Riverside Signal - April 22nd - May 5th, 2011

TRUTH. HERITAGE. ENVIRONMENT.

BEACHWOOD • ISLAND HEIGHTS • OCEAN GATE • PINE BEACH • SOUTH TOMS RIVER • TOMS RIVER

FREE April 22nd ~ May 5th, 2011

RIVERSIDE SIGNALthe

PINE BEACH – Following years of being told by Toms River Regional Schools officials that borough residents’ annual school tax rate would not in-crease, only to have it rise by approximately 17 cents over the previous four years, borough officials, here, requested that a school board representative attend their April 13th council meeting to provide a detailed account of how this year would affect borough residents.

Radnor Avenue resident and Toms River School Board Member Michael A. Jedziniak appeared before the council with Bill Doering, the district’s business administrator who was hired last year from the Middle-town School District, to go over the proposed 4.7-cent increase that borough residents will vote on during the April 27th school election.

If passed, Pine Beach resi-dents could see the tax rate grow to $0.7849 per $100 of assessed property value, which would translate to an additional

TR School Reps Answer Council’s Budget Questions

OCC/KEANSailing Regatta

OCEAN GATE – Central Regional Schools Superinten-dent Triantafillos “Tommy” Parlapanides and Business Ad-ministrator Kevin O’Shea were on hand during this week’s bor-ough council meeting, here, to discuss the various ways the dis-trict’s proposed budget would impact residents who will vote on it on April 27th.

The proposed budget in-crease would cost Ocean Gate residents with an average home worth $242,300 an added $3.13 per month. Island Heights resi-dents with an average home worth $388,981 would see their taxes increase by $18.74 per month due to an increased en-rollment of 15 students, or 25 percent, from that borough.

Offering a slide-show pre-sentation, Dr. Parlapanides

began by pointing out the pro-posed $33,252,531 budget is $231,469 lower than that of the 2008-09 budget, the year that he took on the superintendent position, and it was consistently lower in the interim years of his tenure.

“Kevin and I are the first su-perintendent and business ad-ministrator that are also actual taxpayers [and] both live in the district, and we want to be as responsible as we possibly can,” he said, noting that previous administrators were overtaxing the residents in order to have a budget surplus. “Look at the budget – the first year with my business administrator, we cut the budget by $1.3 million. We only tax what we need to run the school – those days [of over-

www.riversidesignal.com

CONNECT TO THE RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

Easter Egg Hunts Inside

By Philipp Schmidt

cont. on page 12

cont. on page 8

cont. on page 2

Central Reg. School Admin Discuss Proposed Budget’s Impact

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside SignalNewly minted Kean-Ocean Sailing Team won its first regatta last weekend against teams from the Mid-Atlantic region. Details, page 10.

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside SignalBeachwood-Pine Beach Little League team members from the Phillies and Brewers took to the field in the first games of the season last weekend at Mayo Park, Beachwood.

PLAY BALL!

ISLAND HEIGHTS – Three candidates will be vying for two seats on the nonpartisan Island Heights Borough Coun-cil on May 10th, with incum-bent councilmen John Bendel and Brian Taboada seeking re-election while newcomer Robert Wilber looks to bump one of the sitting councilmen out.

~Summit Avenue resident

John Bendel has lived in the borough for 16 years with his wife and business partner, Peg-gy, operating Bendel & Bendel, Inc., a marketing communica-tions company that helps tech-nology providers sell to the trucking industry. Together they have two grown children, a daughter, Berne, who teaches at Columbia-Green Community College in New York’s Hudson Valley, and a son, Tom, a musi-cian who lives in Philadelphia. Mrs. Bendel is also Director of Music at Christ Lutheran Church in Whiting.

Appointed to the borough council in 2001, Mr. Bendel was first elected in 2002 and served

until 2005. Three years later, in 2008, he was again appointed and later elected the following year, and has served on the Is-land Heights Planning Board since 2001. Besides serving the borough for most of the last de-cade, Mr. Bendel is also a mem-ber of the Ocean County Art-ists’ Guild, which will feature a show of his Island Heights pho-tographs in August.

~Brian Taboada has been

primarily employed by EHS Technologies for part of the past year and has lived in his East Camp Walk residence with his wife, Amanda Bottomley, for the past 14 years. Together they have two children in Island Heights Grade School: Mark, 6 and in first grade, and Peter, 8 and in third.

In his three-year tenure on the borough council, Mr. Taboada has served as liaison to recreation for one year, public works for two years, the tax col-lector for two years, and infor-mation technology for one year.

~

Robert Wilber, a 41-year-old lifelong resident of Island Heights, is currently the presi-dent of the Island Heights School District and resides on Gilford Avenue with his wife, Sharon, and two children, Cody, 14, and Samantha, 12. For the past 16 years, Mr. Wil-ber has been employed as a property manager with Mack-Cali Realty.

Mr. Wilber has also been an active member of the Island Heights Volunteer Fire Compa-ny for the past 23 years, holding many positions, including pres-ident, 1998-99; chief, 2000-02 and 2004-06; and chairman to the fire department budget committee. He also coached soccer for Toms River Indepen-dent Club Soccer from 2001-04, was a Cub Scout leader in 2001-02, and coached basketball in the Toms River Basketball As-sociation for the past year.

Besides his position as presi-dent of the Island Heights Board of Education for the past five years, Mr. Wilber served on the Island Heights Planning

Two Incumbents, One Newcomer Vie for Two Council Seats By Erik Weber

By Erik Weber

PAGE 2 Apr. 22nd - May 5th, 2011The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

Board from 1999 to 2002 and was a member of the environ-mental committee in 2008-09.

~The candidates were given

a set of eight questions plus the option to make added com-ments following the questions. Four sets of questions and their answers appear below, and the final set will appear in the May 6th edition of the Signal. One question was different between the incumbent candidates and the non-incumbent candidate, which is reflected here. The candidates’ answers appear ver-batim and are listed in alpha-betical order by last name.

~1. Why did you seek elec-

tion/re-election?

A: Bendel - Sixteen years ago Peggy and I could have moved virtually anywhere. We chose Island Heights. We have made a commitment here, in our home, in our friends, and in the town we love. That’s why my campaign theme is Stand Up for Island Heights!

Island Heights, like many other municipalities in New Jersey, is now under siege by a

state government that refuses to accept its responsibilities and instead is pushing substantial costs down on local govern-ments.

For large towns that means reduced services. For Island Heights it means survival.

Trenton would like to see small, independent municipali-ties folded into surrounding towns. They would like to see Island Heights as nothing more than a neighborhood of Toms River.

We can’t let that happen.Here’s how the situation

has evolved: the state income tax approved in 1976 was sup-posed to ease the burden of lo-cal property taxes. Income and other taxes (public utility gross receipts and franchise taxes, for example) collected by the state were distributed to localities and schools in various forms of state aid and to homeown-ers as homestead rebates. Over the years, Trenton has chipped away at payments, particularly those to municipal govern-ments, taking away a little here and a little there to fund other projects.

In the deep recession with state revenues way down, Tren-ton simply took the remaining funds for itself, cutting the last vestiges of municipal tax relief we once received, money you pay for in various state taxes. At the same time, claiming that municipalities were running amok, the state imposed a 2% cap on property tax increases -- kind of ironic since many mu-nicipalities raised those taxes at least in part to cover losses in state funding.

Instead of dealing with ris-ing costs -- perhaps by remov-

ing most public school funding from municipal budgets alto-gether -- Trenton has utterly sidestepped the real problem. As a result, both our Demo-cratic legislature and our Re-publican governor are directly responsible for many local cuts in the most important govern-ment services there are -- po-lice, fire, waste management, and municipal maintenance among them.

Island Heights is not at that point yet, but with costs increas-ing and our ability to address them restricted, we soon will be.

Trenton tells us we simply need to share services. That can be a good idea. But that’s not always the case. For example, would sharing police services -- folding our police department into Toms River’s -- result in a savings? Depending on who you ask the answer is maybe or not really. In any case, the result would be a reactive police force instead of a proactive police presence. We would be lucky to see a Toms River police car pa-trol in town a few times a day. Statistics show a simple truth: that would mean more crime.

Would we save money by sharing public works services with Toms River? Maybe, may-be not. But we would certainly have Toms River-style service. Consider Gilford Park where leaves and other trash items remain on the streets for weeks and those same streets go un-plowed during snow storms.

Yes, we can and should share those services that make sense. We share document shredding services with Toms River, for example. But we should not give up the major services that define Island Heights as a town and make it a wonderful place to live.

I’m running for those who believe Island Heights is worth fighting for, and that’s exactly what I will do -- stand up for Is-land Heights.

A: Taboada - My reason for initially running for council have yet to be completed. I have been a very active and vocal participant in the upgrading of

our water system. I have also been very vocal about spending. It took awhile to learn how the finances of the borough oper-ates, but I have been on top of it for over two years and it is clear-ly reflected in my voting record.

A: Wilber - I am seeking a seat on council because our town has serious financial con-cerns and in my opinion a lack of accountability. Historically the taxes continue to rise ev-ery year by several cents on the hundred of accessed value with nothing new to show for it. If we continue on this trend it is very possible Island Heights will not exist in the future. I believe I am the right decision maker for the job and my track record on the Board of Education proves that. Similar to issues with our Federal Government, I believe Island Heights has spending is-sues that cannot continue to be covered by tax increases.

2. What are some things

you would like to pursue on the borough council, if elected?

A: Bendel - I will pursue only those beneficial initiatives that do not come with a tax-payer price tag. Given the cur-rent environment, we will have a hard enough time maintain-ing services as they are. In fact, just to stay in place tax-wise we will likely have to make painful cuts -- including personnel. We have to be prepared to do what is necessary.

A: Taboada - I believe with the current state of our economy new endeavors will be difficult or unwise to tackle. However, I would like to see the borough reduce its debt, maintain prop-erly what it has, and prepare ad-equately for the future.

A: Wilber - Shared service agreements on some of our major expenditures. Garbage collection for example. Island Heights being a very small com-munity needs to at least offi-cially explore all potential ideas so we know rather than just say that something will work or will not work.

Better purchasing practices. Make everyone accountable.

ISLAND HEIGHTS

PHILIPP SCHMIDT, the Riverside SignalA new ambulance that South Toms River First Aid Squad Capt. Joseph Russo said the organization would be purchasing for approximately $43,000 was backed into the squad building earlier this week to check that it was able to safely clear the garage door opening.

Island Heights Community Calendar

Annual Easter Flower Sale The Island Heights Volun-

teer First Aid Squad will hold their annual Easter flower sale at Lake and Central ave-nues on Thursday, April 21st and Friday, April 22nd from noon to 6 pm, and Saturday, April 23rd from 9 am until sold out.

~Municipal Offices Closed

All borough offices will be closed on Friday, April 22nd in observance of Good Fri-day.

~Council Meeting

The next meeting of the Island Heights Council will take place on Tuesday, April 26th at 7 pm in borough hall at the Wanamaker Complex on East End and Van Sant av-enues.

~Yoga Classes

Yoga classes for residents are held every Thursday morn-ing from 10 am to 11 am in borough hall at the Wana-maker Complex on East End and Van Sant avenues for a cost of $5 per session. Multi-session rates are available.

~Area Beach Sweeps

The biannual state-wide beach sweeps hosted by Clean Ocean Action will be held on Saturday, April 30th from 9 am to 12:30 pm. In-terested parties may report to the two closest beach sweeps at Beachwood Beach, Club-house Road, Beachwood and the Ocean Gate beachfront at Wildwood and East Long-port avenues, Ocean Gate. For more information, go to www.cleanoceanaction.org or call 732-872-0111.

~Drive Carefully!

With the warmer weather, residents and visitors of all ages will be out enjoying the outdoor amenities that our area has to offer. Please slow down, obey all local speed limits and be alert when driv-ing near playgrounds and on residential streets.

John Bendel

Brian Taboada

Robert Wilber

Two Incumbents, One Newcomer Vie for Two Council Seats , cont. from front

cont. on next page

PAGE 3The RIVERSIDE SIGNALApr. 22nd - May 5th, 2011

3. (Incumbents only) What do you feel were some of your strengths and weaknesses in your past term, and how do you expect you would follow up with prior directives, if re-elected?

A: Bendel - The voters can decide on my strengths and weaknesses, and frankly, I don’t understand the rest of the ques-tion.

A: Taboada - My weakness has been the learning curve of borough finances. I would also continue to rely less on what I have been told by others and re-search/verify all aspects of bor-ough business. Sometimes this is not possible but many times it provides peace of mind or alter-natives which can save substan-tially. I regret that there have been times I have had to pay for this indiscretion.

3. (Non-incumbent only) Approximately how many bor-ough council meetings have you attended in the past year, and what is your opinion of the actions you have seen taken by the governing body? On which actions would you have acted differently?

A: Wilber - I have attend-ed several council meetings

when my schedule permitted. In many cases the Board of Education meetings coincided with the council meeting which made it impossible to attend. I have seen the mayor and coun-cil replace the town engineer (O’Donnell Stanton) with a new engineer (Birdsall) for consid-erable higher cost per hour than what we previously had been paying. I would have kept O’Donnell & Stanton at a sub-stantial savings to the borough and eliminated costs associated with duplication of services that have been seen with the new engineer on several projects. It was easy to blame former En-gineer when something went wrong, however the Engineer was only working and billing on what they were asked to do, so it’s more a Mayor and Council issue.

4. How do you feel the two-percent cap will affect borough residents now and in the fu-ture, and what are some ways the borough can operate under this restriction successfully?

A: Bendel - The 2% cap, which is already constricting many towns, will have a seri-ous impact on Island Heights as inflation, even low-level in-flation, takes a toll -- as it in-

variably does during economic upswings. But the borough will operate under this restriction if we’re willing to make the hard choices required.

A: Taboada - I think the cap is a good start. However, it does not change the fact that there are many exceptions to this cap and there are people in government who continue to want to spend on the back of the tax payer. Our borough is small and all residents feel the impact of even minor spending. We are not as lean as we can be and need to be cognizant of the financial times.

A: Wilber - The borough should be able to work under the 2% cap by living within our means. Bid out ALL service and compare to shared service. This is something that I have already experienced while serving as President of the Island Heights Board of Education and it is very doable but you need to ex-plore all areas and take action when applicable. We were able to do this at the school without eliminating service to the chil-dren. In addition, I deal with bidding and contracting every-day in my employment where I manage 1.3 million square feet of office space.

ISLAND HEIGHTS

Island Heights Police Report Recent Activity

ISLAND HEIGHTS – Ptl. Anthony Ringle reported the following recent activity of the Island Heights Police Depart-ment:

• On Saturday, April 9th, a borough resident was in his residence on an undisclosed street when he was assaulted, resulting in the theft of his Ap-ple iPhone and approximately $800. At this time the case is still under investigation, and anyone with information on this incident may call Ptl. Ring-le at 732-270-3006 or the Ocean County Sheriff ’s Department at 732-270-3000.

• On Sunday, April 10th, three items were reported sto-len from the front of a Central Avenue residence, including a

race bicycle valued at $3,500, an electric guitar valued at $60, and a guitar amplifier valued at $100. Ptl. Matthew S. Curtis recovered and returned the bi-cycle to the owner.

The investigating officer is Ptl. Robert M. Sinott, Jr., and anyone with information on this incident may call him at 732-270-3000 or the Ocean County Sheriff ’s Department at 732-270-3000.

• On Sunday, April 10th, Panagioti Karalis, of Toms Riv-er, was issued a summons for operating a motor vehicle with no insurance following a motor vehicle stop in which Ptl. Ringle learned Mr. Karalis was driving with suspended registration. The vehicle was impounded by

Priced Rite Towing. • On Monday, April 18th,

borough police responded to criminal mischief to three vehi-cles on Oak Avenue. Two of the vehicles had their tires slashed, and the third had air let out of one tire. The incident occurred during nighttime hours.

Anyone with information on this incident may call Offi-cer Jillian Dworzanski at 732-270-3000 or the Ocean County Sheriff ’s Department at 732-270-3000.

• On Tuesday, April 19th, Chelsie Lacinski, of Toms Riv-er, was arrested by Ptl. Ringle for an outstanding warrant out of Toms River Township in the amount of $200. Ms. Lacinski posted bail and was released.

By Erik WeberIsland Heights Easter Egg Scramble

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside SignalDozens of borough children enjoyed the Island Heights Recreation Committee’s Annual Easter Egg Scramble last week.

Council Seats , cont. from prev. page

Published by

Riverside Signal, LLCP.O. Box 93Beachwood, N.J. 08722

Erik J. WeberPublisher & Editor

[email protected]

Lisa ProthersToms River Beat [email protected]

Jeri MorrisCalendars & Blotters

[email protected]

Advertising732.701.SELL

News Room732.903.TIPS

Wendy KonarAccounting

[email protected]

[email protected]

Events [email protected]

Letters & [email protected]

[email protected]

Photograph and Motion Picture [email protected]

Sally DracikiewiczDesign

[email protected]

Steven J. BaeliHeritage Writer & Research Associate

[email protected]

Frank Domenico CiprianiColumnist

[email protected]

Philipp SchmidtAssociate Publisher & [email protected]

PAGE 4 The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL Apr. 22nd - May 5th, 2011

Alright. I’ll admit it. It’s a common problem in the United States, so perhaps you all will be able to relate. But when I see sails on the Toms River, it takes me back to a time when I was an illegal immigrant in Argentina.

I will pause for a moment in case you have to read that last sentence again.

When I was eighteen, I fell in love with all things far away, and, inspired by the thousand or so adventure books I’d read, I decided to do something peo-ple used to do in the eighteenth century, and simply don’t do anymore: I decided to seek my fortune. Here in the U.S., the 1980s were almost upon us. It was to be an age of MTV and Duran Duran. Olivia Newton-John filmed Xanadu. You un-derstand why I had to go to Argentina. I simply didn’t have the hair for that decade.

In those days, Argentina was a military dictatorship. As a big fan of Benjamin Frank-lin, I wanted to visit a country ripe for revolution and discover my place in the world the way Franklin had by leaving Bos-ton to find and define Phila-delphia. Buenos Aires would be my Philadelphia. Within the first two weeks of my stay, I had a machine gun pointed at my head, and, in a separate incident, I was thrown off a moving train by the mirror-helmeted, surly military police. I came to understand the dark side of “homeland security” like no white American had in over two hundred years. I resolved to complete my college education back in the U.S. and then return to this land of danger and pos-sibility, of incredible night life,

a city that smelled of barbecued steaks and diesel fuel. It was a city where the after-hours scene was so sweet, even high school kids packed their uniforms so that at 7 am, when the clubs finally closed down, they could hop on a bus and go straight to school (uni-forms were com-pulsory). The city was com-pletely crime-free, but if you wore your hair long, if you said the wrong thing, if you looked the least bit subversive, you could disappear. Buenos Aires was a city of the late night life and tango, but it was also a city where they dropped priests out of helicopters on Monday for Sunday sermons that flirted too closely with the political truth. I was immune to disappearance because I carried a U.S. pass-port, a tourist visa that allowed me to remain in the country for 90 days, and because, the first time I visited, I kept my mouth shut.

I lived in a section of town near the Olivos Yacht Club. The yacht club seemed to be neutral ground, and as long as no one discussed politics, it was the saf-est place in the city. My friends, whose industrialist fathers jointly co-owned a yacht, would subtly point out Che Guevara’s sister, sipping tea with the wife of one of the generals in the ruling junta. At the yacht club, I learned the basics of sailing,

including more than just the names of the components of a boat; vocabulary that I still have in Spanish but not in English.

I also learned some valuable life lessons from some very wise sailors.

Once, my very able and beautiful sail-ing partner on a particu-lar voyage got slammed hard by the wooden auge, (the Eng-lish word is boom) when the wind changed

direction. Her father, a refu-gee of the communist invasion of Eastern Europe after World War II, advised her that it was very important to stay aware of shifts in the wind, and when you untied the auge, you had to be prepared to duck. Having a

particularly hard head, it was a life lesson I never quite could incorporate. Consequently, I’ve been slammed pretty much ev-ery time the wind shifts.

I decided to honor my father and attend college for four years here in the United States. While I was attending college on Long Island, on April 2nd, 1982, Ar-gentina re-occupied the Malvi-nas (which the British called the Falkland Islands). The draft-ees that went to fight that war for Argentina were men born in 1962, the same year I had been born. My friends - without training, adequate equipment, or supplies - were sent to fight the powerful British. Militarily, the results were a disaster, but the ruling junta lost so much power because of the war that it fell apart. By the time I re-turned to Argentina, it was a democratic nation run by a duly elected president, and modeled

SOUTH TOMS RIVER

SAILING INTO THE WIND

cont. on next page

South Toms River Community Calendar

School Budget VoteThe annual vote of the Toms

River Regional Schools bud-get will be held on Wednes-day, April 27th from 2 pm to 9 pm at residents’ designated polling locations.

~Area Beach Sweeps


~Vendors Wanted

Anyone wishing to partici-pate in the borough’s May 7th spring fair as a vendor may call Betty at 732-349-0403.

~Senior Meet & Greet

The South Toms River Rec-reation Commission will host its next senior meet and greet on Saturday, April 30th from 3 pm to 5 pm in the Recre-ation Center on Drake Lane. Refreshments will be served.

~Drive Carefully!


~Republican Club Meeting

The next meeting of the South Toms River Repub-lican Club will be on Mon-day, May 2nd at 7 pm in the Recreation Center on Drake Lane.

By Frank Domenico Cipriani

Frank Domenico Cipriani

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside Signal Youth ballplayers with the South Toms River Community Club officially kicked off their 2011 season with a ceremony and the league’s first night games last week.

STR Baseball


after the United States. I was thrilled to come back

to a vibrant democracy. Unfor-tunately, government was still corrupt to the core. I discov-ered this the second I arrived at the airport, when customs officers stole my cash and were preparing to claim my baggage as “contraband.” I grabbed my unstamped passport and ran. After wheeling my lug-gage through the airport, be-ing chased by a customs officer, I threw it into the back of my friend’s illegally parked micro-bus, and we tore out of the air-port. It was the stuff of movies. Back in the city, I moved into a sort of welfare hotel that was populated by enormous fly-ing cockroaches. My next door neighbor was a grave digger who was trying to sell his poet-ry. I swear I’m not making this up. I knew I’d hit bottom when a beggar I thought was follow-ing me home turned out to be just another neighbor. I gave private English lessons, even-tually rented a nice three-bed-room apartment, and sold my first manuscript (in Spanish). As a result, I appeared on tele-vision and radio talk shows and my book was featured on the highest rated TV shows in the country. Unfortunately, since I didn’t own a TV, I never actu-ally saw any of the broadcasts, but I was being recognized on public transportation. I’d made it!

The problem was, I was still

an illegal immigrant. My pass-port had never been stamped, and even if I had, I was on a 90-day visa. If anyone had checked my passport, I would face fines and perhaps imprisonment, so I had to design a way to leave the country and get new visas every 90 days. I turned to my friends at the yacht club.

On the far shore of the Rio De La Plata is Uruguay. I would jump on my friend’s sailboat and help crew across to the sun-nier, beachy side of the river. The trip took at least twelve hours. When we left port, my friends would hide me in a bench or below decks, and when we were on the open river, I would pop out and help with the very physical work of mov-ing a sailing ship 150 miles, of-ten with the wind in our faces. When we finally arrived in Uru-guay, the harbor patrol there was all too happy to stamp my passport just to stick it to their arrogant counterparts in Ar-gentina. Plus, they thought the idea of an undocumented alien was hilarious and surreal. Now, so many years later, I see their point.

I sought my fortune and spent five years in Argentina. I returned with a trunkful of stories and empty pockets. Hy-perinflation had made every Austral I’d earned in Argen-tina worthless. Still, I felt I’d succeeded beyond my wildest expectation. My experiences in the most economically chal-

lenged nation on earth south of Haiti prepared me to see our current situation from a unique perspective.

Fellow river-ites, here in America, the wind is no longer at our back. Winds of circum-stance now threaten to impede our progress. We can blame our government, we can blame our personal conditions, or we can view these lean years as an ob-ject lesson on how little we actu-ally need government, and how little our personal conditions matter in our quest to achieve our goals. We can choose to see that how hard these hard times are really depends upon the story we chose to believe about ourselves.

Each of us has a dream. Each of us, in a sense, is seeking our fortune on a murky, unfamil-iar sea. We can choose to see these challenging times as the curse of our generation, or we can thank God for the opportu-nity to use our creativity to get us and our families to a distant shore. Yes, the price of gas is too high. Yes, that light at the end of South Main Street hates the people who live in South Toms River. Yes, we’re fight-ing too many wars, paying too many taxes, buying too much from China. It snows too much in the winter. The Mets stink. Flint Road is underwater every time it rains. Tolls are going up. Our nuclear power plant is so old it’s starting to attend bin-go games. And... these are the

years our grandchildren will admire us for. These are the good old days.

I have some ideas about how we can angle our way out of this storm. Crazy ideas that I will communicate to you through my articles here. Before you take anything I say seriously, I beg you to consider the source: I spent the most prosperous decade in American history in a country whose currency actu-ally went extinct after only eight years in existence.

My experience on those 150-mile border crossings to Uru-

guay taught me so much about the fragile nature of freedom. It taught me how fear-motivated and tradition-bound govern-ments are, besides being totally vulnerable to corruption on ev-ery level. When political winds began to shift here in the U.S., I recalled those lessons I learned. You see, sailing teaches that you can move even when the wind is trying to push you back, as long as you know the right angles and are smart enough to duck when that big wooden auge comes ‘round.

SOUTH TOMS RIVER – Right on the heels of a series of directives aimed at cleaning up the borough waterfront proper-ties, here, Mayor Joseph Cham-pagne and Borough Clerk Elizabeth “Betty” Silvestri an-nounced plans to hold a spring fair on Saturday, May 7th at Mathis Plaza.

“The mayor said it would bring the community together,” said Ms. Silvestri. “Every year we had a founder’s day, but the last few years we didn’t do it, so this year we’ll have something small because next year is our 85th anniversary, and that’s where I intend to have something big.”

She added that the funds raised from vendors renting space at this year’s fair would be applied to the larger celebra-tion next year.

Mayor Champagne said that this year’s fair was also planned in order to commemorate the ongoing improvements at the plaza, which for years has been considered unattractive partly due to the abandoned and dete-riorating half-century old ma-rina gas station on the western

edge of the site. By the time the fair takes

place, he continued, “phase one” of Mathis Plaza’s restora-tion would be complete, which includes using recently ac-quired grant funding to repair and replace the stone paver walkway that had been dam-aged by poor weather and van-dalism in recent years. Phase two is to include the restora-tion of the flagpole area at the pointed corner of the site.

“I see Mathis Plaza as a hub where people can come and congregate, and where fami-lies can come in fellowship with each other and enjoy the scen-ery,” the mayor said. “I see it as a location where we will have festivals perhaps on a yearly ba-sis or more frequently during the summertime, and rent it or allow people to use it.”

“My main concern is to get rid of that vacant building,” said Mrs. Silvestri. “It’s such an ugly site.”

Last week, the borough coun-cil unanimously approved the demolition of the old gas sta-tion building, with work being

performed free of charge by Suffolk County Contractors, which is based in South Toms River.

The longtime municipal clerk also recalled that when the bor-ough was making improvements along the waterfront a number of years ago, she was against in-stalling the metal bulkheading present today.

“I wanted a boardwalk to go right around,” she said. “I thought that was nicer, but somehow we got this. I would have preferred the wood.”

The plaza had also presented a number of challenges, such as during the annual Indepen-dence Day fireworks display or when adjacent Huddy Park and downtown Toms River would hold large events.

“We had sprinklers put out there and when the cars went on the lawn, they broke the sprinkler heads,” Mrs. Silvestri said. “We put a complete stop and now there’s no cars allowed on the grass.”

Both Mayor Champagne and Mrs. Silvestri expressed inter-est in the layout and planting of

various native plants to further enhance the aesthetics of the property.

“The whole idea is to try and bring more attention to South Toms River and to make Mathis Plaza a recreation area that it was supposed to be,” he added. “There are some things in the plan but we are limited with

funds, though we have vision – the goal is to have our own signature in South Toms River [along the river].”

Interested parties may call borough hall during normal business hours at 732-349-0403 to learn more about becoming a vendor at next month’s fair.

SOUTH TOMS RIVER

Spring Fair Scheduled to Celebrate Community By Erik Weber

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside Signal Manitou Park Fire Company Chief Brian Corvinus posed alongside just-graduated fire company EMT Steven Heaney after the county’s EMT-Basic graduation ceremony in Waretown this week.

Chief & EMT

SAILING INTO THE WIND, continued from previous page


Returning, for a moment, to the origin of the bungalow that became so prevalent in the early homes of Beachwood, we can learn of the influences that helped shape what is today a regular design standard among the original homes dotting the streets and avenues of the origi-nal northern end of the bor-ough.

The term Bungalow origi-nated in the Bengal region of In-dia, evolving from a native hut, called “bangala,” described as a comfortable abode with high thatched roofs and overhang-ing eaves, which shaded the sin-gle story house. Its name, later anglicized by occupying British troops, grew to become the de-sign response and backlash of the grand, ornate, buttoned up Victorian movement of the late nineteenth century, celebrating a simple five room basic design centered around a main center room and fireplace, with every-thing constructed of natural

materials and natural colors. Public interest only grew in this design during the first decades of the Twentieth Century, which led to its eventual characteriza-tion as the ultimate vehicle for artistic self-expression, lead-ing to innumerable variations of design features emphasiz-ing the philosophical and har-monic association to one’s natu-ral surroundings. Expansive porches, French windows and sleeping porches furthered the idea of one’s connection to the outdoors.

It wasn’t long before the Cal-ifornia Craftsman Bungalow style became prominent, show-casing a rich mix of that west-ern state’s Mexican and Spanish architectural heritage and that of its cross-Pacific neighbor, the Japanese. Furniture of this craftsman movement reflected a rustic, simple ethic of the style found in western Spanish mis-sions.

The modest size of these

dwellings also made them in-credibly suited to the summer resort investor coming to the Jersey Shore, and local builders were only too happy to oblige. As a result, the California Bun-galow dominated Beachwood from its early resort years all the way up to the end of World War II, encompassing almost all residential structures in the area between the Pennsylvania and Central railroad crossing and the waterfront.

“Beachwood Ready By Me-morial Day – Work on Tribune’s Jersey Resort Being Rushed for Formal Opening” stated the April 23rd, 1915 headline in the Tribune, with an opening line declaring: “The New York Tri-bune’s comprehensive promises of development at Beachwood as outlined in its literature are

BEACHWOOD

By Erik Weber

Jakes Branch Park Programs

Night of the Stars Spend the night under the

stars and up on the five story observation tower overlook-ing the Pinelands with the Astronomical Society of the Toms River Area (A.S.T.R.A.) on Saturday, April 23rd from 7:45 pm to 9:30 pm at the Jakes Branch Park Nature Center. If you’re a budding astronomer or stargazer, this night is for you. Volunteer members of the club will be onsite with telescopes to share their out-of-this-world knowl-edge and answer all of your questions about the great un-known. Participants who own their own telescope are invit-ed to bring them along. Club members will be happy to give you pointers on how to find the planets and locate constel-lations. Free, all ages, no reg-istration required.

~Native American Garden:

Corn, Beans and Squash Gardening with native

crops provided the Lenape In-dians with most of their food. Corn, beans and squash grow together as “three sisters” and each plant benefits the other. Drop in and plant seeds using traditional gardening tools on Saturday, April 30th after participating in the Saturday morning Beachwood Beach Sweep. Program will be held from 12:30 pm to 3 pm at the Jakes Branch Park Nature Center. No registration re-quired. Free, all ages.

~Nature & History: Catch-

ing the Migrants of Spring Activity is high, and park

staff will try to prepare you for this season of “migration madness.” Participants will discuss species that can com-monly be expected but also some of the rare treats that may pass through during this Jakes Branch Park Nature and History program on Monday, May 2nd from 7 to 9 pm in the nature center. Please register. Cost is $5 per person, ages 12 years to adult, maximum 25 participants.

~Mother’s Day Twig Trivet A Mother’s Day family

“drop-in” program on twig trivets will be held at Jakes Branch Park on Saturday, May 7th between noon and 3 pm. No registration is required, all ages. Make a craft, hear a story or take part in a quick experiment when you have the time.

Beachwood Community Calendar

Land Use Board MeetingThe Beachwood Land Use

Board will hold its next meet-ing on Monday, April 25th at 7 pm in borough hall on Pinewald Road.

~School Budget Vote

The annual vote of the Toms River Regional Schools bud-get will be held on Wednes-day, April 27th from 2 pm to 9 pm at residents’ designated polling locations.

~Beachwood Beach Sweep

The first of two biannual beach sweeps will take place on Saturday, April 30th from 9 am to 12:30 pm at Beach-wood Beach, Clubhouse Road. Volunteers interested in getting the beachfront ready for the 2011 season by clearing it of debris and gar-bage are encouraged to par-ticipate. Please wear appro-priate clothing; gloves and rakes a plus! Refreshments will be available.

~Drive Carefully!


~First Aid Squad

Pasta DinnerThe Beachwood First Aid

Squad will hold its first an-nual pasta dinner fundraiser on Saturday, April 30th from 5 pm to 9 pm at the Beach-wood Fire House, located at 745 Beachwood Boulevard. Tickets will be sold at the door and will be $8 for adults (14 and older) and $5 for chil-dren ages 5 to 13. Children under 5 eat free.

Building Beachwood: Part V

PHILIPP SCHMIDT, the Riverside SignalBeachwood Volunteer Fire Dept. Pancake Breakfast

PANCAKE BREAKFAST

Beachwood First Aid Squad saw (from top) Robert Brown, Christopher Matyas and John Needham graduate from EMT-Basic earlier this week at the Ocean County Training Center, Waretown.

EMT Grads

cont. on page 14

To date, the Beachwood F.A.S. has answered 443 consecutive calls.

EMS Count


BEACHWOOD – Lt. Robert L. Tapp reported the following recent activity of the Beach-wood Police Department:

• On Sunday, April 10th, An-thony Foglio, 26, of East Bay-view Avenue in Ocean Gate, was arrested and charged with driv-ing while intoxicated by Patrol-man Frank Melillo as a result of a motor vehicle stop on the cor-ner of Bayside Avenue and Lar-board Street at 3:18 am. In ad-dition to the DWI charge, Mr. Foglio was issued a summons for careless driving before be-ing released.

• On Sunday, April 10th, a resident on the 800 block of Mizzen Avenue reported that two of the tires on their vehicle were slashed. There were no witnesses or suspects at the time of the report.

Anyone with information on this incident may contact Det. Sean Langan at 732-286-6000 ext. 184.

• On Wednesday, April 13th, a resident on the 1100 block of Pacific Avenue reported that their residence was burglar-ized, stating that a bedroom window was forced open and entry made to the residence sometime between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm, when the report was called in. Jewelry and other items were stolen.

Anyone with information on this incident may contact Det. Sean Langan at 732-286-6000 ext. 184.

• On Wednesday, April 13th,

BEACHWOOD

By Erik Weber

By Erik WeberFour Boro Adults Arrested in High-Profile Burglaries

Beachwood Police Report Recent Activity

cont. on page 16

Jakes Branch Park Programs

What’s in Bloom at Jakes Branch?

The Pine Barrens are home to many lovely wildflowers. Come for a hike to see what’s blooming in the pines on Sun-day, May 15th from 11 am to 12:30 pm, beginning at the Jakes Branch Nature Center. Cost is $6 per person, maxi-mum 20 participants, ages 12 to adult.

~Blooms and Buds

Nature Walk Located in Monmouth

County on New Jersey’s coast-al plain, Allaire State Park boasts over 200 species of wildflowers, trees and shrubs. Join in as we witness this park come alive in the spring on Sunday, May 15th, with par-ticipants meeting at the Jakes Branch Nature Center at 9 am for the trip north. The pro-gram is expected to run until 1 pm, cost is $6 per person, maximum 12 participants, ages 9 to adult.

~Nature & History:

Colonial Nesting Birds of N.J.

Barnegat Bay and Ocean County support many colo-nial nesting waterbirds. These colonies have been surveyed for over 30 years. Come and learn what species are here and how they have changed or stayed the same over the years during this Jakes Branch Park Nature and History program on Monday, May 16th from 7 to 9 pm in the nature center. Please register. Cost is $5 per person, ages 12 years to adult, maximum 25 participants.

~Beginner-Friendly

Birding Walk Join park staff on a walk

designed to build confidence of the beginning birder on Friday, May 20th from 10 am to 11 am or Sunday, May 22nd from 11 am to noon, begin-ning at the Jakes Branch Park Nature Center. Participants will search for the parks feath-ered residents and springtime visitors. A limited number of binoculars will be available. Please register. Free, ages 12 years to adult, maximum 20 participants.

Teen Advisory BoardThe new Teen Advisory

Board (TAB) will hold its next meeting on Monday, May 2nd at 7 pm in the Beachwood Library, Beach-wood Boulevard. Share ideas on teen programming, help plan teen events, talk and work on a fun activity. Re-freshments will be served. Fore teens ages 12 - 17. Please register, 732-244-4573.

~Environmental

Commission MeetingThe next meeting of the

Beachwood Environmental Commission will be on Mon-day, May 2nd at 7 pm in bor-ough hall on Pinewald Road.


The Beachwood Republican Club will hold its next meet-ing on Monday, May 2nd at 7 pm in the Beachwood Com-munity Center on Compass Avenue.

~Summer Camp

Applications AvailableApplications for summer

camp counselors and coun-selors in training are now available at borough hall on Pinewald Road during nor-mal business hours.

~Council Meeting

The Beachwood Council will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, May 4th at 7 pm in borough hall on Pinewald Road.

~Vendors Wanted

Anyone wishing to partici-pate in the borough’s annual Memorial Day picnic as a crafter or food vendor may call 732-286-6000 prior to May 14th.

~Friends of the Library

MeetingThinking of volunteering

your time to a worthy orga-nization? The Friends of the Beachwood Library provide its branch with a means to support future programs and improvements. All are welcome to attend their next meeting on Friday, May 6th at 10 am in the Beachwood Library, Beachwood Boule-vard.

~Join Boy Scouts

Troop 114, ages 11 through 17. If you enjoy learning life skills, camping, adventure and helping to improve your community, call Barry Wieck at 732-341-6565.

BEACHWOOD – Residents of this borough were surprised late last week when, in short succession, it was learned that four young men from Beach-wood were arrested by police in multiple area municipalities for alternately burglarizing Jon Bon Jovi’s Middletown estate, Toms River Police Chief Mi-chael Mastronardy’s Swain Av-enue home, and a restaurant under construction in Point Pleasant Beach. More charges of further burglaries were later placed on the suspects of the first two incidents.

According to investigators and court documents, the known string of incidents in-volving Beachwood residents began on March 14th, when 21-year-old Nicholas J. Tracy, of Clubhouse Road, formerly of Pine Beach, allegedly stole approximately $100,000 worth of jewelry from the Middle-

town home of George Kolber, the former chief operating of-ficer of American Eagle Out-fitters and Value City Depart-ment Stores, on Monday, March 14th. Ten days later, Mr. Tracy’s car was photographed by Red Bank’s hyperlocal news web-site Red Bank Green as it was parked near the downtown of that municipality with a bust of Napoleon in his passenger seat. At the time, Mr. Tracy told the photographer that he was mov-ing into an apartment in Red Bank. One week later, Mr. Tra-cy allegedly struck again, net-ting approximately $300,000 worth of jewelry from the Little Silver residence of ophthalmol-ogist Martin Uram on April 1st. Neither burglary resulted in an arrest at that time.

On Sunday, April 10th, at approximately 6 pm, two men, allegedly including 25-year-old Berkeley Avenue resident

Robert J. Berlinski III, entered a side door at the restaurant construction site at 709 Arnold Avenue in Point Pleasant Beach and stole eight 55-inch Hitachi Ultravision plasma television sets, which Point Pleasant Beach Police Detective Clint Daniel estimated to be worth about $1,600 each. The owner of the restaurant discovered the theft later that evening, turning over video surveillance of the crime to borough police that showed the two men arriving in a white Toyota Tacoma.

Two days later, on Tuesday, April 12th, Toms River Town-ship police learned of a string of afternoon burglaries on Fawn Drive, Dickerson Street, Central Avenue, Hedge Street and Swain Avenue, the last of which involved Chief Mastro-nardy’s residence, where two suspects, later alleged to be 25-year-old Justin Lovgren, of

PHILIPP SCHMIDT, the Riverside Signal Borough and area children flooded Mayo Park last week for the Recreation Commission’s annual Easter egg hunt/scramble.

Mayo Park Easter Egg Scramble

cont. on page 16


Central Reg. School Admin Discuss Proposed Budget’s Impact, cont. from fronttaxing for budget surpluses] are gone.”

“We stayed in the two per-cent cap – we kept it as stream-lined as we possibly can,” the superintendent continued.

Some areas the district saved money to keep the bud-get increase down included a decreased number of students

in the high school, which, com-bined with savings through at-trition by teachers retiring and not being replaced, allowed the district to both keep its small class size while saving on pay-roll; through the installation of remote lighting and heating/air conditioning systems in the school that allowed the district

to turn off lights and lower en-ergy usage from home when the school was not utilized or was closed due to inclement weath-er for an overall cost savings of $219,000; through the installa-tion of a cell phone tower and solar panels; by entering into an agreement with “Gov Deals,” which enables the district to sell

used and unwanted old equip-ment; through the establish-ment of Central Regional High School as a “High Tech High” choice school, allowing the dis-trict to begin receiving revenue from students of other schools that choose to apply and at-tend; through shared services among the various surrounding schools and school systems; and by entering into an agreement with discount energy provider Viridian that allows the district to receive $2 per household within the district that switch-es to their service, of which $1 would be passed on to the local municipality where the resi-dence is located.

Dr. Parlapanides said some areas that cost the district mon-ey included the ongoing lawsuit between the Borough of Seaside Park and the district to allow its students to attend Toms River Schools, which he called “frivo-lous” and contractual step pay increases for the various unions involved with the district.

Mr. O’Shea concluded the presentation by stating that the two school system model works.

“Four towns kick in and ev-eryone does save some money, but we always strive to do better as we go along,” he said.

OCEAN GATE – Starting this summer, borough residents and visitors, here, may have the chance to stroll down the one mile-long board walk and stop off for a quick bite at a new snack concessionaire tentative-ly slated to occupy half of the borough’s 86-year-old Comfort Station.

Mayor Paul Kennedy an-nounced at this week’s meet-ing of the borough council that he was approached Sunday by two residents, whom he did not name, about providing added revenue to the municipality by renting out half the station, which is located at the end of Wildwood Avenue across from the beachfront and pavilion. The residents, he continued, wanted to form a limited li-ability company for purposes of operating a simple concession stand during four months of the year that would sell items as suntan lotion, packaged snacks, fountain drinks, and hot dogs.

The station, which was built in the mid 1920s and refur-bished in the early years of the last decade, is currently used to store lifeguard and seasonal recreation committee equip-ment.

“These people will have their own permits, insurance

and everything they need [to operate,” said Mayor Kennedy, adding that the would-be ven-dors were going to improve the station by upgrading its plumbing and electrical sys-tems to support their opera-tion. “They’re looking to split the Comfort Station in half – half for the lifeguard and beach area, which means they’ll really have no room to hang out any-more, and the other half for the concession stand.”

He noted that the utility im-provements undertaken by the vendor would remain a benefit to the borough even if the con-cessionaire decided not to re-new its lease in the future.

“They are not changing the structure of the building, and if it does happen it will enable us to keep the bathrooms open a little longer in the evening,” the mayor continued. “We lose money on the Comfort Station every year so they have also agreed to pay the electric bill for [the four months they would occupy it] – it’s a no brainer for the town.”

In addition, he said the ven-dor would be responsible for maintaining the area and re-moving the garbage from the surrounding bins, and that they were seeking to place two pic-

nic-style tables with umbrellas adjacent the Comfort Station for patrons.

Mayor Kennedy asked coun-cil members to decide whether or not to allow the vendors the opportunity to start work on the station and draw up paperwork in the coming weeks, as “before we know it, it’s Memorial Day.”

Councilman Tony Digiron-imo asked whether Borough Attorney James Gluck, who was not present for the meeting, had reviewed the concept and given his opinion.

“He has – basically we have to have a contract with them

anyway, and a lease, so basically he gave the green light as long as there is a lease and every-thing else is in order and every-one’s agreeable,” replied Mayor Kennedy.

Mr. Digironimo asked whether by the council would be “indebted” to the idea if they granted approval to move for-ward on the early stages of the project.

“No, we have to get a lease and paperwork in order,” said Mayor Kennedy.

“I think anything like this is an improvement to the town

OCEAN GATE

Wildwood Ave. Comfort Station May Get Summer Snack Vendor By Erik Weber

cont. on page 16

Ocean Gate Community Calendar

Free Karate Classes Free karate classes are of-

fered every Friday from 6 pm to 7 pm in Adrian Hall on East Cape May Avenue to all borough residents.

~Council Meeting Cancelled The Ocean Gate Council

meeting originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 26th, has been cancelled.

~Wildwood Ave. Beach Sweep

The first of two biannual beach sweeps will take place on Saturday, April 30th from 9 am to 12:30 pm at Wild-wood Avenue Beach, Wild-wood Avenue. Volunteers interested in getting the beachfront ready for the 2011 season by clearing it of debris and garbage are encouraged to participate. Please wear appropriate clothing; gloves and rakes a plus! Refresh-ments will be available.

~Civic Club Meeting

The next meeting of the Ocean Gate Civic Club will be on Wednesday, May 4th at 7:30 pm in Adrian Hall on East Cape May Avenue.

~Seniors Club Meeting

The next meeting of the Ocean Gate Seniors Club will be on Friday, May 6th at 12:30 pm in Adrian Hall on East Cape May Avenue.

~Teen Dance

The Ocean Gate Recreation Committee will hold its next teen night dance on Friday, May 6th from 7 pm to 9 pm at Adrian Hall on East Cape May Avenue. Open to teens no older than 17, refresh-ments will be served and en-tertainment provided by DJ Walkure and DJ Robbie Robb from Lazerline Entertain-ment. Admission is free. Par-ents of teens attending from other towns must be on hand to pick up their child at the end of the evening.

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside Signal The Ocean Gate Comfort Station, Wildwood Avenue, Summer 2010.


OCEAN GATE – This week, the borough council, here, unanimously approved the introduced 2011 municipal budget of $2,772,411.17 follow-ing its public hearing during their Wednesday night meet-ing, which called for a 1-cent increase, or $0.63 per $100 of assessed value, amounting to an annual $24.10 increase based on the average assessed prop-erty at $241,009.

This year’s budget is down $183,278.91 from 2010, noted Mayor Paul Kennedy in an e-mail sent prior to the budget’s final adoption. One line item added to the budget since its introduction at the March 23rd council meeting was a $4,000 New Jersey Clean Communi-ties grant that was accidentally overlooked. No comments were made by those in attendance during the public hearing.

Following its adoption, May-or Kennedy thanked the bor-ough finance committee and its chairman, Councilman Tony Digironimo, as well as Chief

Financial Officer Paulette Ko-nopka.

“It’s quite interesting the past several years and I see that no one got up and asked ques-tions about what you spend and why taxes the way they are,” he said.

In the e-mail Mayor Ken-nedy previously sent, he high-lighted a number of purchases and upgrades that the borough would make with the adopted budget, including two new po-lice vehicles, garage doors on the public works building, new lighting in the water treatment plant, a new Wildwood Avenue pier, and more storm water management systems. Up-grades are slated for the light-ing and electrical systems at the firehouse, bulkhead at Newport Avenue, handicap accessibility along the one mile-long beach-front and boardwalk, and pos-sibly the second phase of the Narragansett Avenue storm drain and road project, among others.

OCEAN GATE

Ocean Gate Budget Passes with One-Cent Increase By Philipp SchmidtEaster Egg Hunt

Ocean Gate’s annual Easter egg hunt will be held at Adri-an Hall on East Cape May Ave. on Sunday, April 17th promptly at 1 pm. Only bor-ough children up to the 6th grade are eligible for the egg hunt.

~Democratic Club Meeting The Ocean Gate Democratic

Club will hold its next meet-ing on Monday, April 18th at 7:30 pm in Adrian Hall on East Cape May Avenue. The club is currently seeking new members from the commu-nity and invites anyone inter-ested to attend.

~Council Meeting

The Ocean Gate Coun-cil will hold its next regular meeting on Wednesday, April 20th at 7 pm in borough hall on Ocean Gate Avenue, at which time the public hear-ing of the 2011 municipal budget will be held.


The Ocean Gate Republican Club will hold its next meet-ing on Thursday, April 21st at 7:30 pm in Adrian Hall on East Cape May Avenue.

Boro Gets New OEM Coordinator

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside SignalBorough resident Tom Fitzgerald was sworn in by Mayor Paul Kennedy as Ocean Gate’s new Office of Emergency Management Coordinator this week.EMT Grad

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside SignalOcean Gate F.A.S. Member Ryan Duers graduated from EMT-Basic this week.

OCEAN GATE EGG HUNT

WENDY KONAR, the Riverside SignalBorough children dashed for their take of the borough’s annual Easter egg hunt/scramble last weekend.

LOCAL WAR VET WELCOMED HOME

PHILIPP SCHMIDT, the Riverside SignalBorough residents, fire company members, officials and members of the Patriot Guard Riders, Warrior Watch Riders and American Legion Riders welcomed Army Spc. Nicole Addonizio home from her second tour of Iraq outside of Adrian Hall earlier this month.


TOMS RIVER

Kean-Ocean Hosts, Wins First Sailing Regatta By Philipp Schmidt

ON THE TOMS RIVER – Last weekend, the recently es-tablished Kean-Ocean sailing team hosted its first regatta, here, taking the top spot over ten teams competing in the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (M.A.I.S.A.) Leroy Grant Regatta in 14 races before being cut short due to extreme winds.

Kean-Ocean Coach Bill Warner reported that “the teams were challenged with the extreme conditions of big swells and puffy breeze that ranged from 12 to 30 mph on the first day.” The second day of races was cancelled due to the in-creasing storm system and high winds.

Competing were Kean-Ocean, Monmouth University, Drexel University, Villanova University, Syracuse University, Army, Webb Institute, the Uni-versity of Maryland, Rochester Institute of Technology, Ocean County College and Christo-pher Newport University.

“With one day of scores counting, the brand new Kean-Ocean sailing team, with driv-ers Tyler Kennedy, a junior from Pine Beach, and Brendan Hogan, a junior from Brick, were in first place,” stated Coach Warner, who added that the team had been training for the previous six weeks in simi-lar conditions, which also in-cluded juniors and Toms River residents Sara Salter and Jamie Wasco, who he said were “vital to the success of the team and keeping the boats upright – in many of the races, there were two to three boats capsized at a time, which led to the eventual shortening of the day.”

Following the weekend rac-es, Ms. Wasco said that she “felt fairly confident heading into this weekend’s races – it’s always a comforting feeling when your team is the home team. We were using our boats that we practice in and sailing on the river that

we practice in.” “Also, we have grown to

know the different wind shifts and general navigation of the river after practicing in the area so often,” she added. “I realized the growing high winds were going to become a factor before I went to bed the night before – sailors are constantly check-ing the wind radar for the area, and I was doing this at work the night before. Looking at wind predictions of 27 knots is a little bit intimidating.”

The Kean-Ocean junior praised her skipper, Mr. Ho-gan.

“[He’s] an excellent heavy air sailor, [and] we utilized the vang on the boat to the fullest extent upwind,” she stated. “We also had to ‘pinch up’ after our tacks so that we could both trim our sails, because the wind was so heavy that neither of us were able to fully trim the sails on our own. When sailing downwind, I was constantly looking for puffs

of breeze behind us and telling Brendan where they were com-ing from – catching many of these puffs allowed us to pass many boats on the downwind legs, even after we were over early on the starting line.”

Mr. Hogan said he was con-fident but nervous going into the races.

“As soon as the first race started through, the nerves were gona, and we were able to complete the task at hand,” he said. “Our team has been a pretty cohesive unit since 2008 – all members were previous members of the OCC etam, so we have good chemistry.”

“We were posed with a cou-ple of challenges from the other schools that came out for the weekend,” stated Mr. Kennedy. “The major one was most of the kids that were sailing grew up in our area. We have sailed against them for years, so hav-ing the knowledge of the area is a big factor [so] I’m pretty much saying we didn’t have much of a home team advantage.”

“That was basically how the other teams were going to keep up on the competitive edge with us,” he added.

The top five scores for the

day were Kean-Ocean, 52; Mon-mouth University, 54; Universi-ty of Maryland, 66; Christopher Newport University, 72; and Webb Institute, 75.

Cattus Island Park ProgramsTour Cattus Island by Bike Cattus Island Park now

has adult bicycles and helmets of various sizes to loan out for use within the park. The bi-cycles are free to use with a driver’s license held until their return, and may be borrowed for two hours, seven days a week, between 8 am and 2 pm. They must not be taken out of the park.

~Step Into Spring

It’s amazing what you can find just a few small steps from the Cooper Environmental Center at Cattus Island Park. Spring Azures are spreading their wings. Buds are burst-ing out leaves and flowers. Fiddleheads of ferns are push-ing their way out of the musty loam.

Spring is, well… spring-ing at Cattus Island Park. Let a naturalist open your eyes to the wonder on Saturday, April 23rd from 10 am to 11 am. There is no cost or registra-tion required. All ages.

~ Scales and Tales

Snakes are frequently sub-ject to many myths. Join a nat-uralist as they uncover the real truths about snakes in this live animal presentation on Satur-day, April 23rd from 11 am to 11:30 am at the Cooper Envi-ronmental Center in Cattus Island Park. There is no cost or registration required. All ages.

~ Turtle Feeding

The Cooper Environmen-tal Center at Cattus Island Park houses a variety of na-tive turtles, including the Diamond-back Terrapin, the Box Turtle and the Painted Turtle. Naturalists and youth volunteers will be on hand to answer all of your questions while they feed and otherwise care for their native turtles on Saturday, April 23rd from 1:30 pm to 2 pm at the Cooper Environmental Center in Cat-tus Island Park. There is no cost or registration required. All ages.

~ Discovery Backpacks

Cattus Island Park has 10 discovery backpacks. The packs, which may be borrowed for free with a driver’s license held until their return, con-tain tools to help families en-joy and learn about the park, including binoculars, several field guides, an audio guide

Toms River Community Calendar

Recreation Commission Meeting

The Toms River Recre-ation Commission meeting will hold its next meeting on Monday, April 25th at 7 pm in town hall on Washington Street.

~Special Council Meeting

A special township coun-cil meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 26th at 6 pm in town hall on Washington Street for purposes of a pub-lic hearing of the 2011 mu-nicipal budget.

~Developmental Disabilities

Meeting The Mayor’s Advisory Com-

mittee on Developmental Disabilities will next meet on Wednesday, April 27th at 6:30 pm in town hall on Washington Street.

~Veterans’ Commission

The next meeting of the Toms River Veterans’ Com-mission will be on Thursday, April 28th at 7 pm in town hall on Washington Street.

~ADA Compliance Meeting

The Mayor’s Advisory Com-mittee on ADA Compliance will hold its next meeting on Monday, May 2nd at 7 pm in town hall on Washington Street.

~Rent Leveling Board Meeting

The next meeting of the Toms River Rent Leveling Board will take place on Tuesday, May 3rd at 7 pm in town hall on Washington Street.

~Planning Board Meeting

The Toms River Planning Board will hold its next meet-ing on Wednesday, May 4th at 6 pm in town hall on Wash-ington Street.

Brown Woods Cleanup

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside SignalMartha Maxwell-Doyle participated in the Browns Woods cleaup last weekend.


TOMS RIVER

TRYC Spring Series Kicks Off

ON THE TOMS RIVER – The Toms River Yacht Club officially began its 2011 Spring Series on April 10th and 11th with a series of E-Scow and Fly-ing Scot races. The scheduled second series of races for April 16th and 17th were cancelled due to extreme winds.

In the E-Scow races, Seaside Park Yacht Club’s William De-mand took top spot with four first place wins, one second place win and six drops for an average placement of 1.20; Jeff Bonnani of Little Egg Har-bor took second with one first place win, three second place wins, one third place win and 10 drops for an average place-ment of 2.00; Toms River Yacht Club’s Joe Thorpe snagged third with one third place win, three fourth place wins, one fifth place win and 20 drops for an average placement of 4.00.

Fourth place was taken by Lake Hoptacong Yacht Club’s

Chris Norman, fifth place went to Lavallette Yacht Club’s James Miller, Toms River Yacht Club’s Glenn Shaffer took sixth, Lake Hoptacong Yacht Club’s Pat Flinn grabbed seventh, and Seaside Park Yacht Club’s Todd Nosher won eighth.

In the Flying Scot competi-tion, Peter Sayia won overall first place with two first place wins, three second place wins and eight drops for an average placement of 1.60; Rich Ker-dock took overall second with two first place wins, two second place wins, one third place win and nine drops for an average placement of 1.80; and an un-named sailor with sail number 5408 took third with one first place win, four third place wins, and 13 drops for an average placement of 2.17.

The Toms River Yacht Club will be closed for the upcoming Easter weekend but the Spring Series will resume on May 1st.

Cattus Island Park Programs

to bird sounds, an aquatic dip net, tools for catching and holding insects, and sev-eral suggested activities and games. The packs are appro-priate for family groups with children of any age.

~It’s Springtime! Wreath

Celebrate the coming of spring by making a wreath that will last from year to year. Locally gathered natural ma-terials will be used to trans-form a grapevine wreath into a blossoming garden. The park will supply all materials. Event takes place on Friday, April 29th from 7 pm to 9 pm. Cost is $10 per person, ages 10 to adult, maximum 20 partici-pants.

~Build a Birdhouse

Assemble and paint your own special birdhouse for chickadees, downy woodpeck-ers, titmice, or house wrens. Bring a hammer (and don’t forget safety goggles!), along with a little creativity- and we’ll provide the rest! The fun takes place on Friday, May 6th from 6:30 to 8 pm. Cost is $10 per person, ages 10 to adult, maximum 20 participants.

Not a commitment to lend.LO NMLS# 298472, Company NMLS# 1599Licensed by NJ Dept. of Banking & Insurance

Contact Toni Gratzel today!

[email protected] Main Street, Toms River, NJ 08753

Spring Breakfasts @ the Firehouse

PHILIPP SCHMIDT, the Riverside SignalFrank Peluso Sr. (TOP) at the Pleasant Plains Volunteer Fire Dept. Pancake Breakfast and Kyle Reid (BOTTOM) at the East Dover Volunteer Fire Dept. Pancake breakfast on Sunday, April 17th.

Children’s Festival

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside SignalVolunteers from last weekend’s NAEYC free Children’s Fair posed for a shot.

By Erik Weber


PINE BEACH

TR School Reps Answer Council’s Budget Questions, continued from front

cont. on page 15

Pine Beach Community Calendar

Council Work SessionThe Pine Beach Borough

Council will hold its next work session meeting on Monday, April 25th at 7:30 pm in borough hall on Penn-sylvania Avenue.

~School Budget Vote

The annual vote of the Toms River Regional Schools bud-get will be held on Wednes-day, April 27th from 2 pm to 9 pm at residents’ designated polling locations.

~Area Beach Sweeps


~Drive Carefully!


~First Aid Squad

Pasta DinnerThe Beachwood First Aid

Squad, which also serves Pine Beach, will hold its first an-nual pasta dinner fundraiser on Saturday, April 30th from 5 pm to 9 pm at the Beach-wood Fire House, located at 745 Beachwood Boulevard. Tickets will be sold at the door and will be $8 for adults (14 and older) and $5 for chil-dren ages 5 to 13. Children under 5 eat free.

$12.88 per month or $154.56 per year on the average home assessed at $328,700, for a total tax payment of $2,579.97 annu-ally.

The total 2011-12 operat-ing budget voters will be asked to approve next week carries a $131,104,192 tax levy, up $4,884,725, or 3.6 percent, from $126,219,467 for school year 2010-11.

Council President Lawrence Cuneo restated the governing body’s concern that in previous years the borough school tax rate was increased despite re-peated statements that it would not, and wanted to know if there would be an even higher tax rate increase beyond the proposed 4.7-cent hike based upon those prior increases be-yond what was presented.

Mr. Doering stated that his understanding was that in those previous years the school busi-ness administrator was only presenting the general fund tax rate to the public as that is the rate which is voted upon each year, while leaving off the debt service fund tax rate, which was where those surprise increases came from.

“Therein lies my methodol-ogy for presentation – I always use a very direct plan year after year, and I’m going to show you the general fund portion voted on in April by voters plus the debt service so you can see ag-gregate impact and the aggre-gate picture and tie it to the tax bills,” he said.

“Meaning no surprises,” added Mr. Jedziniak, who said that from now on he wanted to

make sure that Mr. Doering’s template would be followed and that all sides of the school tax rate would be available for the public to view and understand, despite that they would only be able to vote on the general fund tax rate.

“If voters haven’t approved any new debt service, how come we keep getting hit with debt service increases when it’s paid off or down,” asked Mr. Cuneo. “Why is debt service increased when we haven’t taken anything new on?”

“All I can say – and I have to look at the debt service sched-ules for the years in question – but sometimes when we is-sue bonds they may not have a flat schedule across the next 30 years,” replied Mr. Doering. “They may ramp up over a cer-

tain number of years like a bell curve – I don’t know what the structure was.”

The proposed budget’s debt service portion, which is not be-ing voted on next week, shows a drop of $124,100 between 2010-11 and 2011-12, or from $6,427,760 to $6,303,660.

Mr. Doering moved on to detail the reasons behind the rate increase.

“In terms of putting together the budget this year, it was quite a challenge as we’re still reeling from losing $9 million in state aid last year, but we were able to develop a budget that preserves the funding for existing pro-grams and positions in the dis-trict,” he said, noting that the rate increase per town varied as a result of the funding for-mula that takes the equalized valuations of each municipal-ity and determines what overall percentage each town would be responsible for.

The increase in 2011-12 school budget taxes for the oth-er municipalities in the district are proposed to be 3.3 cents for Toms River, 3.6 cents for South Toms River, and 1.5 cents for Beachwood.

“If you look at the mechan-ics of that, if you’re in a town where your ratable base is go-ing up while other towns are going down, your percentage of the share by the mechanics is going to increase,” continued Mr. Doering. “That’s what you see this year with Pine Beach higher than everyone else. The other three towns in the re-gional all went down in terms of equalized valuation and also went down in actual valuation. Pine Beach was the only town of the four that went up in both regards.”

The previous year, he said, Toms River’s valuation gave them a 7.2-cent increase, South Toms River a 5-cent increase and Beachwood a 3.8-cent in-crease.

The school system was also able to increase the budget by more than the state-mandated 2-percent cap due to automatic cap waivers for health insur-ance and the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS). Mr. Doering pointed out one of the slides in his presentation which stated that “the district tax levy is actually $27 million under the expected tax levy (“under adequacy”), per Department of Education calculations.”

In reviewing the revenues and expenditures of the bud-get, the business administrator pointed out that for the 2011-12 budget, there was a loss of $3.6 million in surplus from


PINE BEACH – Last week, borough officials, here, took a few steps closer to voting on an ordinance that would cause res-idents and developers seeking major structural renovations or new construction to consid-er leaving a certain amount of trees standing inside the set-backs of their properties.

Huntington Avenue resident and Environmental Commit-tee Chairman David J. McKe-on, who is also director of the Ocean County Planning De-partment, appeared before the borough council during their workshop meeting to discuss the proposed ordinance and answer any questions officials may have had.

“This has been kicked around for a number of years, [and] we looked at it on and off, particularly a couple of years ago when we forwarded a pro-posal up to the land use board,” he said. “They had some com-ments that came back and we had some comments from the [borough attorney], Jack Mal-lon, [and] I know some people have had some concerns about, ‘I’m a homeowner, if I want to cut a tree down I shouldn’t have to go through red tape’ and ‘I shouldn’t have to pay a fee’ and all that.”

“We did hear those com-ments early on and we did not put that in the current ordi-nance, but I guess the biggest concern we had was on some of the newer people moving into town – our borough here has its own character: it’s treed, it’s rural and even though it’s fairly dense, there’s a lot more hous-ing units than people even real-ize, and a lot of that’s because the trees that are here and the atmosphere [of the town],” Mr. McKeon continued. “What we were starting to see is that a lot of the lots that were left – and there’s not many of them – the builder would come in, clear-cut the lot, put up a couple of units [that are] totally out of character with what was there, and the homeowner would move in. Sometimes the home-owner would stay a year or two, leave and somebody else would come in, and really the main focus of what we were trying to do was at least put some type of pause in there so that it isn’t an automatic to come in, tear the trees down, put up a home and the builder’s gone.”

“I have a personal example to relate and that is – this has nothing to do with the ordi-nance, we had started and this happened after, but – in the lot behind my house, they did that,” he stated. “It was a double

lot, and it was subdivided, they took all the trees down and put two homes up, and the original feedback was, ‘Well, they want swimming pools.’

Mr. McKeon then recounted a story where he later met the second homeowner to move in and learned that he would have liked the trees to have stayed but didn’t know enough to specify that in the construction plan.

“The funny part is, the builder put the house up and just before he was getting ready to have the people move in, he took a Bobcat [backhoe] and went right along the property line,” he recalled. “Some of those trees weren’t very big, and every tree that was there was wiped out completely, and then you hear the feedback from the homeowner that , ‘I wish he would’ve left some trees there,’ and it’s like, you know, I think that’s what we’re really trying to get at – we’re really not trying to make this a burden to say that we don’t want any trees taken down. That’s not realistic; we all have to have trees taken down from time to time.”

“There was a phrase that Jack Mallon said to put in the ordinance, and that was this would apply to properties for development; that is, they had to come in for a site plan, they had to come in for a develop-ment plan – a major renovation or a teardown and a rebuild – that there would be some stan-dards in place,” Mr. McKeon continued. “Like anything there’s waivers to these provi-sions, it’s not like you will never take a tree down, it’s again to provide a couple of steps to say, ‘Is that really what we want to

do?’ and to think about it a little while.”

The planning director also highlighted the growing inter-est in the health of the river and bay as an added reason to promote the planting and care of area trees on borough prop-erties.

“Runoff is a big part of [pre-serving the bay] and somebody mentioned here before the way that the streets are slanted, and that it naturally goes into the yards and it’s supposed to per-colate,” he continued. “We’ve actually got something here that most towns are trying [to do] – you want to keep the re-charge on site as much as possi-ble, you want [the water] to per-

colate into the ground, and if you’ve got a lot of trees in your neighborhood that keeps the floor spaces open, that allows for a lot of recharge as opposed to clear-cutting and putting in lawns and things like that.”

“A lot of people are sur-prised to know there’s a lot of runoff from lawns, usually be-cause there’s a lot of compac-

tion in there,” Mr. McKeon stated before passing out two photographs showing a wooded corner borough lot and a sec-ond corner lot that was com-pletely cleared of all trees and vegetation. “The thought is, is there any way to at least say, ‘Let’s save some trees here to let the new owner come in to live in the house and decide for them-selves that maybe I want some trees up here rather than start-ing with a postage stamp that’s got a sod lawn and a big two-and-a-half story house that’s sticking out and is nothing like the houses next to it?’”

Councilman Ritty Polhemus asked how the ordinance would affect the general resident.

“It wasn’t envisioned for any-thing minor like a shed, what it envisioned was if you had to come in for a permit anyway, for something that was fairly large, that there would be an oppor-tunity to look what was on the yard now and the potential to save any of the trees there rath-er than take all the trees down at once,” replied Mr. McKeon.

“But don’t we have this in our building construction code about clear cutting for a build-er coming in?” asked Council President Lawrence Cuneo.

“They need a permit before they can clear cut, but that’s the only restriction,” answered Mayor Christopher Boyle.

“My concern is – and I like trees, I have trees and the whole thing – but if you’re gonna do a renovation and you’re gonna put that pool in or something, to me it’s restrictive to go in and say ‘You can’t take these trees down’ or ‘You have to replace them a certain amount because

PINE BEACH

cont. on page 15

By Erik WeberPine Beach Tree Ordinance Nears VoteTeen Advisory Board

The new Teen Advisory Board (TAB) will hold its next meeting on Monday, May 2nd at 7 pm in the Beachwood Library, Beach-wood Boulevard, which also serves Pine Beach. Share ideas on teen programming, help plan teen events, talk and work on a fun activity. Refreshments will be served. Fore teens ages 12 - 17. Please register, 732-244-4573.

~Land Use Board

The next meeting of the Pine Beach Land Use Board will be on Thursday, May 5th at 7:30 pm in borough hall on Pennsylvania Avenue.

~Friends of the Library

MeetingThinking of volunteering

your time to a worthy orga-nization? The Friends of the Beachwood Library provide its branch with a means to support future programs and improvements. All are welcome to attend their next meeting on Friday, May 6th at 10 am in the Beachwood Library, Beachwood Boule-vard, which also serves Pine Beach.

~Join Boy Scouts

Troop 114, ages 11 through 17. If you enjoy learning life skills, camping, adventure and helping to improve your community, call Barry Wieck at 732-341-6565.


The Pine Beach Republican Club will hold its next meet-ing on Tuesday, May 9th at 7:30 pm in the Pine Beach Firehouse on Prospect Av-enue.

~Council Work Session

The Pine Beach Borough Council will hold its next work session meeting on Monday, May 9th at 7:30 pm in borough hall on Pennsyl-vania Avenue.

~Council Meeting

The next regular meeting of the Pine Beach Council will be held on Wednesday, May 11th at 7:30 pm in borough hall on Pennsylvania Avenue.

~Town-Wide Yard Sale

The Pine Beach Municipal Alliance’s annual town-wide yard sale will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 14th and 15th, from 9 am to 3 pm.

We welcome all members of our community to take this opportunity to attend our Open House and tour our beautiful club. Learn about all the activities and events that are planned for the year 2011.

Meet members from our various committees and hear about the benefits of membership. Find out why we think PBYC is such a special place. Children of all ages are encouraged to attend.


Business / Service Directory

Building Beachwood, continued from page 6

Special Needs Housing, continued from page 2

being rapidly fulfilled.” This was possibly a jab at the New York American and the various investigations focused on the land promotion.

Within this article was cap-tured the final stages of much of the original resort’s con-struction, as well as many of the common design elements which would exemplify these early buildings:

“The clubhouse… is almost completed. The interior is di-vided into a number of rooms. The main reception room con-tains a huge fireplace built of cobbles and large enough to ac-commodate a cord of wood at a time. A massive oak beam man-telpiece is built into the fire-place, which adds to its general attractiveness. The small candy and soda store, the check room for bundles and clothing and the ladies’ lavatory occupy the remaining space in the interior.

“Wide verandas constructed with rustic posts and railing ex-tend on three sides of the build-ing. The red shingled roof can be seen for quite a distance out on the water and will doubtless guide many a boat to anchorage off the Beachwood Yacht Club.

“The Yacht Club building, which has been under construc-tion for the last two months, is built on heavy piles with cement casings and extends quite a dis-tance out on the water. A well constructed floor of selected material has been provided in the building to provide an ex-cellent dancing floor, and the whole interior will be decorated in approved nautical style.

“The pier in front of the building has been arranged to provide for an excellent land-ing for the boats of the club, and the huge white painted posts that form the support for the pier can easily be sighted at

night. A ship’s lantern will be placed at the far end of the pier.

“On the bathing beach... a plank walk will connect the bathhouse with the beach. The building is decorated in the uni-form color scheme adopted for all Beachwood buildings, con-sisting of light and dark brown stain with cream trimming.

“The Lodge, or Beachwood Hotel, occupies a sightly posi-tion in the club grounds and follows the low, graceful lines of the old Spanish style of ar-chitecture. The Lodge is built around an inner court, or patio, on which all the rooms open. Trees, shrubs and a fountain will be placed in the centre of this courtyard.

“The thirty-seven rooms in the hotel will be simply and well furnished. Rooms will rent this season for the exceedingly nominal sum of 75 cents for a single person, or $1.25 for two persons occupying a single room for one day.

“The dining room, which is a separate building from the clubhouse, lies directly across the way from it. The building conforms in general lines and style with the other club build-ings and provides seating space for 150 persons. The building is well ventilated, and a long row of windows which runs along three sides of the building gives a splendid view to diners and insures a cool breeze.

“The new railroad station at Beachwood… is entirely com-pleted. The red shingled roof, with wide, extended eaves, gives a striking effect to the build-ing. The interior is divided into two rooms, one of which will be used by the New York Tribune as an information bureau. For the accommodation of early visitors desiring to obtain infor-mation, the New York Tribune

announces that a representative can be found on the grounds every day from this time on, whose sole duty is to look after the wants of Beachwood visi-tors.

“This representative will meet all incoming trains to Toms River and will wear a Beachwood badge. Between train times he can usually be found in the information office at the station.”

One week later, on April 30th, another advertisement was taken out in the Courier by Nickerson, seeking teams to haul gravel at Beachwood. Within weeks, all construction by the New York Tribune was complete, the majority of all lots were sold out, and Mayo and Nickerson had a complete and smashing success.

But what of Watson, the New York American, the postal in-spectors and District Attorney Marshall?

According to testimony, sometime in the spring or sum-mer of 1915, the New York Tri-bune was tipped off about the ongoing and intense investiga-tion being spearheaded by a reporter from a Hearst news-paper. It immediately retained former United States attorney Henry Wise to defend them. Watson, upon consulting Mar-shall as to whether he should take the advice of the postal inspectors and make the inves-tigation public in the New York American, was told to wait six months and that any premature publicity could allow the Tri-bune to “pave the streets and shout that [they] had hustled them too much, that [they] did not give them a chance to carry out their promises.” Nothing would ever be pursued and the issue dissipated until the 1916 hearing on Marshall’s alleged

neglect in pursuing such mat-ters. He was acquitted on all charges.

Regarding the Tribune pro-motion, however, one aspect that Watson and his team in-advertently uncovered was the apparent fact that the sales-men working for the Tribune were either purchasing many waterfront lots for themselves to resell at much higher rates to well-heeled clients or sim-ply boosting the price in back door deals and keeping all but the Tribune’s per-lot payment as commission. Ironically, this greed likely paved the way to Beachwood’s success, as it forced the earliest waterfront residents to largely be well-off upper middle class profession-als who could afford to immedi-ately build summer bungalows on their land and jumpstart both the local economy and so-ciety by filling the resort’s cof-fers with contributions that led first to a property owners’ as-sociation and, two years later, a drive to break away from Berke-ley Township and incorporate as an independent borough, ca-pable of its own governance and improvements.

Had the lots been sold dem-ocratically to any investors at the regular rate of $19.60, it’s possible that Beachwood would have either failed or at least not have been able to drum up the perfect storm of financial inde-pendence and community spirit to drive it toward becoming both a successful resort and its own municipality. Although a very small amount of investors did wind up building homes south of the railroad crossing, the fact remains that Beach-wood was almost totally com-posed of residences within four blocks of the waterfront until the postwar rise of automobiles

and the Garden State Parkway wiped out the passenger rail-way system and made the more remote areas of the borough accessible by the growing car-owning middle class of Ameri-cans.

As predicted by the paper itself, the original buildings constructed for the Tribune under Nickerson’s design and direction have been complete-ly wiped away by the march of time - destroyed either by fire, coastal storm or progress. Lucky for us, however, is that we have photographs of these structures as well as a growing ability to catalog and archive their design features for pos-sible reuse in future borough buildings, either as a wink to the past through their reincor-poration in contemporary ma-terials or a complete historic re-construction, as the Beachwood Historical Alliance seeks to ac-complish with the original rail station through the upcoming Ocean County Rail Trail park.

Beachwood would live to be Bertram Mayo’s greatest ac-complishment. Where Beach-wood has flourished as its own borough, the three previous communities he established ei-ther didn’t take hold, were ab-sorbed by a larger municipality or fell into disrepair and are to-day blighted and crime-ridden. Mayo would attempt one more promotion backed community in 1916: an artists’ colony far into the Pine Barrens at Browns Mills. Although not much is yet known on this project, research indicates that it was not to be: Nickerson, by now semi-retired as a civil engineer and new partner in a bungalow building firm, was living in a handsome family home he built on his own chosen plot of land across from the beach he helped develop

cont. on page X


Continued From & Letters to the Editor

in the borough he designed. When asked by Mayo to design his next community, Nickerson agreed but was soon stricken with a severe illness in Novem-ber, which almost certainly im-peded his work on the project. Mayo, working out of Philadel-phia but still visiting and stay-ing at Beachwood during much of this period, ramped up pro-motional material that seemed similar to his prior publications. More research has to be done, however, to determine how far either man got on the project and whether it had any degree of success. What is known is that Browns Mills eventually became largely absorbed by the June 1917 creation of Camp

Dix, a training and deployment nexus for troops headed off to World War I, later growing and becoming today’s Fort Dix.

Nickerson would continue to live in Beachwood until passing away at the age of 75 on Decem-ber 4th, 1943. He was interred at Island Pond Cemetery in Harwich, Massachusetts. Unlike his partner, Mayo would not live long to see Beachwood flourish through the years. In December 1917, he sold his entire water-front holdings along with 5,000 southernmost remaining lots to the new borough in December 1917 for their preservation as public land. Two and a half year later, in July 1920, while visiting Asheville, North Carolina, a

place he reportedly often sailed down to, Bertram C. Mayo died of pulmonary tuberculosis. A year later, Mayo’s son and often partner in his land promotions, Geoffrey, arrived to sell off the remaining desirable lots owned by the family between Atlantic City Boulevard and the water-front.

Mayo’s friends and the bene-factors of his work in Beach-wood later established the open land along the waterfront above the bluffs as a park for him, permanently cementing his name and life accomplishments in a place for all future borough children and residents to go for relaxation and recreation, ide-als reminiscent of the long ago

seaside resorts that originally spurred young B.C. Mayo to embark on his lifelong adven-ture to build a better commu-nity. I feel he found it here, in Beachwood.

Although only briefly men-tioned here, the bungalows and cottages that followed the con-struction of the original Tri-bune club buildings are largely still present within the borough, with many current-day owners taking higher interest and care in their restoration and appre-ciation. As a means to benefit both these current owners and the future cultural architecture of the borough, the Beachwood Historical Alliance is beginning to form a photographic and

architectural record of these structures for possible future inclusion in an official local registry that would aid home-owners in rediscovering the original design elements and wide ranging possibilities of these attractive homes as well as the financial and social benefits of their restoration and upkeep.

For more information, to share your family’s part in Beachwood’s past or to learn more about the Beachwood His-torical Alliance, write to Beach-wood Historical Alliance, P.O. Box 3, Beachwood, NJ 08722 or e-mail [email protected].

To the Editor:

Something unusual hap-pened in Toms River the other night. Three people who want-ed my vote actually talked to me, told me their ideas, and answered my questions. I at-tended the community meeting sponsored by Alex Pavliv, Lo-reen Torrone and Ben Giovine, candidates for school board. After a short introduction, the audience of about 75 people asked questions and got an-swers. They convinced me they have a plan for making sure the corruption and waste never happens again and expressed their shared commitment to move us forward. At the end of the meeting they gave out their personal phone numbers to anyone who had any further

questions in order to continue this long over-due conversation. This was a refreshing change from the normal campaigns where candidates rely on the political machine and special interests to win.

Most impressive, in my opin-ion, was Mr. Giovine. His candor and knowledge was a welcome representation of my genera-tion. As a young professional in Toms River, I do believe it is vital that our generation begin to lift the burden off those who have served for so many years and take responsibility for our collective community. In short, Thank you Ben for taking the lead.

Ken Malagiere

Toms River

Building Beachwood, continued from previous page

you’re doing an addition to your home,’” said Mr. Cuneo. “Now it may become burdensome to the homeowner to place these trees because they just don’t fit within the confines of the home – how do you regulate that?”

Councilman Matthew Abatemarco suggested the ordi-nance include a “subparagraph where it shall not apply to the installation of pools” and cer-tain other things.

John M. Sgro, the borough police chief and municipal administrator, asked whether there were towns that stipulated a certain percentage of trees on a property must remain during construction or major renova-tions.

“Several towns have done tree ordinances, and some have

been more successful than oth-ers,” said Mr. McKeon, noting that Mr. Mallon has been in-volved in some of them with his other municipal clients. “Our target again wasn’t existing homeowners or if you want to put in a pool.”

Mr. Abatemarco noted that there were few remaining lots that were open and buildable that would be affected by the ordinance, but that the possibil-ity for teardowns of older, exist-ing homes in the future would almost certainly fall under the proposed regulation.

“If it makes you think twice about it, about what you’re go-ing to do, I think then it works,” said Mr. McKeon. “Say I’m go-ing to take down 25 trees, you don’t really need to, you can

take down 12 and get away with it or 10 or whatever the num-bers are.”

“I think we need to move forward on this,” said Mr. Abatemarco.

The governing body then debated various definitions and stipulations of the proposed ordinance for approximately 10 minutes more before de-ciding to move it to the next work session on Monday, April 25th at 7:30 in borough hall on Pennsylvania Avenue. Yester-day, Borough Clerk Charlene Carney issued a notice that a special regular council meet-ing was also scheduled for 8 pm that same night to alert resi-dents that the governing body would possibly take action on the proposed tree ordinance.

Pine Beach Tree Ordinance Nears Vote, continued from page 13

the previous year, creating a “large revenue hole” that would have kept the tax levy increase to just 1 percent if they had it. A $4.87 increase in expendi-tures was primarily a result of increases in health insurance, special education tuition that had in 2010-11 been funded by the American Recovery and Re-investment Act (ARRA) of 2009, and salaries/payroll.

“One of the frustrating items was the PERS pension increase of 11.2 percent, which equates to $357,000,” he said. “Those types of increases year after year is going to continue to put us in a bad position.”

Mr. Jedziniak pointed out that the pension increase alone amounted to a half penny in-crease on the tax rate.

Actions taken to reduce cost for the district, Mr. Doer-ing said, included keeping the per pupil cost down to approxi-mately 25 percent less than the

state average; entering into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) through the installation of solar panels on many of the district’s buildings, which both introduced energy credits to the district’s budget and al-lowed infrastructure improve-ment and maintenance on the buildings’ roofs at no cost; self-insurance for health ben-efits; being largely self-insured for workers compensation; the continued use of the coopera-tive bid process for supply and material orders; the continued use of a four-tier busing system; and the continued evaluation of effectiveness and efficiency of all positions and programs for consolidations where practical.

Prospect Avenue resident and former district employee, Robert Rohan, questioned why the Toms River Schools sought to keep funding all programs and positions that resulted in any rate increase when “we are

in an economic crisis,” and add-ed that he felt the school system should go out to bid for far more services than they currently do, including engineering, which he said he was “stunned to find out” exists in-house.

“I would encourage the dis-trict to strongly, after April 27th, think about [going] going and getting real proposals for services,” he continued, adding that during his tenure he felt the district wrote inadequate Requests for Proposals (RFPs), resulting in a revolving door of contractors. “I’ll be happy to write RFPs when it comes to that, at least for custodial [ser-vices].”

Mr. Doering said that prior to going out for bid for services already provided by the school system, studies needed to be done to make sure it was cost-effective.

Mr. Rohan pointed to the $375,000 increase in PERS

costs. “There’s one analysis,” he

said. Mr. Doering noted that the

study process “covers a lot more than just that.”

Mr. Rohan further asked whether the district had consid-ered selling its administrative office building at 1144 Hooper Avenue.

“No, but we have consid-ered other options,” replied Mr. Jedziniak. “The reason we don’t want to sell is not only because it generates income from rent-als but also we’re avoiding about half a million dollars of rent per year.”

“That is a very profitable building for now, and in this real estate market right now, it’s a bad idea,” he continued. “It doesn’t mean it’s off the ta-ble forever, but keeping 1144 makes perfect financial sense for us in avoiding costs [now].”

TR School Reps Answer Council’s Budget Questions, continued from page 12


and only beneficial to every-body – to the summer residents, people at the beach and all residents – taking a stroll on the boardwalk,” said Council-woman Joella Nicastro. “It just adds something a little more to Ocean Gate, of course, when I was a kid we had everything down there.”

Mayor Kennedy and Coun-cilman Dave Kendrick said that the vendors would be tentatively seeking to operate during the hours of 11 am to possibly as late as 9 pm.

“It will not interfere with any function we have there as far as any group there,” added Mayor Kennedy, noting that the Com-fort Station vendor would also pay vendor fees on Founders’ Day in addition to their regu-lar four-month lease. “They did ask about a sign and we said no, they wanted to put it on the roof and we said no.”

Mr. Digironimo expressed concern that the vendor’s op-erations would increase litter-ing along the boardwalk, as patrons would not always stand there while eating or drinking the products the purchase and would likely be some distance away when they want to dispose of the empty food or drink con-tainer or wrapper. He asked that the council look at possi-bly putting more garbage cans along the beach to prevent this from becoming an issue.

Council President Richard

Russell added that having a food vendor in the station was “actually a fast track to the multi-year plan” that the Rec-reation Committee had drawn up to include eventually having the borough sell items from the station.

“It’s pretty much what we had in mind, to make it basical-ly pay for itself, but now that it’s privately run we don’t have to worry too much about it,” said Councilman Charles Mailot, who is the current council liai-son to the committee. “I like it.”

The borough council voted unanimously to approve mov-ing forward on the project idea.

During the open public por-tion of the meeting, a handful of residents present voiced their opinion on the Comfort Sta-tion’s projected partial lease to a food vendor.

“I agree with Joella, I think it’s wonderful to see activity with the Comfort Station, but I do disagree in the manner in which it was awarded,” said West Point Pleasant Avenue resident Rosemary Kindon. “You’ve essentially given it to the concessionaire interested in the public property without mentioning who it is, and per-haps you would have gotten a better deal if you set the param-eters and allowed other people to bid on it.”

“I basically think the gen-eral consensus is that these people need a few weeks to get

the paperwork to us so we can see what we’re getting into and bring us into an agreement,” replied Mayor Kennedy, adding that if an agreement was not met the council could rescind its preliminary approval but that he did not feel that in the current economy they would find another vendor willing to take on the station’s utility up-grades for just the promise of a four-month lease.

“It wasn’t on our radar but [the plan was] put together in a very professional matter,” said Mr. Kendrick.

“I understand your position and perhaps this year we’ll see how it goes and so will they, but I do think this is an opportunity for somebody and I respectfully disagree – someone may well be motivated to take that kind of chance,” replied Mrs. Kindon.

East Chelsea Avenue resident Ed Dickerson asked whether the council could instead seek a vendor that would have a con-cession truck separate from the Comfort Station, as they would be able to “pack up and leave if we’re not satisfied.”

“One added benefit of the Comfort Station is that they do the renovation and we reap the benefit because it’s our building that’s being improved,” said Mr. Digironimo.

East Long Branch Avenue resident Frank Santarpia, a past councilman and 2011 Ocean Gate Democratic Club

candidate for council, said that he did not feel allowing ven-dor trucks parked at the end of Wildwood Avenue would be a better option.

“If we have vehicles around we would have vehicles idling, and then pollution,” he said be-fore asking what would happen to the recreation committee’s grill currently being stored in the station.

Mayor Kennedy said it would be stored in the lifeguard half of the station along with the re-frigerator and lifeguard equip-ment, adding that the beverage vending machines currently present at the station would be removed.

“The Comfort Station is a good I idea,” said Ocean Gate Police Chief Reece Fisher. “If someone is down there and the vendor establishes consistency it may invite people to come in and buy more beach badges and park at the meters.”

“And if they sell coffee I as-sure you there will be a higher police presence down there,” he joked.

The next meeting of the Ocean Gate Council will be on Wednesday, May 11th at 7 pm in borough hall on Ocean Gate Avenue. Check back with the May 6th edition of the Signal for a full council wrap-up of this week’s meeting.

Spray Avenue, and 19-year-old Jesse Hamby, of Neptune Av-enue, were caught at 6:15 pm on a recently-installed video sur-veillance system. The chief was attending the township council meeting and later received a phone call regarding the inci-dent.

In the released video footage, a dark car drops off one of the suspects who then walks to the front door, rings the doorbell and then goes to the rear of the house where he forces a window open. Township police later re-ported that cash, jewelry and prescription medicines were taken by the suspects.

On Wednesday, while police in Point Pleasant Beach and Toms River continued their in-vestigations, Middletown police received a break when they were alerted to a tripped burglar alarm at the Middletown home of rock and roll artist Jon Bon Jovi. Upon searching the house, Patrolman Ryan Riffert and Pa-trolman Carl Roth found and arrested Mr. Tracy, who was hiding in a third floor bath-room. The follow up investiga-

tion resulted in the Clubhouse Road resident being charged with at least the earlier heists, including four counts of third-degree burglary and three counts of second-degree theft. Many of the items stolen from the earlier crimes were recov-ered during the investigation.

The following day, police from Point Pleasant Beach and Toms River Township received breaks in their cases, resulting in the arrests of Mr. Berlinski, Mr. Lovgren and Mr. Hamby. Det. Daniel charged Mr. Ber-linski with one count each of third-degree burglary and theft and was held on $10,000 bail by Judge James Ligouri. Toms River Township Police report-ed that Mr. Lovgern and Mr. Hamby were charged with four counts each of burglary.

Two days later, Brick Town-ship Police Captain John Rein reported that Mr. Lovgren, who had been released following his charges on Thursday in Toms River Township, was arrested in Brick and charged with the mid-afternoon burglary of a Bryn Mawr Drive home follow-

ing a tip called in by a neighbor of a suspicious person in the area.

The neighbor, he said, saw the male suspect later identi-fied as Mr. Lovgren and con-fronted him as he left the rear yard of the house.

“Lovgren at that time gave a story that he was looking for a house where he believed his friend was having a party lat-er, then walked away,” said the police captain, who said the homeowner came home shortly after the police were called and arrived on the scene, at which time police accompanied the homeowner into their house, which was discovered to have been burglarized through a rear window.

“Once inside, they removed numerous pieces of jewelry, a small amount of cash and some prescription medication,” he reported. “The officers had broadcast the description of the subject since he left on foot and a short distance away officers located a subject matching the description in the area on Brick Boulevard at Riviera Garden Apartments.”

Mr. Lovgren, who Capt. Rein said was staying at a friend’s apartment in the complex, was then arrested, taken into custo-dy and charged with one count of burglary, one count of crimi-nal mischief and one count of theft. Brick Municipal Court Judge Robert LePore remand-ed him to the Ocean County

Jail and set bail at $75,000 with no 10 percent option.

“Some people don’t learn,” stated Capt. Rein.

Following the series of arrests, Beachwood Police Lieutenant Robert L. Tapp commented that these were “isolated indi-viduals that do not properly represent the youth and young adults from this community.”

“We do remind all residents to lock their residences as well as their vehicles,” he added.

Point Pleasant Beach Det. Daniel noted that the second man captured on video surveil-lance in the plasma television thefts was still at large, and that anyone with information on his identity can call 732-892-0500 ext. 160.

continued...

Comfort Station, continued from page 8

a resident on the 900 block of Ocean Avenue reported that $250 in cash was taken from the residence. The resident had nu-merous juveniles at the home, and the case is currently under investigation.

Anyone with information on this incident may contact Det. Bill Oldham at 732-286-6000 ext. 108.

• On Friday, April 15th, a resident on the 1100 block of Anchor Avenue reported that they noticed several fraudulent charges on their debit card, at which time the resident noticed that the card was either lost or stolen and apparently used by unknown persons.

Sgt. Glen DeMarco followed up with the resident and bank officials, and anyone with in-formation on this incident may contact Sgt. DeMarco at 732-286-6000 ext. 191.

• On Wednesday, April 20th, Richard Rogers, 21, of Kor-tright, New York, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated following a minor accident investigation involv-ing one vehicle backing into a another in the parking lot at the High Velocity Sports Bar & Grill. Mr. Rogers did leave the parking lot following the inci-dent, but patrolmen were able to locate him and his vehicle approximately one block away.

High-Profile Burglaries, continued from page 7

Police Report,continued from page 7

Point Pleasant Beach are still looking for the second suspect in a heist of eight plasma television sets at a construction site earlier this month.

Nicholas J. Tyler, 21

Riverside Signal - April 22nd - May 5th, 2011

Documents