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News Clips 2004
Victims' families describe anger, hurt over Trop collapse ATLANTIC CITY -
There were tears. There were profanities. Four families torn apart, women left
without husbands, children left fatherless, when the top five floors of the
10-floor Tropicana Casino and Resort garage collapsed as workers poured cement
on the deck in October.
Memorial to honor fallen workers - Pietrosante family calls for change in wake of Tropicana tragedy
BUENA -- If things proceeded according to plan, the Pietrosante family might be heading to Atlantic City this month to celebrate another construction job well done. But things did not go according to plan at the Tropicana Casino and Resort parking garage project. Cost and timesaving design changes triggered the collapse of five concrete floors that claimed the lives of four workers, including 21-year-old Scott Pietrosante of Milmay, according to published reports. The official federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration report is set to be released Friday. That's also the day the Pietrosante family heads to Atlantic City to mark Workers' Memorial Day, where a monument will be dedicated in memory of all union workers who died while helping redevelop Atlantic City. Scott's name, as well as those of his three colleagues -- James Bigelow, Robert Tartaglio Jr. and Michael Wittland -- will be added to the workers' memorial. Their names push the number of Atlantic City-based union workers killed on the job to 25. The Atlantic and Cape May County AFL-CIO Central Labor Council commissioned artist Thomas Jay Warren to create a bronze statue honoring fallen union members, which will be dedicated during the ceremony. For some Pietrosante family members, it will be their first visit to the resort since the Tropicana catastrophe on Oct. 30. The family of masons wondered aloud if the collapse could have been avoided if there was more emphasis on the union tradition of "safety first." Scott was a third-generation mason. His grandfather, John Pietrosante, left Vineland High School in 10th grade to learn his trade, lured by the $1.50-per-hour salary. Soon he was building a business and a family. He struck out on his own, founding John Pietrosante Inc. His sons -- John, Michael and Steven -- all found their way into the business. They helped raise the Delsea Drive Kmart and the Deerfield School. But they struck gold with the Atlantic City building boom. The business subcontracted on many of the landmarks -- Golden Nugget, Resorts, Harrah's, and Bally's -- all part of the neon skyline. And they helped erect the Sands parking garage, proudly noting there wasn't an injury. "We never took a Band-Aid off the truck," the family patriarch said. Health concerns forced John Pietrosante to retire, just as his two grandsons were entering the business, which was beginning to change due to high-pressure deadlines and competitive low bids. But one thing remained constant -- Pietrosante pride. Debbie Pietrosante remembers Scott coming into the yard smiling because he had earned his union card. "Now I feel like a Pietrosante," she remembers her nephew saying. Job assignments resulted in Scott working next to his older brother on the Tropicana site. Soon, they developed a routine. John III, 25, would drive to Scott's, wake him and drive them to work. "Then I would buy him lunch," he remembered. In the fall of 2003, the atmosphere on the job got more rushed. "Everything was hurry up," John III said. They were working overtime and pouring several garage floors on the same day. Then, on Oct. 30, things went horribly wrong. Scott was working on the second floor while John III was on the eighth. When John III turned to get his tools, the garage collapsed. "A lot of people were screaming," he said. "I couldn't believe it." In the chaos that followed, he believed his brother was okay. An hour would pass before he learned the truth. That day the Pietrosante tradition died too. Now, only one is working as a mason. Michael, 42, said he tries to keep his feet on the ground. The family, who has retained Vineland Solicitor Michael Testa, is waiting to learn if criminal charges will be filed in connection with the collapse. "I don't want to see this happen to anyone else," John III said. He carries the image of his lost brother in a tattoo on his shoulder. Atlantic City will continue to grow and construction crews will continue to work there, attracted by paychecks. But the Pietrosantes are hoping to fight for safer working conditions to spare other families their loss. That will be Scott's legacy, they said.
Buena Regional BOE to revisit defeated budget BUENA VISTA -- The Buena Regional school board voted Tuesday night to withhold letters of employment for the district's bus drivers, teacher's assistants and first- and second-year teachers until the defeated school budget proposal is amended. The board's decision comes one week after voters turned down the district's proposed spending plan, which would have raised school taxes by $314 on a home assessed at $100,000 in the township. It would have raised taxes by $243 on the same home in Buena. The proposed tax hikes were greater than the two previous years, when voters also shot down proposed budgets. The decision comes shortly before township and borough officials are expected to meet with school board members to revisit the defeated budget. The process could include making cuts to pare down the proposed tax hikes. Meeting dates have not been set, but the process is required by state statute. It's a precautionary measure that may not presage layoffs. "Hopefully, they will be fine but we can't offer the contracts and then take them away," Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo said after the meeting. "It's better for us to hold off." Meanwhile, a closing discussion centered on board members' frustration at possibly having to cut a budget many of them feel comfortable with. Municipalities can recommend cuts to general line items in the budget. If officials and school board members fail to come to an agreement, the district can appeal to the state Department of Education. After two prior budget defeats, municipal officials directed the district to make cuts totaling $700,000 -- which may have contributed to this year's steep hikes.
Buena Vista public works augments equipment fleet BUENA VISTA -- A new pickup truck and lawnmower will be the latest additions to the township public works department. On Monday night, Township Committee approved the purchases, which together total just more than $31,000. The 61-inch deck Husqvarna lawnmower with "zero-turn" -- which enables it to turn on a dime -- will help the department manicure the lawn outside Township Hall, public works Director Rich Calareso said. Previously, that work was done by private contractors. Maintenance of the lawns at the township parks -- which have been the department's responsibility -- had been done using a tractor, he said. The four-wheel drive Ford 350 pickup replaces an existing vehicle and will be used for day-to-day use, such as transporting materials to sites, Calareso said. Meanwhile, the new 7,000-square-foot public works building on Union Road is rapidly nearing completion. Township Engineer Dave Scheidegg said a certificate of occupancy could be applied for in the next week. The new metal structure, which stands along a portion of the old public works building, was built to permit storage of public works equipment.
Pinelands towns call Highlands bill unfair
Buena Police Explorers to compete nationally
Her faith is in the cards - BVT resident Janice Peroni designs cards for charity In 1965, an occupational therapist strapped a paintbrush to Janice M. Peroni's hand for the first time, altering her life forever. Today, Peroni's watercolor painting is featured in the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation's spring card collection, which is being distributed to countless homes across the nation. Called "Tea Party," the card includes a painting of a tea set and white wicker chairs in a garden. "I love making cards. I like making paintings that are reproduced into cards because they are distributed to so many people," said the Buena Vista Township resident. It's not the first time the Christopher Reeve foundation has featured her artwork. In 2002, the foundation selected five of her winter scenes for its line of holiday greeting cards. By popular demand, they were reprinted the following year. Then, several paintings appeared on the foundation's annual calendars. "God changes your life and gives you something to make up for what you've lost," said Peroni, 57. "I'm keeping faith, that's for sure." Peroni was involved in a car accident in 1965. Faith isn't the only thing that's gotten her paintings into greeting cards, the home of former first lady Barbara Bush and the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston. Incomparable talent is another. She's at ease painting in mediums including oil and acrylic. She also is an avid photographer. Her father gave her her first camera at the age of 12. The beauty of photography lies in capturing a fleeting moment, she explains. "It's just capturing that moment of time, that split second of time that won't happen again, and it's gone," she said. Her photographs sometimes surface in her painting. She derives her other subjects from local scenery and imagination. But the subjects are secondary, she says. "I just love to paint," she said.
Township proposes 3-cent hike - Increase less than in neighboring regions BUENA VISTA -- Repaved roads, new tennis courts and community center upgrades are among the expenses accounted for in the proposed 2004 municipal budget, which calls for a 3-cent tax rate increase. The Township Committee introduced the $3.8 million spending plan Monday night. The proposed tax hike means the owner of a home assessed at $83,000, the township average, would pay an extra $24.90, Mayor Chuck Chiarello said. The increase is due mainly to rising costs for salaries and medical insurance of township employees. Earlier this year, Buena Vista officials had been looking at a possible tax rate hike up to 4 cents, but were able to save a penny with revenue generated from a public land sale. The township runs a "lean operation" by ensuring improvements made in the community are gentle on residents' pocketbooks, Chiarello said. But elsewhere in the region, the impact on residents' pocketbooks could be bigger. In neighboring Buena, the proposed municipal budget calls for an 11.1-cent tax rate increase. And the Buena Regional School District has unveiled a spending plan that could increase the school tax rate by 31.4 cents in the township and 24.3 cents in the borough. Some highlights of Buena Vista's 2004-05 municipal budget proposal include: · A $150,000 grant from the N.J. Department of Transportation to repave Oak Road from Route 40 to Tuckahoe Road. · A $165,000 Green Acres loan to replace three cracking tennis courts at Michael Debbi Park in Richland. Officials closed the courts about 1 1/2 months ago because the cracks are so severe that they could lead to injuries and become a liability. The loan will be repaid over an extended period. · $50,000 from the Community Development Block Grant fund for new heating and air conditioning at the Martin Luther King Center in Newtonville. · $100,000 to repave various township streets as part of Buena Vista's annual local road program. · $100,000 reserved in capital improvements for new public works equipment.
Buena Vista deli owner arrested in sale of untaxed cigarettes BUENA VISTA
TOWNSHIP - State troopers from the local barracks of the State Police said they
arrested a business owner Thursday for selling untaxed cigarettes.
Buena Vista Township, Atlantic County, NJ
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