DiStefano Reviews Fertilizer Ordinance

Runoff pollution, decline in natural species cited

A stinging nettle, seen here floating among dozens of others off
Beachwood Beach, July 2008.

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Ocean Gate – Spurred on by the growing appearance of sea nettles and pollutants in the Barnegat Bay and Toms River, Borough Councilman Brian DiStefano hopes to make Ocean Gate the latest in a growing list of Ocean County municipalities currently adopting fertilizer regulation ordinances in the effort of curtailing the level of toxic nitrates overfeeding the bay estuary and watershed system.

“There were some questions a few meetings back regarding a potential resolution on fertilizers and regulations of fertilizer runoff into the bay and river,” he said, noting that he received copies of previously adopted ordinances from Long Beach Township, Stafford and Island Heights. “All three are very similar, and I supplied our borough attorney a copy, along with the mayor, of the proposed ordinance.”

The ordinance is modeled on the one created by the local environmental non-profit organizations, Save Barnegat Bay, headquartered in Lavallette, and Clean Ocean Action, headquartered in Highlands. It was first adopted by the southern Ocean County township of Stafford.

“I take this very personally - as a kid I used to come and crab and fish in the bay and in the Toms River, year after year,” the councilman continued, adding that while effort to re-clam the bay is a “great start,” stronger action was needed to pull back on changes in recent years that have led to algal buildup resulting in the death of eel grass important to native species, an increase of sea nettles, and a decrease in fish and crabs present in the endangered watershed system.

“I think the other towns are on the right track, and that’s what I’m proposing,” he concluded.

Fertilizers, according to documentation produced by Save Barnegat Bay and Clean Ocean Action, contain nitrogen and phosphorous that eventually runs off into the bay, adding pollutants and nutrients to the water. Exponential growth and development in South Jersey, combined with the use of certain fertilizers, contributes to an overabundance of algae as a result of excess nutrients, also known as eutrophication.

In response, Save Barnegat Bay and Clean Ocean Action began a Nitrogen Pollution Action Project (NPAP), which saw the creation of its Barnegat Bay Buddy program, in 2008.

"Nitrogen is an important nutrient that helps plants grow, however there is too much in Barnegat Bay,” states Barnegat Bay Buddy literature. “As a result, the Bay’s unique ecosystem is dying. Excess nitrogen from human activities causes harmful algal blooms, which block light in the water from reaching plants, fish, and shellfish.

In a New York Times article dated July 20th, 2008, Pete McClain, wildlife biologist and retired deputy director of the State Division of Fish and Wildlife described the effect algal blooms have on eelgrass.

“It’s like putting a rug over your green lawn,” he said. “Leave it there for two or three days and see what you have – yellow grass, because it can’t photosynthesize.”

“It’s got to have sunlight,” he added.

A Fall 2004 “Barnegat Bay Beat” newsletter, produced by the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program (BBNEP), delves further into the issue of photosynthesis and its vital role in the estuary’s ecosystem.

“To remain healthy and thrive, seagrasses need comparatively clear transparent water. As bay waters become more turbid due to algal blooms and suspended sediment, the light levels needed to sustain photosynthesis and seagrass productivity decline. Nutrient enrichment of the bay’s waters, whether from nonpoint source pollution, atmospheric deposition or boat wastes, promote algal blooms, as well as infestations of ephiphytic algae coating the seagrass blades and macro algae overwhelming the seagrass beds. Thus, healthy and abundant seagrass signals that the bay’s waters are clear and clean.”

Another side effect of the eutrophication is the encroachment of sea nettle jellyfish into swimming areas. Sea nettles are a stinging jellyfish and have, according to BBNEP, a 10 centimeter bell cap with tentacles extending up to one meter in length.

According to the NPAP website, “eutrophication decreases the amount of dissolved oxygen in the system. When oxygen levels are low, predator fish that would normally prey on jellyfish swim to waters with more oxygen. Since there is less competition for food, the sea nettles eat more and the population increases.” During the last summer season, lifeguards on Beachwood Beach reported the highest jellyfish levels to occur beginning in mid- to late-July, and lasting through much of August. Many patrons of that beach found levels to be so high on certain days that they pulled themselves and their children out of the water entirely, rather than engage in the elevated risk of getting stung multiple times. The fertilizer ordinance can be broken down into two categories: type of fertilizer and application of fertilizer. Below is an abridged checklist of some of the bullet points detailed in the ordinance.

Ocean Gate Councilman Brian DiStefano announced he was seeking to have Ocean Gate become the latest community to adopt fertilizer regulations in an effort to curtail the pollutants heavily impacting the health of the Barnegat Bay and Toms River.

On permitted types of fertilizers:

• An applicator shall not apply any fertilizer to turf that contains less than 30 percent slow-release nitrogen
  
  
• An applicator shall not apply fertilizer that contains phosphorous, unless a soil test indicates a phosphorous deficiency
  
  
• Any fertilizer applied to soil with a demonstrated phosphorous deficiency shall be in accordance with the recommendations of the Rutgers Cooperative Research Extension
  
  
• Fertilizer application must not exceed the manufacturer’s recommended rate

Prohibited conducts of applying fertilizers are:

• Apply fertilizer immediately before or during heavy rainfall, such as but not limited to, thunderstorms, hurricanes or north eastern storms or when the soil is saturated due to intense or extended rainfall
  
  
• Apply fertilizer between December 1st and March 1st fertilizer immediately
  
  
• Apply fertilizer closer than ten feet to water bodies
  
  
• Deposit grass clippings, leaves or any other vegetative debris into water bodies, retention and detention areas, drainage ditches or storm water drains, or into impervious surfaces such as, but not limited to, roadways and sidewalks, except during scheduled cleanup programs.

For more information on this model ordinance, please visit the Save Barnegat Bay website at http://www.savebarnegatbay.org

Chief Fisher to Residents: Stop Calling 9-1-1 About Turbine Sound Level

Resident Rosemary Kindon calls it a double-standard

Ocean Gate - Another chapter in the Ocean Gate wind turbine saga was written during the March 24th council meeting, here, when Borough Police Chief Reece J. Fisher revealed that some residents were calling the emergency 9-1-1 call system to complain about the noise the wind turbine was making during its operation.

“Please do not call 9-1-1 – it is not a police matter at this time,” he stated, following residents’ statements to the borough council regarding a new policy to submit questions about the turbine in writing as a result of a recent threat of litigation. “We will come out if you want someone to talk to, but it’s not an emergency.”

Chief Fisher asked that residents instead call the main borough police number at 732-269-2468, but reminded those present that the police would not have the ability to cease turbine operations, as had previously been requested.

“None of the officers are going to come out with a key and shut it off,” he continued. “I cannot extend my resources for wind turbine issues unless it is an emergency or threat to life and property.”

West Point Pleasant Avenue resident Rosemary Kindon disagreed.

“We have a borough noise ordinance,” she stated. “In the past, not me but many residents have called upon the police when noise levels were intolerable - is that not going to be the issue this summer, if noise is intolerable?”

Chief Fisher replied that the borough police would indeed be available to respond to noise ordinance issues as a result of summer parties, as well as to sound levels from the turbine, but restated his request that residents not use the emergency 9-1-1 system unless it was an actual emergency.

“We’re going to respond - we're here for you, the people,” he said. “We will respond out and will write reports, but to be inundated is a disservice – we’re not going to be able to turn the wind turbine off.”

“I’d like to say I can make it quiet for everyone, but that’s not going to happen,” the chief continued. “Try not to take my officers’ time on something that he’s not going to be able to help you with.”

Ms. Kindon contended that due to the borough noise ordinance, the borough police were obligated to respond to all noise complaints equally.

Chief Fisher recommended that concerned citizens approach the Ocean County Board of Health and the Department of Community Affairs about the issue, and that until they made a decision otherwise, it was not a police issue.

“We’re not going to issue a borough noise ordinance violation to the borough, but we will to your neighbor if [they violate it],” he said.

“That’s a double standard if I ever heard one,” replied Ms. Kindon.

The next meeting of the borough council will be held on Wednesday, April 14th at 7pm in borough hall.

Real Estate Report with Robert Suarez

Ocean Gate - This is the real estate report for single-family homes in Ocean Gate for March 2010.

There are 33 months of inventory (months to sell present inventory at present sales rate), 38 active listings with an average list of $284,857 spending an average 107 days on the market.

Throughout the month, there were 12 new listings carrying an average list price of $295,241. The number of new listings for March of last year was 8; however, the average list price was $368,737, indicating a drop in the pricings of new listings over the course of the past year.

Two homes are presently pending with an average list price of $214,950 after 156 days on the market. This is in contrast to last February’s five pending sales with an average list price of $252,133 and 38 days on the market.

There was one sale this March, carrying a list price of $550,000 and a final sale price of $490,000 after spending 49 days on the market. Last March, there was also one sale, with a list price of $166,500 and a final sales price of $151,000 after spending 50 days on the market.

One home is currently under contract with a list price of $199,900 after spending 178 days on the market.

Two homes listed expired after an average of 228 days on the market and holding an average list price of $194,450, as compared to zero home listings expired during the same period last year.

Judging the numbers, my opinion is that the market in Ocean Gate will not see improvement until the months of inventory number drops significantly. Robert Suarez is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Flanagan Realty and an independent real estate correspondent for the Riverside Signal. For more information, he can be reached at Coldwell Banker Flanagan Realty’s Toms River office, located at 1541 Route 37 East, 732-270-6100 or through e-mail at robert.suarez@coldwellbanker.com and online at www.robertsuarez.net.

Scenes Along the River

March 28, 2010

The Anchor Inn hosted a number of area residents as cars lined Ocean Gate Avenue on a recent rainy late afternoon.

Recent severe storms brought wind gusts up to approximately 70 mph, resulting in debris catching in bare wintered trees such as
this one, as seen from East Lakewood Avenue in Ocean Gate.

This Central Regional Schools bus was busy dropping off students on the way into Ocean Gate during a recent rainy late afternoon.

Turbine Questions In Writing Only, Council Says

Cites potential litigation

Ocean Gate - An unexpected announcement by the borough council that all questions regarding its two wind turbine projects would no longer be answered during open public session surprised many members of the public present during last night's council meeting, here.

"Due to recent allegations of myself and a resident, I've been advised by borough council not to entertain any more questions concerning this due to possible litigation," said Mayor Paul Kennedy.

The allegations he referred to stemmed from a letter that was sent by borough resident Luke Riley to the Ocean Gate Borough Council, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, the Asbury Park Press and borough residents questioning the legality of the borough wind turbine contracts, accusing Ocean Gate of "following in New Jersey's blueprint for failure," and claiming ethics violations on the part of the mayor and the wind turbine projects' advocate and borough resident, Jim Fry, in the process of having the turbine purchased and built.

In addition to sending the letters out, an unidentified man stood at the doors of the borough hall courtroom handing out stapled copies of the letter to members of the public entering for the meeting. He did not stay for the meeting.

Borough Attorney James Gluck stated that due to this new possibility for litigation, all further inquiries regarding the projects would need to be submitted in writing and sent or dropped off to his office in order to receive an official response from the borough, so that there is "no misconstruing the answer and position of the borough."

The current wind turbine was officially turned on last November 20th, during a ceremony at 12:30pm, by Mayor Kennedy and Mr. Fry. Following its installation, the borough received state-wide accolades for being the first municipality in New Jersey with its own turbine.

In recent months, however, a group varying in size from approximately one to two dozen residents has been attending borough council meetings to voice their disapproval for the borough's second wind turbine project, currently in the contract stage, and noise complaints with the first.

Many members of this group reacted with disbelief at the announcement that the borough would no longer respond verbally to inquiries regarding the wind projects, and made public their opinions on it.

"I don't understand why some of us, as taxpayers and residents, are being penalized on turbine questions that we've started asking since January, because somebody has done something on their own," stated Ocean Gate Avenue resident Katherine Ranuro, referring to the threat of litigation posed by Mr. Riley's letter and its statements. "We haven't done anything ourselves, other than getting up week after week, that would shut down council from answering."

"Why would we not be able to have any information?" she asked.

"It's not that you're not going to be able to have any information, it's that we would like the questions specifically submitted in writing, as you have done," replied Mr. Gluck. "My office will prepare a response to them."

Ms. Ranuro felt this limited the scope of information that would be known by those attending borough council meetings.

"That only becomes a dialogue between the letter writer and you," she said. "It doesn't go out and get disseminated within the population; that seems to me not a very democratic process."

"I don't think we should all be clamped up," she added.

"I don't think you're being clamped up, and I don't think that the position of this council would be that information should only be shared with the letter writer," replied Mr. Gluck. "I think that [the letters] would become a public record of the borough [and] would be available to you by anybody that requested it."

Ms. Ranuro balked at the notion that all the potential members of the public who would attend borough council meetings would independently submit requests to view the letters during regular business hours.

West Barnegat Avenue resident Larry Murray asked if the borough's response to written letters would be read during subsequent borough council meetings to allow attending members of the public the chance to hear it at once.

"There will be a response on behalf of the borough through my office to any question that is asked and that document will be available to anyone who wants to see it," replied Mr. Gluck.

"So somebody has to come over here, to borough hall, to read it?" asked Mr. Murray.

"Well, they would have to come here to hear the answer...," said Mr. Gluck.

"Will the answers be read?" asked Mr. Murray.

"No, the answers will not be read but they will be provided to you in writing," replied Mr. Gluck.

"So it's not gonna be a public answer, it's going to be an answer to me, in writing," said Mr. Murray.

"That document will be available to the public to anyone that chooses to review it, whether they have time to actually be at the meeting, to listen to the question, or whether they don't have the time to be at the meeting and they can request the document later on," continued Mr. Gluck. "Instead of them hearing hearsay as to what the attorney said, what the council said, it will be put in writing as the answer of the position of this council."

"That's not an answer, that’s just shutting us up," mumbled Mr. Murray as he walked back to his seat.

Ms. Ranuro replied that interested members of the public would not know when a letter was sent or received in order to request it.

"I'm not suggesting you will need to file an [Open Public Records Act] request to this," said Mr. Gluck, adding that he advised the council to post all letters and subsequent answers onto the public bulletin boards located in the hallway of borough hall. "The council is not trying to hide anything from anybody."

West Long Branch Avenue resident and First Aid Squad member Paul Stanley asked how many written letters Mr. Gluck's office received since the beginning of the wind turbine debate earlier this year.

"One," replied Mr. Gluck.

"So we're not talking about a massive amount of correspondence," said Mr. Stanley. "Can the council read the answers out into the public?"

"I don't see why not," replied Mayor Kennedy. "As far as I'm concerned, they can have both [the letters posted to the bulletin board and read aloud during council meetings]. There's nothing to hide here."

Mr. Gluck suggested that rather than spend time reading each letter during borough council meetings, they could be printed and attached to the meeting agendas.

"With all respect, you have one request," replied Mr. Stanley. "I'd understand a thousand requests, but how long would it take you or someone on council to read [the letters] into the public record - five minutes?"

"We don't have a problem with it," replied Councilman Frank Santarpia.

Mayor Kennedy and all members of the borough council unanimously agreed that letters written by Mr. Gluck's office in response to written inquiries about the wind turbine projects would be read into public record during borough council meetings.

LaRocca Sworn In as Fulltime Officer

Chief: “It’s a pleasure”

Vincent LaRocca, previously a Class II part-time Ocean Gate Borough police officer, is seen here being sworn in as a full-time officer of the borough by Mayor Paul Kennedy as Chief Reece J. Fisher looks on.

Ocean Gate - According to Borough Police Chief Reece J. Fisher, Ocean Gate will be a little safer with the formal hiring and swearing in of new full-time police officer Vincent LaRocca, during last week’s meeting of the borough council, here.

Officer LaRocca, the chief said, showed “outstanding” job performance in the time since he was initially hired as a part-time Class II officer on October 22nd, 2008, following a “tour” as a special officer in Seaside Heights earlier that summer.

“We have someone who’s gonna be a go getter, which we need,” he said, reporting that the officer had 15 arrests, 22 summons issued, one drunk driver stopped and three drug arrests during his part-time tenure with the borough.

“It’s a pleasure having you on,” Chief Fisher continued, addressing Officer LaRocca.

“I look forward to serving Ocean Gate for the next 25 years, maybe more,” the newly sworn-in officer stated. “You never know.”

Borough Mayor Paul Kennedy commended Officer LaRocca for his loyalty to the borough.

“It’s nice to see, when you have a young man like Vinnie, stick with us and go through the part-time ranks with minimum hours and do his job,” he said. “Ninety-five percent [of the part-time officers], in the ten years I’ve been here, do their job and leave.”

“Vinnie has hung in, and he’s here and it makes me and chief proud, and his fellow officers and his family have gotta be proud,” continued the mayor, addressing family members and other members of the borough police department present at the meeting. “He’s a fine young man and he’s gonna do a great job for the town.”

The department had been operating short of a full force since budget cutbacks in January 2006, according to Chief Fisher.

“Our department was cut by one - we had to hire additional part-time staff and it wasn’t working,” he said. “We would bring someone, in train him then lose him to someone who would hire them full-time.”

An uptick in crime was noticed as a result of the lost full-time officer, the chief added.

“When we went back to one car patrol, there was a sharp increase in crime rate about six months afterward,” he continued. “Since then it has been peaks and valleys.”

“Finally, at this point the borough is in the position to hire a full-time police officer that it hasn’t been able to do,” said Mayor Kennedy. “The chief is happier than anyone else now that he’s back to full force with his men keeping the streets of Ocean Gate safe.”

Mr. LaRocca’s hiring is a credit to the borough council, Chief Fisher stated.

“I’d like to commend them for doing the work that they did over past several years and the fiscal management that would being the department back up to full strength,” he continued. “It’s a job well done and thank you.

The next meeting of the Ocean Gate Borough Council will be on Wednesday, March 24th at 7pm in borough hall.

Scenes Along the River

March 18, 2010

Local general contractor B&T Homes was busy working on an E. Chelsea Avenue bungalow recently during the first mild weather of March.

The E. Chelsea Avenue bungalow recently undergoing work by local general contractor B&T Homes during the first mild weather of March.

Two area residents recently enjoyed a mild late afternoon walk along the boardwalk near Wildwood Avenue.

Severe Storm Brings High Wind, Erosion
March 16th, 2010

The waterfront activity near the Wildwood Avenue Pavilion and dock was relatively toned down in comparison to the crashing waves and flooding found in the adjacent communities of Beachwood and Pine Beach during a fierce storm last Saturday, March 13, 2010, however the steady rain translated into severe flooding along borough streets and properties overnight into Sunday.

The waterfront activity east of the Wildwood Avenue Pavilion and dock was relatively toned down in comparison to the crashing waves and flooding found in the adjacent communities of Beachwood and Pine Beach during a fierce storm last Saturday, March 13, 2010, however the steady rain translated into severe flooding along borough streets and properties overnight into Sunday.

DiGironimo Questions Bill List Abstentions

Seeks better procedure to line item bills

Ocean Gate - A contentious debate was started during last night’s borough council meeting, here, when Councilman Anthony Digironimo questioned votes of abstention made by Councilwoman Patricia Barger and Councilman Frank Santarpia on the borough’s certified bills list during last month’s borough council meeting.

Mr. Digironimo, who is also the chairman of the borough’s finance committee, said that the council members had previously signed off on individual bills listed within the certified list.

The councilman did not immediately identify Ms. Barger and Mr. Santarpia, and said that the purpose of bringing it up was to “develop a procedure where people can abstain on certain bills.”

“I abstained not the ones that I signed but the ones I didn’t sign,” replied Mr. Santarpia. “How can I approve the entire bill list if I didn’t look at the entire list?”

Ms. Barger agreed.

“If you don’t look at them, how are you going to say okay?” she said. “That’s just one packet.”

“You can line item abstain,” stated borough attorney James Gluck, referring to the process whereby council members may specify certain bills they can abstain on rather than abstaining from voting on the list as a whole.

“I think the procedure is when you look and sign off on bills, check them off on this list [referring to the certified bills list] so you know when it comes back in two weeks you can prepare,” said Mayor Paul Kennedy. “What’s the big deal?”

“It isn’t a big deal,” replied Ms. Barger.

“You signed on bills - you’re saying they’re okay - then when the time comes to pay them, you said no.” continued the mayor. “You can’t do that - when you approve something, how can you say it’s okay to spend the money and then when it comes time to pay them, you don’t pay them?”

Ms. Barger inquired whether all the council reviewed the entire certified bills list. Most council members nodded their heads in response.

“[I] brought it up today for feedback,” said Mr. Digironimo. “I got the feedback.”
“Yeah, you got it - and maybe a little more than you asked for,” replied Mayor Kennedy.

The next meeting of the borough council will be on Wednesday, March 24th at 7pm in borough hall.

Mayor Kennedy Seeks Removal of Defunct Equipment

Keeping on insurance costing boro money, he says

Ocean Gate - The borough properties need to see some long overdue cleaning up of old equipment, said Mayor Paul Kennedy during last night’s meeting of the borough council, here.

“Lets get this junk out of here,” he said. “It is costing us money and we can’t take it off the insurance until we get it out of here.”

On the agenda that evening was a resolution authorizing the disposal of a 40-year-old truck that the mayor called a “1970 Chevy dump.”

“It only took about 50 years to get rid of it but we finally made it,” said Councilman Frank Santarpia.

Mayor Kennedy said that numerous residents have been asking him about that and other vehicles – including two police squad cars - that have sat on borough lots for years, but that he hasn’t had an answer as to why they were still there.

“I did a little research and the police cars were scheduled to be zeroed out in September,” he stated. “They’re still sitting here, costing us money – we have to get them out of there.”

He added that along with the dump truck and squad cars, there was a forklift and an air compressor also on borough insurance that needed to be disposed of.

“That air compressor is ready to go,” said Mr. Santarpia.

On a related note, Mayor Kennedy stated that a used garbage truck that the borough had purchased in January was still not physically within the borough’s ownership, even though the title was in borough possession.

“Eventually when the used garbage truck in here, the other is going have to go,” he continued. “Let’s make it a priority [to] get this stuff out of here.”

The next meeting of the borough council will be on Wednesday, March 24th at 7pm in borough hall.

Real Estate Report with Robert Suarez

Ocean Gate - This is the real estate report for single-family homes in Ocean Gate for February 2010.

There are 16.42 months of inventory (months to sell present inventory at present sales rate), 31 active listings with an average list of $275,525 spending an average 123 days on the market.

Last month, there were four new listings carrying an average list price of $415,350. The number of new listings for February of last year was nine, and they carried an average list price of $267,455.

Two homes are presently pending with a list value of $223,900 after 152 days on the market. During the same month last year, one home was pending with a list value of $334,900 after 168 days on the market.

Zero homes were sold this February. One home was sold last February for $141,500 after being listed for $159,900 and spending 87 days on the market.

One home is currently under contract with a list price of $199,900 after 178 days on the market. Last February, one home was under contract with a list price of $249,000 also after 178 days on the market.

Zero listings expired this month, as compared to five expired listings last year during this time period. Those expired listings had an average price of $348,760 and 180 days on the market. Judging the numbers, my opinion is that the market in Ocean Gate is still weak, but with zero expired listings, it could mean people have started to price their homes to where they are selling or that they just cannot afford to sell at this time. Robert Suarez is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Flanagan Realty and an independent real estate correspondent for the Riverside Signal. For more information, he can be reached at Coldwell Banker Flanagan Realty’s Toms River office, located at 1541 Route 37 East, 732-270-6100 or through e-mail at robert.suarez@coldwellbanker.com and online at www.robertsuarez.net.

Energy Audit to Help Boro Buildings Go Green

Mayor Kennedy: “A plan for the future needs to be put in place”

Ocean Gate Borough Hall, one of the five borough facilities set to undergo an energy audit by Clough, Harbour & Associates

March 2, 2010
by Philipp Schmidt

Ocean Gate - 2010 will be the year borough buildings go green, here, thanks to the help of an energy audit partially funded by state grant money.

"We all know that we have issues in [borough hall] with lighting, heat, [and] air conditioning." said Mayor Paul Kennedy during last week’s borough council meeting, here. “We're in the process of getting our five buildings energy audited by a private company."

Of the companies that placed bids, Clough, Harbour & Associates (CHA) was awarded the contract with a bid of $25,037.

“We had to follow guidelines how to do it, we had to pick from their contract to send the quote out saying what we wanted to do,” the mayor continued. “[When] they came in with their quotes, only 2 organizations out of 8 or 9 actually gave us proposals”

The five borough buildings included in the audit are borough hall, totaling 11,500 sq. ft., Adrian Hall, totaling 4,000 sq. ft., the public works building, totaling 4,000 sq. ft., the fire company building, totaling 3,483 sq. ft. and the water treatment buildings, totaling 2,200 sq. ft.

“They will be looking at lighting, [Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning], heat recovery, water conservation, utility rates, demand reduction, load shedding, load shifting, [and] alternative energy,” said Mayor Kennedy, adding that he hoped it would provide the borough with “information on how to reduce energy costs, reduce maintenance costs, and increase comfort levels.”

He noted that while the borough would have to foot the bill initially, they would be able to receive a 75% reimbursement at a total final borough cost of approximately $6,300.

“Soon we will have a better idea as what is needed to maintain the boroughs buildings and also how to make them more energy efficient,” the mayor said. “This is not the total answer, as once the report is given to me it’ll be up to the governing body to decide on what to do [and] most importantly, how to fund them.

"A plan for the future needs to be put in place as not all of this can be done at once,” he continued. “Priorities will have to be [decided upon] and then budgeted for each year."

The next meeting of the Ocean Gate Borough Council will take place on Wednesday, March 10th, at 7pm in borough hall.

Scenes Along the River

Week of February 22- 26, 2010

Traffic was temporarily stopped Monday afternoon here, on Ocean Gate Drive in Ocean Gate Borough, to allow a line of ducks from Jeffrey's Creek to cross the road,
presumably for happy hour at the Anchor Inn.

The Ocean Gate Borough Post Office, here, was bustling at lunch hour Monday.

E. Riviera Avenue Addition Approved

One-story home to become three-story

This one story home, located at 512 East Riviera Avenue, will be completely renovated and two stories built on top of the first in a two-phase project approved by the borough land use board during last month's meeting

February 22, 2010
by Philipp Schmidt

Ocean Gate - The borough land use board unanimously approved the construction of an expansion of the one-story single family home at 512 East Riviera Avenue to a three-story home during last month’s meeting, here.

Land Use Board Chairman Roger Love recused himself from the hearing and stepped down off the dais as he stated he was involved in the sale of the home.

The application was carried forward through two previous land use board meetings, November 24th and December 15th, 2009, due to irregularities in the applicant’s notice and placing of documents for review by the public.

The current one-story home, which sits on a lot of approximately 40 feet by 100 feet, will be fully renovated but extended eight feet toward Longport Avenue and have an additional two stories built on top of the expanded first floor. The pre-existing right side yard setback of 3 feet and left side yard setback of 5.4 feet will be retained both in the renovation and expansion forward.

Mildred Sheppard, vice-chair of the borough land use board, asked whether the existing masonry walls would remain.

“We're keeping the majority of the current masonry walls, there was a new addition to the home previously, on the Longport side,” said Mr. Cotelo. “We're removing that section.”

The applicant confirmed that the existing floor structure would be raised within the limits of the walls to meet the flood requirements and that the existing porch on the water side of the home would be demolished but rebuilt in the same footprint as part of the renovation.

Variances requested included one for carrying forward the pre-existing setback along the extension and for the third story, which will be 804 square feet, or more than 50% the second story, which will be approximately 1400 square feet.

Mr. Cotelo noted that the project was to be completed in two phases, with phase two occurring within a two-year period.

“If there's a time-lapse in your approvals you'll have to come and ask for an extension and provide the board with why you need an extension,” noted Ms. Sheppard.

“If it goes beyond a 2 year period, yes,” replied Mr. Cotelo.

The next meeting of the Ocean Gate Land Use Board is scheduled for Tuesday, February 23rd at 7pm in borough hall.

This one story home, located at 512 East Riviera Avenue, will be completely renovated and its Longport Avenue side, shown here, extended eight feet to accommodate two stories built on top of the first in a two-phase project approved by the borough land use board during last month's meeting.

Ocean Gate Civic Club to Host Fabulous February Farewell Breakfast

Ocean Gate's Adrian Hall, located on East Cape May Avenue, during the
February 10th winter storm.

Ocean Gate - The Civic Club of Ocean Gate has announced they will be hosting a "Fabulous February Farewell" breakfast fundraiser on Sunday, February 28th from 8am to noon in Adrian Hall, located on East Cape May Avenue, here.

Cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children under 12. Breakfast will consist of french toast or scrambled eggs with ham or sausage, and other assorted foods.

For tickets, please call 732-269-2019 or 732-238-0121.

The Civic Club of Ocean Gate celebrates its 90th year of serving the community of Ocean Gate in 2010.

Residents Voice Concern over Second Wind Turbine, Issues with First

A group of residents came out to protest Ocean Gate Borough's plans for a second wind turbine, and state issues with the first, seen here.

Most of those present also highlighted problems they had with the first one, installed last year and operating next to the borough public works and across the street from borough hall, on East Arverne Avenue.

"I have to listen to [the first turbine] every single night, and have not slept since it was turned on," stated East Long Branch Avenue resident Maria Golda, whose home is located three blocks from the turbine and was surprised that more residents hadn’t brought similar issues before the borough council. "That’s why you never see wind turbines in the middle of a residential area."

"The governing body is looking into the noise," said Mayor Paul Kennedy. "It is a little disappointing that it is a little bit louder than we thought but it's well within the parameters that were set forth by the New Jersey [Board of Public Utilities] and the [Department of Environmental Protection]."

He noted that all the studies were done prior to the first turbine installation, but that it was not possible to do a study without the turbine actually being installed first.

The current wind turbine was officially turned on November 20th, at 12:30pm, by Mayor Kennedy and borough resident and retired Navy engineer Jim Fry, who pioneered the installation of wind energy in Ocean Gate.

Katherine Ranuro, whose home also sits three blocks away from the turbine, on Ocean Gate Avenue, voiced her distrust in prior studies.

"We need [a sound study] performed by an outside independent company," she stated. "Wind studies have to be done over a long period of time on that unit, over certain months [and] certain seasons."

Mayor Kennedy said that a study was to be completed in the next two months on the first turbine..

When asked for the company name scheduled to do the study, the mayor stated that there was no appointed company yet, but that the borough council was researching it.

"It will be done," he added.

The residents also voiced their concern that resale value of their homes may have dropped considerably following the turbine's installation.

"When the real estate agent came to my house, and listened and saw it, she said that noise is so undesirable she didn't know who would want to buy [my] house," stated Ms. Golda. "When I get my appraisal from my real estate agent, and I'm [told] it isn't able to be sold, is my valuation going to go down, my taxes going to go down?"

"Absolutely not," replied Mayor Kennedy.

Laurie Ditzel, whose home sits on Ocean Gate Avenue one block from the current turbine, joined her neighbors in voicing disapproval, but said that her home's proximity caused a "unique light show" to occur when the sun was positioned behind the turbine's moving blades.

Cecilia Schaefer, whose home also sits approximately one block from the turbine, on East Cape May Avenue, said she was against the turbine from the beginning.

"I didn't think it'd be good to have near houses [and] now I'm hearing stories that it shouldn't be anywhere less that a thousand feet away from the closest house," she stated. "I'm 200 feet away and now you're talking about putting one down the corner across the street from houses - what are those people going to have?"

Ms. Schaefer went on to accuse the governing body of pushing the contract approval and signing in the days prior to New Year's, a time when she said that many people didn't bother to come out. She then requested the mayor and council nullify the contract immediately.

At the December 29th council meeting, a contract of $386,000 for the second turbine was awarded to the same firm who built the first; J. Fletcher Creamer and Sons, of Hackensack.

Allowing the new year to pass without approval and signing would have meant a loss of $326,000 in grant money for the project, Mayor Kennedy stated. The money was made available in two parts, $229,000 from the state's Department of Environmental Protection New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust fund and $97,000 from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Clean Energy Rebate. He noted the second may cost the borough the remaining $60,000.

During the meeting and afterward, Mayor Kennedy said that the majority of residents, both near to and far from the turbine, approved of the first and planned second turbine.

"At this point it's a handful of residents that have expressed concerns," he stated. "Most of their concerns had already been addressed before the [first] turbine even went up."

Adrian Hall Policy Changes Discussed

Residents Present Protest Kitchen Use Fees

Adrian Hall, located behind the Ocean Gate Borough Municipal Complex.

Ocean Gate - Members of the Ocean Gate Borough Council got an earful by surprised residents who balked at some of the potential changes to the Adrian Hall club event policy, discussed during Wednesday night’s council workshop meeting, here.

The policy change grew out of a recommendation made by borough attorney James Gluck during a recent Financial Committee meeting and was reported at the council workshop by Councilman Anthony Digironimo, their chairman.

The possible changes, Mr. Digironimo said, were meant as a way to cover some of Adrian Hall’s expenditures and treat all Ocean Gate Borough sanctioned clubs and organizations equally by removing the annual $250 insurance premium fee the borough Democratic and Republican clubs pay and replacing it with a blanket $75 kitchen use fee that any recognized organization would be charged for each fundraising event held in Adrian Hall that utilizes the kitchen beyond two per year. It was emphasized that regular meetings and uses not involving the kitchen would be unaffected.

“It’s not a lot of money but it’s something just to cover the losses,” the councilman said. “We’re also talking fairness, and, as stated previous months, you can’t discriminate against one club, [so] now we’ll treat them all equally.”

Other potential policy changes discussed at the meeting included the creation of a universal borough event calendar that would see representatives of all borough and borough-sanctioned organizations meet annually to plan out their proposed events, regardless of event location, and the removal of all items from the Adrian Hall kitchen to prevent continued conflict over the usage and security of items kept there by the various organizations.

Kitchen Fee Backlash

Councilman and Ocean Gate Democratic Club President Frank Santarpia focused on the kitchen fees and voiced concern over the interpretation of a fundraiser.

“We consider [our events] more social than a fundraiser because everybody comes, sits down, enjoys their meal, and leaves,” he stated, continuing that many attended in order to catch up with members they hadn’t seen for a while. “I’ll just leave it at that - it becomes differences of opinion, and I don’t want to get into that at this point.”

Residents in attendance added their concern that the fees would nearly wipe out all activities in the borough after each club or organization had reached their allotted two fee-free kitchen use events.

“If you have a bad weekend, you might not even make [the $75 fee] in profit,” said East Long Branch resident and vice-president of the Ocean Gate Civic Club, Maria Golda. “For us to organize a third fundraiser in advance knowing we have to pay $75 - why would we do that?”

Ms. Golda noted that the borough civic club in particular helps maintain and upgrade Adrian Hall while giving all profits back to the borough for the benefit of all residents.

“We’ve cleaned the floors, put the blinds up, painted - we’ve done everything for Adrian Hall,” she stated. “We do anything you ask - how could you put a $75 fee on these clubs that are helping the town?”

Mayor Paul Kennedy stated he felt the intent of the discussion regarding the policy change on hall usage fees was more to cover the losses the borough incurs on Adrian Hall, and not to “start charging all of these organizations who use the hall that give back to the town.”

“It’s not cheap to run that place, as we all know,” he said. “I just think the governing body is just looking somewhere for some type of solution to offset costs in the facility, that’s all.”

Many of those present still felt the fees would heavily damage most organizations’ ability to hold events.

“[The events are] a good thing for the community, it brings people together, it brings people out,” said West Long Branch Avenue resident and First Aid Squad member Paul Stanley. “This town needs everything it can get to get people out, and interact with each other, and it sounds like you’re going to have the opposite effect.”

“I would urge all council members to seriously consider this,” he added. “Is it really worth it?”

The overall policy change was still “in the works” and under discussion, said Mr. Gluck.

Mr. Santarpia felt the end result may translate to further revenue loss on Adrian Hall as even the organizations who previously paid the insurance premium may avoid incurring enough $75 kitchen use event fees to make up the difference.

Stone Harbor Avenue resident and president of the borough’s first aid auxiliary, Cheryl Roselli, balked at the notion of $75 being redirected from their fundraising events for the first aid squad to a non-specific borough account.

“Everyone in this town might need [the first aid squad] one time or another,” she stated, adding that the squad never charges any individual or entity for their services. “We raise money to go directly to first aid squad, and that benefits the town and outlying communities.”

The kitchen use fee structure wasn’t even on the meeting agenda; Mr. Digironimo said, and that “it was just a discussion.”

Mayor Kennedy added that a potential cleaning penalty fee should be looked at in the event of individuals or organizations not cleaning the hall after their events, as issues have arisen in the past.

Universal Borough Events Calendar Proposed

Mayor Kennedy encouraged the idea currently being developed to build an annual all-inclusive borough events calendar.

“There are 16 organizations there that are going to meet go over their events or what they are planning during the year,” he stated. “The intent is to not overkill the residents with breakfasts and fundraisers and one after another after another, and conflict with other things.”

He added that the universal schedule could prevent same-day events that may create problems both for the organizations having to suddenly compete for attendees.

The sixteen borough or borough-sanctioned organizations listed by Mayor Kennedy included the Ocean Gate Historical Club, the Ocean Gate Civic Club, the Ocean Gate Seniors, the Ocean Gate Volunteer Fire Company, the Ocean Gate Volunteer Fire Company Auxiliary, the Ocean Gate First Aid Squad, the Ocean Gate First Aid Squad Auxiliary, the Ocean Gate Municipal Alliance, the Ocean Gate Democratic Club, the Ocean Gate Republican Club, the Veterans of Ocean Gate, the Ocean Gate School, the 4-H Viewfinders, the Blue Star Moms, Girl Scout Troop 200 and Boy Scout Troop 241.

A representative of each organization will attend a meeting on January 26th at 7:30pm in Adrian Hall to begin the process of developing the 2010 schedule.

Kitchen Amenities Questioned

Also discussed at the workshop was the notion that removing the items in the Adrian Hall kitchen could reduce the amount of complaints about their storage, use and security.

Mayor Kennedy specifically brought up the fact that conflicts such as “pots are missing and a spatula that was missing” were brought before the borough council in the past.

“It might be in the best interest of the borough to maybe think about considering having all that stuff out of there,” he said, adding that the kitchen fee may aggravate the problem in that “all of a sudden you’re going to get the complaints coming in, “Well, this pan used to be here and that’s the one this organization gave fifty years ago. Where is it? It’s not there.”

He noted that this also led to the recurring issue about cleaning the hall and all the kitchen items kept there.

Ms. Barger commented that any organization using the kitchenware should clean it afterward.

“Beachwood has a similar situation with their place that they rent quite a bit more,” the mayor continued, referring to the Beachwood Community Center, located on Compass Avenue on part of that borough’s waterfront. “Their kitchen has nothing in it, so if you’re going to use their hall and their kitchen, you bring in what you need and you take it with you.”

And in other Ocean Gate Borough Council news:

• The borough municipal attorney reported that the borough council had not yet taken a stance on the county recycling ordinance that states anyone requesting a permit to demolish and/or rebuild any structures within the county would need to also obtain a recycling permit that requires at least 50% of all material be recycled.
  
  
• The borough attorney and Mayor Kennedy reported that a recycling coordinator need to be designated and certified by January 31st, 2013, and that certification classes were being held at Rutgers.
  
  
• Paulette Konopka reported that the tax rate was lower than last year, and that there was a decrease in the New Jersey Natural Gas bill.
  
  
• Council President Russell stated that the 2010 schedule for Municipal Alliance Committee events was in place, and that Saturday, February 13th there would be a Valentine’s Day dance.
  
  
• Councilwoman Barger reported that the material for the East Long Branch Avenue water project was received but it is not known when work would begin.
  
  
• Mr. Santarapia reported that the public works committee would soon be setting up a procedure for snow removal, with one man operating the pickup truck with plow attachment to clear out the police and fire departments and first aid squad driveways, and the other CDL-certified drivers taking care of borough streets and intersections. He added that that all paperwork was in to the county for the demolition of the borough recreation building, critically damaged in a recent fire. It is not yet known when the county will demolish it.
  
  
• Mr. Santarapia brought up that the sidewalk along Ocean Gate Avenue between the Ocean Gate Market and Deli and Mike Bona’s auto shop was damaged recently when the old Dover Diner structure, temporarily housed on the empty lot between the two businesses, was removed. Mayor Kennedy stated that the owner of the property was paid $700 to fix it by the party who damaged it, and that when the weather clears it would be fixed.
  
  
• The fire department needs to replace its old shed with a new one, said Mr. Santarapia, due to the Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA). Mayor Kennedy said that unlike in the past, the county no longer had any it could supply them with as they have phased out having them available for county municipalities. He added that he’d like to see a shared building where seasonal equipment from public works could also be stored. A CAFRA permit would be required for the work.
  
  
• Mayor Kennedy stated that there were nine seized bikes currently held by the borough police department, but that they were mostly junk that could at best be used for parts.
  
  
• Mr. Digironimo reported that the finance committee is currently looking to change the purchase policy so that any purchase above $500 would require the borough administrator to examine the purchase and to either approve it or bring it before the borough council for discussion. He also requested the finance personnel be defined as being the borough’s chief financial officer, tax collector, administrator and clerk and a policy be adopted that any meetings between personnel and elected officials be scheduled ahead of time in order to reduce interruptions in their work day.
  
  
• Councilman David Kendrick said that he had met with borough police Chief Reece J. Fischer about the department’s 2010 budget and discussed solutions regarding problems the borough had on the boardwalk during the previous summer. They also spoke about long-term planning for the chief’s possible replacement, as he may be leaving at the end of his contract in the next three to four years.
  
  
• Newly-elected Councilman Brian DiStefano thanked Ms. Barger for help with Channel 22, and that in order to get the website up and running he hoped to meet with the administrator and begin posting events from borough-sanctioned clubs. He added that a recycling committee, for which he would be council liaison, would likely meet with Mr. Santarapia and the borough public works department to coordinate their efforts.
  
  
• Mayor Kennedy reported that the energy audit program to analyze all of its buildings is at the next phase, with a company out of Philadelphia chosen to give a cost estimate on the audit. The borough also applied for a Barnegat Bay National Estuary Grant for $7,750, exceeding the grant ceiling by $250. He said they would “see what we get,” and that the grant would be used for further dune grass plantings and sand work along the waterfront. He added that the Ocean Gate Yacht Club had sand from their annual dredging available to the borough for beachfront projects, but requested it be picked up by March, earlier than previous years.
  
  
• Mr. Digironimo inquired whether it would be possible to apply for a new recreation center, now that the borough recent lost their last one to a November fire. Mayor Kennedy replied that “it couldn’t hurt to try.”
  
  
• A committee is to be set up with public works, the chief financial officer, the mayor, one council representative and a police department representative in order to determine action to be taken in response to waterfront erosion damage caused by a fierce November nor’easter, according to Mayor Kennedy.
  
  
• Mayor Kennedy reported that Comcast installed a line for internet service in borough hall as a trial to see whether their service performs better than Verizon, which is the current provider. The Comcast trial period will be of no cost to the borough.