.J. 08753. Please contact Mr. Sam Seaman at 732-349-0150 ext. 1843 for more information.

Anyone wishing to submit written comments about the Toms River Township Police Department’s ability to comply with the standards for accreditation may send them by email to Harry J. Delgado, Accreditation Program Manager, hdelgado@njsacop.org, by phone 856.988.5880, or write to the New Jersey State Association of Chief’s of Police, Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission at 11,000 Lincoln Drived West, Suite 12, Marlton, N.J. 08053.

The Toms River Township Police Department must comply with 112 standards in order to achieve accredited status. Chief Mastronardy indicated, “Accreditation results in greater accountability within the agency, reduced risk and liability exposure, stronger defense against civil lawsuits, increased community advocacy, and more confidence in the agency’s ability to operate efficiently and respond to community needs.”

The Accreditation Program Manager for the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police is Mr. Harry J Delgado. “The assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar New Jersey law enforcement agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview agency members, and visit offices and other places where compliance with the standards can be observed. Once the Commission’s assessors complete their review of the agency, they will report to the full Commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status”, Harry J Delgado stated.

Accreditation is valid for a three-year period during which time the agency must submit annual reports attesting to their continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.

The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police through its New Jersey Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission is the legitimate authority and accreditation agency in the state of New Jersey. For more information regarding the Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission please write the Commission at New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission at 11,000 Lincoln Drive West, Suite 12, Marlton, N.J. 08053

TRENTON-The Christie Administration announced today that New Jersey residents impacted by Superstorm Sandy now have until April 1, 2013 to register for individual disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The deadline extension applies for homeowner, renter, and business registration with the Small Business Administration (SBA) for Disaster Loan Assistance, another important step in the disaster relief process to ensure survivors obtain all relief they are eligible for.

“This 30-day extension will help us ensure that anyone who has been affected by Sandy gets the help they need and deserve,” said Governor Christie. “It’s vitally important for people to know that the process of receiving any type of federal disaster assistance – including future grant assistance for homeowners and businesses – begins with registering as a disaster survivor with FEMA and working with a coordinator to determine eligibility for relief. I encourage those who have not yet registered with FEMA and SBA to do so now to get the relief they are entitled to and to ensure their eligibility for any future relief we can offer.”

It is crucial that individuals register with FEMA and that businesses and individuals complete the SBA loan application so State officials can continue to compile an accurate, comprehensive picture of the damage and the need for additional disaster recovery assistance. Moreover, for businesses, an SBA Disaster Loan represents the best opportunity for disaster assistance. There is no obligation to accept an SBA disaster home loan even after applying, but homeowners and renters may become eligible for additional assistance in the future.

Of note, apart from the April 1 SBA Disaster Loan deadline for property damage, businesses also have until July 31 to apply for SBA economic injury disaster loans. All homeowners, renters, and businesses are encouraged to register with FEMA and SBA to ensure eligibility for future forms of aid.

People with storm losses in all counties can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov and via smart phone or tablet here.

Survivors also can register by phone or 711/VRS by calling 800-621-3362, TTY800-462-7585.

At the request of the State, FEMA extended the registration deadline another 30 days due to the magnitude of the storm disaster.

The disaster registration process serves as a referral point for FEMA programs and those of partner agencies such as the SBA, American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.FEMA disaster assistance for individuals and families can include money for rental assistance, essential home repairs, personal property losses and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.

TRENTON–Taking action to support shore businesses as they make preparations for the 2013 tourism season, Governor Chris Christie today signed Executive Order No. 126 allowing seasonal alcoholic beverage licensees to begin serving alcohol on March 1, two months ahead of the traditional allowance of May 1.

“Some of the most adverse effects in terms of lost commerce and economic activity from Superstorm Sandy were on our shore businesses that rely on seasonal alcoholic beverage licenses. These small businesses were unable to remain open for the full extent typically permitted under their licenses – May until mid-November – because of the mandatory evacuations, power outages, and other disruptions caused by Sandy through difficult weeks,” said Governor Christie. “We’ve listened to our small business community on the shore and are taking action today to deliver relief this season by providing for a two-month expansion for seasonal alcoholic beverage licensees, allowing them to begin opening and conducting business beginning on March 1 rather than waiting until the typical May 1 start.”

Under the provision of the Executive Order, for calendar year 2013, the date on which seasonal alcoholic beverage consumption licensees shall be permitted to commence serving alcoholic beverages shall be advanced from May 1, 2013 to March 1, 2013 and shall end on November 14, 2013, inclusive.

     Four months after Superstorm Sandy we are still faced with numerous unanswered questions.  While we wait for answers to those questions the Township and residents have answered the call and started the recovery process.  Toms River and Brick faced the unique problem of fighting the battle on two fronts- the barrier island and the mainland.  The primary job initially was debris removal and our Public Works Employees and contractors have done a magnificent job.  Heavy equipment was dispatched to the barrier island within days after the storm.  On the mainland large dumpsters were at the end of most streets that had flooding.  Front end loaders removed debris that residents placed at the curb numerous times.

Residents also carted debris to the dumpsters.  It was a total team effort.  At the height of the debris removal phase we were removing in excess of 17,000 cubic yards of debris per day!  Now that the initial debris removal operation has been completed the Township and the residents have embarked on the rebuilding phase.  Most residents have assessed their properties and based on the amount of damage, structural integrity and age of their homes have decided either to demolish their homes or repair and rebuild them.  In addition the Township is working with the utility companies as they repair and rebuild their infrastructure to facilitate the necessary permits and inspections so that residents can continue their rebuilding process.

There are numerous challenges that still need to be resolved such as adoption of the FEMA flood elevation maps so that residents can ascertain what flood zones they are in and the new heights and types of construction they will need to comply with as they rebuild.  We have been told that the FEMA maps may change before the final anticipated adoption in August 2013.  This has been a frustration as the residents have not been able to obtain definitive answers as to flood elevation heights and the appropriate flood zone they will finally be assigned to once the maps have been finalized.  In many cases this has delayed the rebuilding process.

This has been compounded by the fact that there are a limited number of companies that are proficient in home elevation.  The numbers of homes that will require elevation are several thousand according to current versions of the FEMA maps.  It is anticipated that this process will take several years to complete.  This is compounded by the threat of tremendous increases in flood insurance premiums that are not in compliance with the FEMA maps.  This has a potentially devastating effect on our community.

     Rebuilding will be a daunting task but the resilient character of the residents of Toms River and the Jersey Shore will insure the success of the mission at hand.  While the process will take time there is NO doubt that we will “Restore the Shore”.

Mo Hill

Councilman-at-Large

Toms River, NJ

Public Notice Alcoholic Beverage License
TAKE NOTICE that NAPLACE, LLC  has applied to the Township Council of  Manchester Township for a Place to Place transfer of a class “C” Plenary Consumption  License #1518-33-011-002. License is presently a pocket license and to be transferred to Linda’s Restaurant and Pizzeria, 1900 Route 37 West, Toms River, NJ 08757.
The persons holding interest in the license are:
Antonio Mazza
Concetta Mazza

Objections if any should be made immediately, in writing to: Municipal Clerk of Manchester Township, Sabina Skibo, 1 Colonial Drive, Manchester,

New Jersey, 08759
Naplace, LLC
259 Oak Forest Dr
Brick, NJ 08724
($56.00) 692511