Buena Vista Township

News Clips 2004

Cynthia Roberts Salon & Spa cuts ribbon 9/27/04

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Car crash blacks out communities 9/16/04

BUENA -- An Egg Harbor Township man received a careless-driving summons

 after his car struck an electric guide wire, snapping a utility pole and knocking out power to hundreds of people in several communities.

The accident occurred about 10:25 a.m. at Wheat Road and Lincoln Avenue.

James Romain, 35, was traveling north on Lincoln Avenue when he ran a stop sign and struck the wire, Police Chief Doug Adams said. The force of the crash broke the top of the pole that was connected to the wire, Adams said.

That cut electricity to 1,950 customers in Landisville, Buena, Richland, Newtonville and Mizpah, said Conectiv spokeswoman Betty Kennedy.

Power was restored by 11:40 a.m. to all but five homes, Kennedy said. Those remaining customers, who live in the pole's immediate vicinity, were expected to be reconnected around dinnertime.

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Van Drew seeks law to balance North/South farm preservation 9/15/04

DEERFIELD -- A budding movement to rewrite New Jersey's farmland preservation rulebook advanced Tuesday with a teleconference for area farmers and government officials.

The objective: discuss how to change the state's formula for selecting land enrolled in preservation programs so that it considers the productivity of individual farms. Such a change would benefit South Jersey.

State preservation programs essentially buy the "rights" to develop a farm. Usually, the process leaves the land in the original owner's hands. It always involves requiring that the property be used only for farming or some other "open space" purpose that doesn't entail building.

Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, who called Tuesday's meeting, said including the value of a farm's production in the equation level the field for South Jersey farmers.

The current system favors farms in other parts of the state, said Van Drew, D-1. That's an old lament among area farmers.

Land in South Jersey, even amid the current avalanche of development, is far cheaper than property in the northern half of the state. However, the preservation system typically appraises land in South Jersey for less than what a grower can get by selling it to a developer.

That leads to a common scenario in which a farmer is accepted into a preservation program, first at the county level and then at the state, only to reject the state's bid for the land. The steady arrival of housing projects in East Vineland is a prime example of this syndrome.

"Right now in Cumberland County and Salem County, where you still have a lot of farms, you shouldn't have to wait until we're in a crisis situation the way Bergen County is or Hunterdon or Sussex," Van Drew said. "Now is the time to do it. But by the parameters they use, you almost have to start losing farmland until you get a proper reimbursement."

County Planning Director Robert Brewer said the county has received about $521,000 in state preservation funding this year. By comparison, the county turns out more than $120 million in farm products.

A handful of Cumberland and Salem farmers attended the teleconference here. At the other end was an analyst from the N.J. Office of Legislative Services.

Van Drew said the analyst, as of Tuesday, is assigned to draft legislation incorporating the ideas discussed at the meeting. A bill should be submitted before the end of the year.

"At the very best, it becomes law," the assemblyman said. "At the very least, we initiate real serious discussion about this."

The Department of Agriculture was not invited to the meeting. Van Drew said its input would come later.

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Thanks for supporting Run 4 Ricky 9/14/04

The first Run 4 Ricky was a tremendous success. We would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to make this happen.

What started out as a small 5K run and barbecue for the Ricky Wilcox Scholarship fund turned into more than 400 people from our community and surrounding towns filling up our front yard and street. It was an especially emotional morning.

Deepest thanks to the wonderful organizers and creators, including Nicole Kemenosh, Lisa Barcea, Tamara Pietrosante, Davina Levari, Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chiarello and the township committee for the use of Michael Debbi Park. We also want to thank the Minotola Rescue Squad, Collings Lakes Rescue Squad, Buena Borough Police Chief Doug Adams and the police department for their participation.

A special thank you goes out to:

·  Buena Junior Explorers.

·  Buena Regional High School

·  Atlantic Care.

·  Lilliston Ford.

·  Falasca Mechanical.

·  NDK General Contractors.

·  Blue Heron Pines.

·  Buena Vista Country Club.

·  Caricaturist Leah Morgan.

·  Phil Iannoco of Creative Sound Entertainment.

·  The local businesses for the very generous donations of food and beverages.

And thanks most of all to the wonderful 400 men, women and children who came to run and enjoy the barbecue with big smiles and love in their heart. Your participation and support was truly overwhelming. Because of you, we're able to give a very generous scholarship in Ricky's memory to an athlete at Buena Regional High School in 2005.

It was obvious why everyone was here: It was a Run 4 Love. Hope to see you all again at the Run 4 Ricky next year.

Bill and Diana Wilcox

Buena

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Owners OK with 2 a.m. bar closing 9/14/04

BUENA VISTA -- Local bar owners emerged from a meeting here Monday night

 largely satisfied that township officials have opted to let their establishments stay open until 2 a.m. and scrapped a proposal to impose a midnight closing on weekdays.

But in the future, they stressed, the township should include them in any decisions affecting their businesses.

The bar owners voiced their comments during a public hearing for a proposed ordinance that would have reduced the hours of operation of 11 liquor consumption establishments in the township.

As originally worded, the ordinance would have required bars to close at midnight on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends.

But even before the public hearing opened Monday, Mayor Chuck Chiarello announced the Township Committee would be amending the language to mandate bars close at 2 a.m. every day of the week. Previously, taverns in Buena Vista had to shut down at 3 a.m.

The change of heart was prompted by conversations with bar owners where "we heard a lot of good comments and suggestions," Chiarello said.

Further, he added, the new 2 a.m. closing time would be consistent with neighboring towns like Folsom and Vineland, he said.

"We can stop some of the problems we have experienced and the condition that has caused people to drift into our town from other towns," he said. He said he could not publicly disclose what "problems" he was referring to.

Township Committee members unanimously approved the language change but won't adopt the ordinance until a Sept. 27 meeting, allowing adequate time to notify the public of the new rule.

The law would take effect around Oct. 8 or 9, said Chiarello.

"I am very satisfied with the outcome," said Tom Merighi, Jr., owner of Merighi's Savoy Inn in East Vineland, after the meeting. "I think it's a right move for the township, and this puts us on a level playing field with our neighbors."

But during the public hearing, Merighi argued for greater inclusion in the process, suggesting the township call a round-table discussion with licensees in the future when officials are considering any action that might affect them.

Steve Pietrosante, manager of Milmay Tavern, seconded Merighi's comments, saying a phone call or notice that's "a little more personal would be a better idea."

As for Buena Tavern owner Sunday Simons -- who said the township's late-night closing hour and her bar's close proximity to a motel are the main reasons for her business' success -- the township's decision is one she can tolerate.

"If they'd have hit me with 1 a.m., that would've hurt," she said, "but 2 I can live with."

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Buena Vista move to announce last call earlier 9/14/04

BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP - Township officials Monday unanimously endorsed an ordinance requiring local bars to close by 2 a.m. - one hour earlier than currently allowed.

The decision is a compromise on an earlier proposal that called for mandatory closing times of midnight on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends.

Mayor Chuck Chiarello said Township Committee had introduced the original ordinance in late August, after State Police approached him about "a number of bar-related disturbances."

When officials announced the ordinance would be put to a vote following a public hearing on Monday, they received a flurry of calls from several of the 11 establishments that serve alcoholic beverages within the township.

Closing down the establishments at midnight would disrupt a significant amount of late-night business, owners said.

"I've got a lot of events that go on through morning," said Sunday Simons, owner of the Buena Tavern off Route 40, a few hours before the hearing. "Special events, holidays, you name it, they go on for a while."

At Monday's hearing Chiarello said he had been happy to receive the input of local bar and tavern owners. He emphasized that the decision for a 2 a.m. closing "all nights of the week" had been reached in part because owners had spoken up.

"It's also consistent with our neighboring towns," said Chiarello. "So when bars close elsewhere, people won't come to Buena for the rest of the night."

The mayor said he was unable to disclose the exact nature of the disturbances reported by State Police.

Several bar owners present at the meeting said the township could have given more advance warning about the ordinance. But most said they were happy with the committee's decision.

"I'd like to support the 2 a.m. closing time," said Tom Merighi Jr., owner of the Savoy, a bar and restaurant on Landis Avenue. "It's an enlightened ordinance."

Merighi emphasized that township bars need long hours to attract customers from outside Buena Vista.

"We don't have a huge population here so we need people to come from outside," he said. "We need that business. I just booked a wedding from Cape May County."

Simons said she wasn't sure how she felt about the new closing times, but she said she was glad the mayor was willing to compromise.

The ordinance's final adoption is scheduled for Sept. 27. If adopted, it would go into effect by Oct. 8 or 9, the mayor said.

Chiarello added that the ordinance could be amended again in the future, depending on the needs of bar owners and the community.

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Buena Vista bar fights against early hours 9/13/04

BUENA VISTA -- When Steve Pietrosante discovered officials were considering

 a plan to scale back the hours of the township's bars to close at midnight on weeknights and 2 a.m. on weekends, he immediately hit the phones to rally fellow tavern owners to protest the change.

A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for tonight's Township Committee meeting.

"Twelve o'clock during the week is ridiculous," said Pietrosante, manager of Milmay Tavern, one of 11 liquor-license establishments in Buena Vista that would be affected by the proposed changes. "I mean, we can come to some kind of agreement, but that's a little crazy."

Officials introduced an ordinance Aug. 23 that would require local bars to be closed:

·  From 12:01 to 7 a.m. weekdays.

·  From 2 to 7 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Currently, the township's bars can remain open until 3 a.m. every night.

Although an ordinance calling for the shorter hours has been introduced, it can be modified after the public gives its input at tonight's meeting, Mayor Chuck Chiarello noted Sunday. He assured township committee members will keep "an open mind" on the issue.

Indeed, township officials already have begun reconsidering their position after speaking with several local bar owners, the mayor said. It's possible the township may allow bars to remain open until 1 a.m. weeknights and 2 a.m. weekends, or for a fixed 2 a.m. closing schedule every night, he said.

The reason for the change of heart, according to Chiarello: The township recognizes that certain establishments sometimes host banquets and special occasions that require them to stay open later.

"In no way was this meant to harm any of our good operating businesses in town," Chiarello said.

The issue came to the forefront after state police approached officials about a "troublesome situation in our town," said Chiarello, declining to identify the problem establishment. The ordinance's introduction was the township's way of "trying to cooperate with law enforcement," he said.

Before the ordinance was introduced, the municipal clerk surveyed bars, asking each location how long they remained open. The original hours proposed are in line with their answers, he said.

Although times listed in the proposed ordinance largely reflect the hours of operation at Milmay Tavern, Pietrosante said his industry is sporadic and demands "freedom" to operate.

"You don't know what business brings one day to the next," he said. "We don't do anything on a steady basis."

On some nights, the tavern at Tuckahoe and Mays Landing roads may close even earlier than the hours stipulated in the proposed ordinance, but there are other times when a birthday party, televised football game or entertainment may run late into the night.

"You don't want to be trapped with the time or constantly watching the clock," Pietrosante said.

Reduced operating hours could hurt the tavern where, already, "business is not what it used to be," he said.

Just a few miles down the road in Weymouth, two businesses operate on licenses that allow them to remain open for all but one hour in a 24-hour time period.

"We're in a tough industry, and in fact we have a very high failure rate," said Tom Merighi Jr., owner of Merighi's Savoy Inn in East Vineland. "I'd like to think the township would do everything in their power to help us succeed -- not hurt us."

The times listed in the ordinance, he said, puts local bars at an unfair advantage. Taverns in neighboring Vineland and Buena must close by 2 a.m. nightly.

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$100K of construction equipment recovered Buena man arrested for burglary, theft 9/8/04

BUENA VISTA -- State police recovered more than $100,000 worth of

 construction equipment and arrested a Post Road man on charges of burglary and theft, state police said Tuesday.

Ryan Carroll Jr., 35, posted $50,000 bail and was released pending court action.

Detectives armed with a search warrant found a stolen stump grinder, a skid loader, a commercial wood chipper, a hydraulic dump trailer, a Suzuki ATV and a Yamaha motorcycle when they arrested Carroll on Aug. 30, said Trooper Steve Jones. The items are worth about $64,500.

Detectives went back to Carroll's house on Friday with another search warrant and found more stolen items, including chainsaws, industrial pipe cutters, generators and various building materials, Jones said.

Police now want to hear from any potential victims of the thefts. Victims will need to show proof of ownership to retrieve any stolen items, Jones said.

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State Police recover $100,000 in stolen property 9/8/04

BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP - State Police recovered stolen heavy equipment valued at more than $100,000 in two raids at a property in the 4600 block of Post Road, officials said Tuesday. A resident was arrested.

The raids capped a month long investigation with several local police departments into heavy-equipment theft, said State Police Detective Steve Brown of the Buena Vista Station, the lead investigator.

Police first executed a search warrant at the property about 6:30 a.m. Aug. 30, Brown said. They found a backhoe, a stump grinder, a commercial chipper, an all-terrain vehicle and a hydraulic dump trailer - all parked in an open lot behind the home.

The items recovered were reported stolen from various locations statewide, Brown said. Police arrested Brian Carroll, 35, who lives at the address where the search took place, on several counts of receiving stolen property. Carroll was released later that day after posting bail.

About 10 a.m. Friday, police returned with a second search warrant for a storage facility at the property, Brown said. In that search, they recovered chain saws, a fusion machine that cuts pipe, several generators, welders, blueprints from local housing developments, windows, screens, cabinet doors, hardwood flooring, numerous bales of insulation still in their original packaging and vinyl siding.

The equipment recovered in both searches - more than 60 items - is now stored at the State Police station on state Route 54 here, Brown said.

"We have a lot of property to give back to people," Brown said. Police are trying to determine what belongs to whom, he said, but many of the building materials have no serial numbers. He added that it appeared much of the material came from construction sites.

Anyone who had equipment stolen similar to the kind recovered is asked to call Detective Brown at the Buena Vista State Police Station, (609) 561-1800, ext. 3408.

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Patcong Valley Model Railroaders Society on lookout for new home 9/2/04

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