BVT NEWS CLIPS - FEBRUARY 2004

Project would lead travelers on scenic trip

The state Pinelands Com-mission is developing a series of scenic byways through the Pinelands that are designed to be part fun and part economic development.

The byways would follow roads through Cape May, Atlantic, Ocean and Burlington counties, giving those who take them the chance to enjoy the natural and cultural environment of the Pinelands from Batsto to Woodbine and from Weymouth Furnace to Tuckerton.

"You get a nice cross section of the Pinelands habitat and scenic vistas," said Francis Rappa, Pinelands Commission spokesman.

The byways also are intended to create new tourism opportunities - and the money those opportunities could generate - for municipalities and businesses.

They also could pump extra money into existing businesses - such as Renault Winery and shops at Historic Smithville - which would be included on the byways' route, he said.

The actual routes are still being developed, Rappa said, as are associated plans for maps, byway markers and state and federal funding that eventually could pay for visitors centers.

The byways plan is being endorsed by most of the municipalities and counties through which the routes will pass, said Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chiarello, a member of the Pinelands Municipal Council's executive committee, which recently reviewed the proposal.

When completed, it could be a scenic route similar to sections of Route 29 that run north from Trenton and past \Washington's Crossing and New Hope, Pa., he said.

"It's a very nice thing," Chiarello said.

The byways proposal began with a Pinelands Rural Economic Development Plan put together in the late 1990s, Rappa said.

Consultants were hired to look at several Pinelands municipalities in need of developing some "new economic opportunities," he said. It was decided that could be done in part through the byways proposal, which could bolster tourism, he said.

The byways plan has a northern loop that would link areas such as Tuckerton, Batsto, Smithville and New Gretna, Rappa said. A southern loop would take in places like Weymouth Furnace, Mays Landing, Corbin City, Tuckahoe, Port Elizabeth and Leesburg, he said.

Once the routes are made final, Rappa said, the Pinelands Commission would seek the official designation by the state and federal government. That would allow the commission to get grant money that would pay for signs, maps and other related things, he said.

The project is being developed by the Pinelands Commission staff.

"We hope to have something ready shortly," Rappa said.

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Car crash claims life of trooper - Officer headed to call involving V'land Wawa robber suspect

New master in the kitchen - Buena man learns to cook when wife of 57 years falls ill

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Buena Vista sets up special-needs residents list

BUENA VISTA -- Nearly five months after Hurricane Isabel knocked out power to a large part of Buena Vista, officials are compiling a list of township residents who might need special assistance if another major emergency arises.

The township is gathering the names and addresses of residents who are shut-ins, disabled, on dialysis or have special conditions warranting extra outreach efforts during a long-term power outage or other emergencies.

The emergency register will be distributed to local fire and rescue personnel, allowing them to become more familiar with the special needs of the population they serve.

The idea came from a recent public meeting among local fire and emergency crews.

The importance of such information was evident last September during Isabel, when about 20 percent of Buena Vista homes were left without power, Mayor Chuck Chiarello said.

In the Collings Lakes section, roughly one in four homes lost electricity. The Collings Lakes Fire Department was called to respond to local residents without power by lending out five generators.

One woman needed the equipment to power a special movable bed that permits her to stand up, said Collings Lakes Fire Chief Bill Donnelly. Another resident used a borrowed generator to run an oxygen machine.

But the fire company -- which also provides ambulatory service -- didn't learn of residents' needs until they called the dispatch office or stopped by the fire hall, Donnelly said.

Having an emergency list on hand would allow firefighters to take pre-emptive measures the next time an emergency occurs, he said.

"We could preplan if we know ahead of time what we're dealing with," Donnelly said. "Planning is always the way to go. If we know there's a situation, we'd be a little more apt to knock on the door. If we don't know nothing about it, we can't do anything about it."

The list could also serve a purpose during regular emergency calls, Donnelly said.

"If we know a woman is confined to a hospital bed and her house catches on fire, while we're on the route to the house we'll know there's a good chance she's still in the house," he said.

The register also could prove especially useful to the Dorothy Fire Company in neighboring Weymouth, which provides ambulatory service to the Milmay section of Buena Vista.

"In Milmay, I don't know everybody," Fire Chief Robert Gibney said. "Here in Weymouth, you kind of know who's in their 70s or 80s, and you can pop in and say, 'Hey are you all right?' We know who they are, where they're at, and who to go check on."

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Milanesi PTO OKs school uniforms

BUENA -- Students at John C. Milanesi Elementary School could soon follow the fashion trend set in Vineland, where four public elementary schools have a voluntary uniform policy.

The school's PTO received unanimous approval at Tuesday's Buena Regional school board meeting to survey parents in the coming weeks.

Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo stressed that any uniform policy would be voluntary. If approved, it would begin this September.

The survey will ask parents to choose from fall and spring attire, such as navy blue tees or polos. Those tops could be matched with khaki shorts or skirts.

Winter options include navy blue, long-sleeved polos and white turtlenecks. That can be paired with tan khaki or black pants.

Jeans could be an option for Casual Fridays.

Parents also will have the option of indicating whether they prefer a different fashion or color scheme.

The uniforms could be adorned with a manta ray, the animal Milanesi students recently voted to make their school mascot.

Ann Derr, a Buena Vista resident and mother of a Milanesi second-grader, spearheaded the uniform drive with the PTO's backing. She warmed up to the idea after her sister-in-law's children started donning uniforms at Winslow Elementary School in Vineland.

"They don't have to worry what they wear from one day to the next," Derr said. "Everybody will be more or less equal rather than worry who dresses better."

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Land sale may ease tax increase in Buena Vista

BUENA VISTA -- The preliminary outlook for the 2004 municipal budget indicates township residents could expect a 3- to 4-cent tax rate increase this year.

That means the owner of a property assessed at $83,000, the township average, might pay an additional $25 to $35 more in municipal taxes.

The exact increase is still unknown as officials anticipate added money from an upcoming public land sale and possible revenue from taxes on utility companies.

The budget proposal will be introduced March 8, which is the same day as the land sale.

That sale could "easily reduce taxes by a penny," said Mayor Chuck Chiarello following a brief synopsis of preliminary budget figures by township Businesss Administrator Ron Trebing, which revealed a tentative 4.1-cent tax rate increase.

That figure does not, however, include revenues from the land sale.

The minimum bid amounts of the 23 land parcels expected to be sold total about $20,000. Every $22,000 in additional revenue yields a penny decrease in the tax rate, Chiarello said.

Word of a $25 million pool of franchise taxes that possibly could be divided among municipalities in the state also could have an impact on the tax rate, Chiarello said. Franchise taxes are those paid by utility companies and would reward municipalities who have managed to keep their budgets relatively flat, Chiarello said.

In other news:

n In a tribute to Read Across America month in March and Dr. Seuss' 100th birthday, about 30 students from Collings Lakes Elementary School performed songs from the Dr. Seuss songbook before a packed audience at Township Hall. Milanesi School students followed with a dramatic reading of "Our Heroes -- Writing on the Wall," a readers theater designed for children to become loud, clear readers.

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'A different kind of atmosphere' Buenas: Where farmland is key to economy, and commercial change is slow

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Roadwork one of many 2004 highlights in Buena Vista

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Local cities to receive slight boost in state aid

TRENTON -- Gov. James E. McGreevey announced aid figures for the state's municipalities Friday that exceed last year's totals by tens of millions of dollars.

Funding for municipal aid accounts for almost $1.8 billion in the governor's overall budget, an increase of $24.2 million. Every municipality gets at least a little more formula aid this year.

Also, checks from the Energy Receipts Property Tax Relief program, which are distributed to all municipalities, increased by $25 million. The state collects $788 million in such taxes from regulated utilities and telecommunications companies.

Here's what some local communities will receive under McGreevey's spending plan:

Vineland -- $8,106,398, a $178,589 increase.

Millville -- $5,198,351, a $84,737 increase.

Buena -- $623,738, a $14,478 increase.

Buena Vista -- $976,132, a $24,596 increase.

Newfield -- $194,824, a $5,190 increase.

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LoBiondo: US 'on the rebound' Congressman gives upbeat address at annual Chamber gathering

BUENA VISTA -- Those people who continue to paint a bleak picture of the nation's job growth and claim nothing is right with America's economy are flat out wrong, U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo said Friday.

The comments came during a question-and-answer period following the congressman's annual State of the District address at Merighi's Savoy Inn, but they served to punctuate one of the main thrusts of his speech -- the country's economy is on the upswing.

When President Bush took office, the economy was already declining, a situation exacerbated by the 9/11 terrorist attacks and then a flurry of corporate financial scandals, said LoBiondo, R-2.

Now "we're on the rebound by anyone's standards," LoBiondo said, adding he believes Bush's tax cuts contributed to the reversal. He conceded, however, that the recovery still has "a long way to go."

In an address that touched on homeland security, education and health care, jobs and the economy emerged as the prominent issue both for LoBiondo and the large business crowd that gathered to hear his remarks. Members of the Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce asked about the unemployment rate, looming national deficit, shrinking manufacturing sector and customer service call centers moving to foreign countries.

LoBiondo made it clear he's upset over losing good-paying manufacturing jobs and emphasized he'd vote against trade agreements that fuel the trend.

"There is no fair trade in what we are doing right now," the congressman stated.

With that said, LoBiondo stressed there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. According to national data, unemployment has decreased from 6.3 percent to 5.6 percent and gross domestic product, factory orders and export figures are up, he said. The trend has extended into South Jersey where the Borgata -- Atlantic City's newest casino -- created 5,000 jobs. And construction projects such as South Jersey Healthcare's Regional Medical Center and the N.J. Veterans Memorial Home expansion have also produced jobs.

Tourism is key, maintained LoBiondo, who said he helped secure more than $60 million -- $27 million last year alone -- to protect and preserve South Jersey beaches. Factory outlet stores are rising in Atlantic City and Millville's Arts District, Wheaton Village and the Millville Army Air Field Museum have found tremendous success.

Darryl Davis, economic development manager for the Cumberland Empowerment Zone, said LoBiondo was on target about the decline in manufacturing jobs. But things won't change until "companies realize cheaper for them is not good for the economy," Davis said.

He also supported LoBiondo's efforts to protect the nation's ports and waterways by increasing overall funding for the Coast Guard, as well as money for emergency equipment for fire departments.

The congressman's comments in support of the Iraq war and the troops serving there were received warmly by some who attended the luncheon.

"(It) warmed my heart because there are men and women out there fighting for our freedom," said Charles Loyle, owner of Loyle Lanes on South Delsea Drive in Vineland.

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